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Two mega trends will continue to have a major impact on our lifestyles over the next years – the continued growth of information technology and the challenges and opportunities arising through the development of low carbon economies. The COMPOS chair responds very well to both of these trends.
Through mobile technologies working has become more interactive than ever before and the nature of work has changed dramatically. New technologies, activity models and networking have increased the need for working in a flexible way and in new places.
The COMPOS chair manufactured by the Finnish company PIIROINEN was developed from a user centred design perspective resulting in a product full of inspiration, making use of both open and closed spaces and enabling working alone or together in smaller groups. Multifunction use and transformability have been the cornerstones in the design process. The COMPOS chair was designed for open plan workspaces, public seating areas and flexible working.
Samuli Naamanka designed the chair and there is a material innovation behind the COMPOS collection: the seats of the chairs are produced from Finnish linen and corn starch which is polymerized from natural fibre.
At the beginning of the design process the team decided that they wanted to use an organic material. This material obviously had to meet the demands of the furniture industry and achieve curves that are bent into three directions as well as allow for different thickness.
The material is locally sourced and 100% biodegradable. On top of that the costs of the mould for this technology are remarkably lower than plastic or aluminium moulds.
Meet the designer – www.samulinaamanka.com
More product information you can find on www.piiroinen.com
If you are interested in the opportunities bio plastics offer, please see www.european-bioplastics.org
© 2010 thequietriot.com
In the 27 EU member states we produce 164kg of packaging ‘waste’ per capita in one year (Ireland at the top with 245kg and Bulgaria at the bottom with 41kg per person). Almost half of this packaging ‘waste’ stream mainly consists of paper and cardboard, the rest is glass, metals and plastics. Research shows that recycling – rather than sending to landfill or incinerating – has the lowest environmental impact when treating paper and cardboard after use.
Cardboard Future Ltd recently launched the world’s first fully-specified mass production workstation made entirely of cardboard. The Paperweight Desk was designed by Mary Dorrington Ward and engineered by Pat Doyle. It is manufactured in the UK from 76% recycled paper and it is 100% recyclable. Measuring 1500mm x 750mm it is built to meet European legislation for strength and stability and can take up to 100kg. It is the first of a series of cardboard furniture products to be launched by Cardboard Future over the next 12 months.
The specially made corrugated board is coated with a highly water-resistant cellulose varnish and can be assembled in just a few minutes. It comes complete with full cable management and the adjustable legs can be positioned inset or outset.
No screws, staples, glues or tools are required for assembly and the desk comes with a 12-month warranty. The product is currently available in pure white, a palate of standard colours will soon be available and customers will also be able to specify their own colours or designs.
Cardboard Future is working towards creating a true ‘cradle to cradle’ product for clients whereby all of the materials in the product are contained within a closed loop manufacturing system. Clients can already buy into the cradle to cradle service by leasing the products for as long as needed and are guaranteed 100% reuse of these materials into new products.
Full details of the company and the product are on www.cardboardfuture.com
Statistics from European Environment Agency – www.eea.europa.eu
Report on paper recycling see – EEA Technical report No 5/2006, Paper and cardboard — recovery or disposal? Review of life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis on the recovery and disposal of paper and cardboard, ISSN 1725-2237
Concrete is an innovation of the early 20th century and its development completely transformed the way we built. Recently, it has received bad press because it is extremely energy hungry in its production. However, new developments in concrete not only result in big reductions in the use of energy and resources, they also offer new design opportunities.
Until now the application of concrete was characterised by big structures, because the walls needed a minimum thickness to be stable. With the introduction of high density concrete very different results and application can be achieved.
The new high density concrete called Quantz is a cement bonded high tech material. The production process combines computer power, which allows for the use of a novel optimization algorithms withthe latest developments in nanotechnology. The production process can be adjusted to use local raw materials, which cuts out often highly polluting transport. In comparison to traditional concrete the proportion of cement is reduced by 40%. The material is denser and the structures much thinner which leads to a reduction of the material costs of up to 35%. Due to its high density Quantz also offers the advantages of higher rigidity, resistance and durability.
One of the first designers to work with this material is Hamburg based Alexa Lixfeld. She applies a special coating to the high density concrete and creates filigree designs for kitchens and bathrooms. The surfaces are glossy, abrasion- and acid-resistant, food safe, and hydrophobic.
Doreen Westphal uses the materials to create wall murals and Gregor Zimmermann uses it in furniture design.
www.gtecz.com
www.alexalixfeld.com
www.doreenwestphal.com
Text provided Dr. Sascha Peters, Berlin – www.saschapeters.com
© 2010 all rights reserved
The Monument is one of the great sites of London. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1677 as a memorial to the Great Fire in 1666. The building is 202ft high, stands 202ft from the spot in Pudding Lane where it is believed the fire started and is the tallest free standing stone column in the world. It was recently completely refurbished and equipped with a highly energy efficient lighting system.
Although incandescent lights are being phased out across the EU and energy efficient lighting solutions will be introduced, the lighting industry has been relatively slow to promote innovative and well designed low energy lighting solutions. The Monument presented a unique challenge as the structure predates electric lighting. The old scheme was typically unsympathetic, utilising large and unsightly bulkhead fittings.
The designers set out to create a new solution with minimal visual intrusion. Special linear LED sources were designed to the same dimension and profile as the iron stair balustrade spindles. Finished in the same colour and fixed by metal straps, the new lighting is barely noticeable to visitors.
The original finish of the walls – a limed wash – was reinstated. The limed wash gives excellent reflectance and supports the indirect lighting solutions which were installed. The lighting designers had to strike a balance between providing the right mood inside this historic structure and safety requirements and decided to keep the illumination levels at approximately 50 lux average. The emergency lighting is a central battery system which feeds 25% of the standard LED balustrade sources.
The big advantages of the new lighting solution are its low energy use (1.3kWh), longevity and minimum maintenance.
Over 100.000 visitors climb the 311 spiral steps every year to the Monument’s observation gallery to enjoy the unique and exhilarating views across London. On the way up and down they can now also admire a forward thinking energy efficient lighting solution.
The lighting solution was developed by Light Bureau. For more details on the project and the project partners, please visit their website www.lightbureau.com .
© thequietriot.com 2010
A programme on sustainable innovation in China
CITIES
More that 50% of the world’s population now live in urban areas and the pressures on infrastructure and well being are immense. The growing population and the urbanisation on our planet offer huge opportunities for design, innovation and sustainable development.
CLIMATE
The growing population as well as our growing wealth put pressure on our resources and at the same time have a negative impact on our climate. The challenges climate change and the decline of resources pose, need to be resolved.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge and service based industries have become the key factor for growth and success. Web based technologies and the free flow of information accelerate this process. The development of knowledge economies is the future.
CHINA
China will be the economic power house of the 21st century. China is changing from a ‘work bench’ economy to a smart economy with a very strong consumer base.
SHANGHAI IN DEPTH is a series of events hosted by the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology (SAST) and organised by thequietriot.com during World Expo 2010. We will bring together business and innovation leaders from Europe and Shanghai.
The development of our cities, the climate and our knowledge economies offer huge business opportunities and potentials for joint ventures and co-operations in China which we will explore.
SHANGHAI IN DEPTH will during the course of the next months explore six themes from an innovation and business perspective
THEME 1 Inclusive and balanced city: share, live and integrate together
THEME 2 Natural and friendly city: low carbon, ecological and energy-efficient
THEME 3 Healthy and peaceful city: providing well being and a healthy and safe environment
THEME 4 Intelligent and intellectual city: digitalisation and smart network
THEME 5 Habitable and integrated city: urban spaces, architecture, design, traffic and infrastructure
THEME 6 Colourful and diverse city: science and technology, humanities, society and changes in culture.
During World Expo 2010 we will run a number of four day events exploring these themes in more detail, giving an insight into the width and breadth of business opportunities in the Greater Shanghai Area. Our workshops will also allow you to meet innovation leaders in energy management and efficiency, innovation, design and sustainable development.
It will be a platform for people from Europe and China who have understood how to turn green developments and technologies into business success, and for those with similar aspirations.
The gardening season has just started and we are all hoping for a long and warm summer, which means we will have to water our gardens. Water however is a scarce resource, even in many parts of Europe including the UK. Harvested rain water is free and it takes a little pressure from the main water supplies.
A lot of people want to make a difference and have set up water butts in their gardens to collect rain water. Most of these water butts are not items of beauty, but rather utilitarian in appearance.
Recognising this, the Dutch designer Bas van der Veer took up this challenge and designed A Drop of Water. This butt has an integrated watering can which is automatically filled every time it rains, because it is located directly underneath the drainage tube. When the watering can is filled with rainwater, the surplus will automatically run into the reservoir of the water butt. After the first round of watering you can refill the watering can from the reservoir, and replace it for replenishment the next time it rains!
A Drop of Water is very easy to use and an attractive addition to your garden. The design is user friendly and it enables the gardeners to minimise the use of fresh drinking water for irrigation purposes.
You can find A Drop of Water and more of Bas van der Veer’s designs on www.basvanderveer.nl.
The debate and the research around ecological materials mainly focuses on re-cycled materials or natural fibres which can reinforce or work in combination with other materials. Some researchers, however, are already working on production processes which will allow materials to be grown in an organic way rather than manufacturing them. The process is based on the use of fungal mycelium which turns waste material from plants into a solid composite.
Organic waste such as pulses of wheat and rice contain cellulose and lignin which is a binding matrix material. The innovative process developed by ecovative design to produce hard foam is based on the growing principles of filamentous fungal mycelium. You can find fungal mycelium in nature on decaying wood – it looks like white hairy fibres. The foam material EcoCradle™ by ecovative design is grown in the dark, with no watering and no petrochemical input. The organism grows quickly and in just seven days it produces miles of tiny white fibres which envelope and digest the seed husks, binding them into a strong and structurally beautiful final product. The last stage in the process is to dehydrate and dry the materials in an oven which kills the fungus. The entire process uses about 10 times less energy per unit of material than the manufacturing of synthetic foams.
EcoCradle™ offers the same protection as expanded polystyrene and it is a great solution for packaging heavy items as well as food and other perishables. After use in packaging and transport the material can be composted, turned into garden mulch, or just thrown away as it will break down naturally.
The material is currently used for packaging only. Its consistency and surface structure, however, makes it an interesting material for applications in interior design and art objects.
Information submitted by Dr Sascha Peters, www.saschapeters.com. Please also see www.ecovativedesign.com .
MHAUS 2009
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units produce heat and power at the same time. The units normally burn gas, bio-gas or bio fuels and traditionally they are used in industrial set-ups for small scale district heating. The UK based manufacturer Baxi has recently launched a CHP appliance for the home.
The appliance’s Free Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) generates up to 1kWh of electricity whilst providing abundant supplies of space heating and hot water for the home. The unit responds to an initial heat demand up to 6kW by igniting the engine gas burner. The heat causes the gas inside the FPSE to expand, moving a piston up and down between a copper coil. As a result, electricity is generated in a similar way to an alternator in a car.
If the heat demand moves above 6kW, Baxi Ecogen’s supplementary burner fires up to offer an additional 18kW of heat. As the heat demand in the home falls, the appliance’s controls can modulate operation down to 3kW, while still generating electricity to provide maximum energy efficiency.
Extensive field trials in over 400 UK homes have shown that Baxi Ecogen units can reliably satisfy up to two thirds of a typical household’s electrical requirements. For all electricity generated, the householder will receive 10pkWh, using the recently announced Government Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) scheme, effective from April 2010. Any unused electricity can be exported back to the grid for which the householder will receive a further 3pkWh.
Baxi Group has designed the appliance to be a similar size to a conventional wall-hung domestic boiler. The unit is suitable for use on open vented and sealed systems making it ideal for straightforward specification and installation within a wide variety of new-build and replacement projects.
Dedicated intelligent Baxi controls can be incorporated into the system to enhance comfort, increase energy efficiency even further and ensure the unit is suitable for a broad range of property types and sizes. These controls are removable and feature a programmable room thermostat. Cylinder and outdoor temperature sensor kits are also available as optional accessories to enable close monitoring of room, hot water and outdoor temperatures.
For more information please visit www.baxiecogen.com
In 2007 China invested 12 billion US dollars in renewable energies (Germany invested $14 billion and the USA $10 billion) and in the same year 6.4% of the country’s total energy use came from wind power. China’s target for 2020 is to produce 15% of all its energy from renewable sources. With a market share of 23% China is the market leader in the production of solar photovoltaic cells.1
The Shanghai-based design agency Yang-Design responded to these development and designed a bus shelter for Ningbo South Business District integrating the latest solar technology.
The system is divided into three modular units which can be reduced or added to according to the size requirements of each shelter. The modular and robust design lowers maintenance requirements, which also saves costs and energy over time. Two fold-down benches provide some space for seating whilst leaving enough standing space for many others. Between the benches is a ‘city information center’, space for an advertisement billboard and a bus schedule screen. Solar voltaic panels are installed on top of the shelter and they provide the energy for lighting and the information system.
All the components speak the same simple design language. The user-friendly details are designed with soft and fluid curves. Its silver and dark grey color combination responds to the branding requirements of the business district.
The bus shelter is the winner of the prestigious 2010 Red Dot Design Award.
1 Matrix of Change, Matrix des Wandels, report by Zunkunftsinstitut GmbH, June 2009, pp 14
www.yang-design.com
http://en.red-dot.org/design.html
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