thequietriot.com » sustainable

Ready for a low energy take off?

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:11:51 +0000

The holiday season is upon us and many of us will travel to see family and friends or simply go on a holiday. The transport sector is the fastest growing contributor to Europe’s energy demand and CO2 emissions. This trend is expected to continue in coming decades and air travel, which is damaging the atmosphere, is expected to double its share of overall transport between 2000 and 2030. Innovative materials can contribute to lower emissions.

Textile structures have enormous potential in lightweight construction because of their low weight. Whilst the commercial aviation industry has recently started to use fibre-reinforced plastics, coated fabrics and laminates are finding more and more smart applications in paragliders, kites and hot air balloons.

The Berlin based company aeroix focuses on the development of innovative products in the field of applied aeronautical sciences and technical textiles. The inter-disciplinary team recently developed and successfully introduced an insulation system for hot air balloons called Aerofabrix. The material is a lightweight multilayer fabric and it has the lowest density currently available on the global market.

An air gap within the fabric is required to achieve the insulation properties. Flocked filaments create this air gap whilst being super light. Through this integrated flocked insulation material fuel consumption for ballooning can be reduced by more than 50% or alternatively, larger passengers groups can be transported.

The aeroíx team is currently experimenting with applications in architecture. Other applications could be in the field of protective clothing or outdoor equipment for extreme conditions. The material could also be used in light building structures. aeroix is also working with another Berlin based company called Zendome on lightweight, well insulated and mobile structures,building on Buckminster Fuller’s early groundbreaking structures..

Take your time and explore the two websites – www.aeroix.de and www.zendome.com .

Cultural revolution in materials

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:08:17 +0000

Global sourcing is the standard in the construction industry: bricks might come from the Netherlands or Poland, cement from Spain, steel and marble from India, aluminium from Brazil and wood from Canada or the tropical forests in the Far East. Due to the rising cost oftransport and the growing importance of managing energy and other resources in a sustainable manner, more and more specifiers demand the return to the use of locally produced building materials.

Until recently this change of attitude would have been regarded as some romantic fancy. However at the DesignBoost conference in Sweden in October this year, Roy Antik, the Development Manager for Sustainability at Skanska announced that the company will reduce its energy and resource consumption by 50%. A key part of this strategy will be local recycling and the use of local materials. Skanska is one of the major players in the construction industry.

Mass production, global sourcing and the availability of cheap labour has had a huge impact on the quality of our built environment, but also the traditional skills and methodologies in the construction industry.

In a separate initiative,Atelier Rang – an architectural practice based in Frankfurt – recently finished the Tower of Bhaktapur in Nepal. In this project they not only resourced the building materials directly on site, but also combined the traditional hessian building traditions with the local skills of the Newars. The team exported the forms of the Frankfurter Ziegel (brick), but used the local clay dug up on site in Nepal. The scaffolding was made from bamboo grown in a grove next to the site. The bricks were laid in a structure which reflects the Himalayan Mountains.

The architects describe the building as a brick sculpture and the project could be a prototype for local sourcing of materials. The history of architecture is full of such examples. Older brick building in London, Amsterdam or Hamburg are a reflection of the local clay and building traditions. The Tower of Bhaktapur can offer many lessons for the future.

Collecting Water

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:17:12 +0000

In recent days we have featured bottled water and the much more sustainable use of tap water on this website. Whilst in our western societies we simply open the tap and are provided with the best quality water, large sectors of the world’s population do not have access to sufficient clean water. Watercone – a cleverly designed and simple product – helps to ease this problem.

Watercone consists of two elements: a black pan and a transparent cone made from thermo- formable polycarbonate. The same material is used in water dispensers. The material is light, it lasts up to five years and is100% recyclable.

The product in use is as simple as its design: salty or brackish water is poured into the black pan, which absorbs the sunlight and heats the water. The water evaporates and condenses in the form of droplets on the inner wall of the cone. The inner base of the cone is shaped as a trough, into which the water droplets trickle. On top of the cone is cap just like on a water bottle. If you open the cap, tip the cone and turn it upside down, you can pour the condensed water directly into a drinking receptacle.

A single cone can collect between 1.0 and 1.7 litres of water per day. Its primary use is in costal areas in developing countries with no access to clean drinking water. The Watercone is becoming widely used in field and mobile hospitals, where the supply of clean water can make the difference between life and death. The product can generate business for water traders who have plied the markets in Africa, the Mid East and Asia for centuries.

Watercone has received many awards and has been shown in many prominent exhibitions such as the 11th Biennale Architecture in Venice and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

www.watercone.com

August and September on the allotment

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:12:03 +0000

Summer has come and gone on our allotment. It has been a wonderful summer and the harvest has been excellent …

By August growth is very well established and although it is still necessary to water most of the plants can manage for a few days without our tending. This is really fortunate as we were unexpectedly away from the plot for two weeks but with the support of friends and family visiting to water and pick produce everything survived and continued to prosper. It is always difficult for us to go away in August as we need to be around to harvest all the produce we have been bringing on for months.

There are huge amounts of beans, beetroots, salad leaves, soft fruits, courgettes and tomatoes to harvest regularly so they don’t go to waste and if the weather is hot and sunny we need to water regularly. We have never mentioned the amount of support we receive, not only from our friends and family but also from other plot holders. An allotment is a huge undertaking and it’s not always possible to do everything ourselves or to be there when we need to, and this is when others come to fore with offers of support. Other plot holders might notice that we have not been around for a while and will often water plants that look as if they are on their last legs, friends and family will offer to water, (a huge undertaking that can take one person almost two hours to do the whole plot). They will also pick produce which is really important as there is nothing more depressing than seeing fruit and vegetables pass over.

September is the month when we really become aware of ‘Autumn’s mellow fruitfulness’ as we continue to harvest from the plot. We are still cropping strawberries, blackberries and raspberries and the tomatoes are coming to their zenith. The pears hang in huge clusters slowly ripening in the Autumn sun. At this time of year there is a great deal to do to store as much as we can to savour over the winter. Onions must be dried, tied in bunches and then hung in a cool dry place, beetroots are pickled or made into soup, homemade tomato sauces and stewed apples are put in the freezer.

September is also the time for the site charity Open Day, when visitors can come and look at our plots, buy produce, check out the beehives and the vineyards, browse the different stalls and have a cup of tea and a piece of homemade cake. There is also a Show tent where plot holders can enter their fruit and vegetables to be judged in a variety of different categories. This year we did pretty well, coming first with our onions, pears, strawberries, and the heaviest onion and longest runner bean categories - we pin our little certificates inside the shed to remind us of our successes! As the month comes to a close we start prepare some of the beds by digging in our compost before planting over wintering crops such as Japanese onions and broad beans. I still need to repair the shed roof and treat the shed and our two benches with wood preserver, but that will have to wait until next month.

Test design online and save energy

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:54:16 +0000

As customer insight researchers we are often involved in testing or evaluating design concepts, new products, advertising ideas or direct mail pieces to ensure that they appeal to their intended target market. One of our main research ‘tools’ is focus groups, which involves physically bringing together a number of people in a variety of locations across the country or world to take part in or observe a group session.

In environmental terms the collective number of miles travelled to achieve this process really does not stack up. A typical UK research programme might comprise 6 focus groups in 3 different locations, and assuming up to 8 respondents, 3 clients and the moderator attend each one, the mileage (by whatever form of transport) quickly adds up to high hundreds if not more. Even more extreme, international studies involve people travelling thousands of miles, sometimes just for a single interview, which really is not responsible or sustainable.

Fortunately nowadays there are some excellent online alternatives to face-to-face research, ranging from ‘thinking space’ forums where people post their opinions in writing to ‘talkie’ online focus groups run through web conferencing software.

The software is slick, results are just as robust as face-to-face interviewing, the process is much more time and resource efficient and, crucially, nobody needs to go anywhere. The carbon expenditure of the research project is thus reduced simply to people powering their PC, which as well as all the obvious environmental benefits represents significant plus points not only in terms of ethical CSR policy, but also travel costs.

At Mindspace we are extremely committed to online as a responsible method of research and achieving really good results as well as significant travel cost savings and CO2 reductions.

To discuss the opportunities for online research in design contact Clare Wade, Mindspace, 01337 810494, 07715 60880, info@q-mindspace.co.uk, www.q-mindspace.co.uk www.onlinefocusgroups.co.uk

Less energy and resources high up the mountain

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:26:12 +0000

After the Mediterranean the Alps are the second most favoured holiday destination in Europe with 60 million visitors per year, mainly because of the skiing facilities. The impact of tourism is projected to increase as a result of greater affluence and the change in lifestyle and demographics. Tourism is still one of the fastest growing industries in Europe and tourist behaviour remains a crucial factor for sustainability.

Sustainable, slow, low impact or Eco tourism is still marginal, but over the last years some new trends and destinations have been emerging. The Vigilius Mountain Resort in Lana, South Tyrol is one of them.

The resort is located at 1,500 metres and can only be reached by cable car or on foot. The property has the shape of a fallen tree and the philosophy of the enterprise is based on a genuine and deep-felt respect for the environment and the surrounding nature.

This philosophy is realized in all areas – from the nature-based construction methods to the sustainable use of local resources. The resort builds on old local traditions, but also integrates the latest technologies. Everything revolves around the local landscape and nature.

The principle of organic architecture not only manifests itself in the shape of the buildings, but also in the use of green grass covered roofs and the use of locally grown larch wood throughout. A large part of the property is timber structure. The shell of the building is highly insulated to avoid heat loss especially in the cold winter months.

Wood is also key for the biomass heating system, which is not only clean burning but also gives local farmers a second income and ensures that the forests are managed and cultivated. Water comes from a local spring and is carefully managed in the bathrooms and spa areas.

Architect Matteo Thun created this luxury mountain hideaway where awareness co-exists with aesthetics, and everything revolves around nature and landscape. The hotel was opened in 2003 and has received a large number of design as well as environmental awards.

However, remember, the biggest environmental impact of tourism is transport. Tourism is one of the main drivers of increased demand for transport, particularly the most environmentally damaging modes: private cars and, more critically, air transport. In Europe, in 2005, about 59 % of the tourists reached their destination by road and 34 % by air. Air traffic is expected to double over the next 20 years.

Next time you book a hotel, ask what their CO2 emissions per m² are – 50kg/m² or less would be a good benchmark. Energy efficient hotels are the new design hotels!

www.designhotels.com/vigilius

DesignBoost 2009 – Design for Life

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:48:11 +0000

The theme for the first Designboost key event – DesignBoost 2007 - was ’sustainable design’. DesignBoost 2008 focused on sustainable cities with the theme ‘Long Live the City’. This year they will go deeper and look into sustainable lifestyles with the theme Design for Life.

DesignBoost 2009 - Design for Life will take place in Malmö from the 14th - 16th of October and will include a variety of integrated workshops - BoostChat, lectures - BoostTalk and the exhibition BoostShow. The organisers have invited Boosters from all over the world, who represent the true frontline within design in its broadest context. All Boosters are authorities in their field of expertise and their selection reflects the principle that design is multidisciplinary and reaching far beyond the obvious. The carefully selected Boosters will interact over three days with companies, organisations and institutions.

The BoostTalks and BoostShow are all open to the public.

When thinking about creating sustainable lives and economies, everything need to be questioned and evaluated in a different light. No stone can remain unturned. The objective of DesignBoost 2009 is to make everybody ask new questions, reach new levels of awareness and think in new ways when it comes to creating better lives for people. This, after all, should be the ultimate goal for all design.

Designboost envisions a holistic approach as a pre-condition for sustainable design. To fulfil this vision Designboost believe in upgrading design competence and boosting competitiveness by knowledge sharing. Designboost is created by award winning communication strategist Peer Eriksson, founder of the communication agency Peer Communication and international acclaimed design and future strategist David Carlson, founder of David Design and David Report.

thequietriot.com will participate in DesignBoost 2009 and share the ideas of quiet design.

For further information about the event please visit www.designboost.se . The event is supported by a number of corporations as well as the Swedish Government currently holding the EU Presidency and promoting growth and competitiveness through sustainable development.

M.HAUS 2009