Are you interested in green architecture and energy?

[ryan]

Would you buy devices to control your power consumption or add green design elements to your house (rooftop garden, water recuperation, heat recuperation system)?

[john]

This question has gone four days without an answer. It sounds more like a survey than a home & garden question. I try my best to keep up to date on all kinds of construction technology. I have incorporated some innovative products and ideas into my present home.

Good luck with your building projects.

[GreenTiger]

[kymsolaris]

I really like Green Architecture!

Here is a neat article about the Green School, which specializes in sustainable architecture using bamboo:

The Green School Showcases Bamboo Construction in Indonesia
by Bridgette Meinhold, 05/27/10

Bamboo is an incredibly versatile material, which is why environmentalists and designers John and Cynthia Hardy wanted to showcase it in their gorgeous Green School in Indonesia. The remarkable campus of buildings is constructed completely from sustainably-harvested bamboo and is powered by renewable energy systems. Located in Bali, The Green School is as much a school as it is a holistic community, and it has recently been shortlisted for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture for its sustainable merits.

The Green School was established side-by-side with the non-profit Meranggi Foundation, which develops bamboo plantations by presenting seedlings to local rice farmers. The project also harnessed the talents of PT Bambu, an architecture firm specializing in bamboo architecture. PT Bambu is responsible for the bamboo portion of the Green School’s campus, which consists of four classrooms, a drop-off center, faculty housing, offices, cafes, bathrooms, a gym, and the Heart of the School, a spiraling, multi-story building for school functions.

Along with the beautiful bamboo construction, the eco-school’s curriculum focuses on sustainability and offers many scholarships to local Balinese children. The campus also includes an organic garden and utilizes a number of renewable energy systems, including a bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system, a hydro-powered vortex generator, and solar panels. Local sustainably-grown bamboo was used exclusively throughout the beautiful campus.

[littlegreenfairy]

Here is a neat video on green homes:

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[kymsolaris]

Here is an article about a teaching session on green building:

‘Green’ building training set in June
by Mark Anderson Staff Writer

The Minnesota chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will host two more lectures in June to help builders and designers learn more about green building processes and to meet LEED certification standards.

Programs on the two remaining Thursdays this month, June 17 and June 24, will focus on Energy & Atmosphere, parts one and two.

People who attend will receive continuing education credits for maintaining their LEED credentials.

The programs are in the James J. Hill Conference Room at the Carlson Training Center at 1405 Xenium Lane in Plymouth. The events run from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

The chapter hosts many more educational opportunities including prep courses for the new LEED Green Associate professional credential. Learn more about those offerings or register for the Thursday programs by visiting the chapter website, [url=http://www.usgbcmn.org]USGBC Minnesota Chapter[/url].

[shannahana]

this may sound ignorant but do you really get the same power with solar energy as you do with regular electricity. I am kind of scared my house will end up like my solar powered garden lights.. absolutely useless.. its been sunny here the entire summer and I think small candles emit more light. obviously you would have much larger panels but i am kind of skeptical about this... does anyone know anyone who has them? how is it? are there other costs to maintain it?

[jonyboyy]

it really all depends on how much you spend... i know there are panels that are $500-1500 that will probably get you absolutely no light. Then there are panels that are $5000-7000 which i hear will get your house looking like its run by electricity. As for maintenence .. usually the contracter just offers some type of warranty in case something happens.

[shannahana]

Installation is where they are probably going to get you. They will feed you this nonsense about it being "a very special" way to install the solar panels and will tell you how not many people can do it and charge you a bunch for the installation. As for the actual lighting, i know what you mean about the garden lights.. i havent found a successful one either =/

[sueerassmus]

Check out these psychedelic buildings being planned for Kazakhstan:

Solid Waves Green Towers

With three towers of varying heights and a living green exterior, Solid Waves from Italy-based Stefano Boeri Architects is a Kazakhstan project featuring a residential and commercial mix with an onus on creating more green public spaces.

The green living façade is designed to insulate the buildings while absorbing rainwater runoff. Although, the green exterior may need some heating during the winter months as Astana is located on the Kazakhstan Steppes, with very cold winters and low precipitation.

“Its unique and strong presence is a declaration for the sustainable future of the contemporary city; a place that promotes social gathering and endorses the need for collective green space, explains Stefano Boeri Architects. “Solid Waves generates a residential urban park; living, green and service spaces combined into a single neighborhood where programs and nature live off each to create a new model for a symbiotic urban organism.”

Solid Waves was created for an international competition organized by the Astana Department of Architecture and Urban Planning.



[url]http://www.greenmuze.com/images/stories/photos/build/design/des310/astana1.jpg[/url]