Posts Tagged ‘eco-friendly building’

When you first think of “eco-friendly building,” you think of recycled / recyclable building materials: recycled plastic pallets; recycled stageboard; recycled skate ramp materials etc. etc. etc. — everything you’d want to build a sustainable city infrastructure with, right?

But, beyond the eco-friendly building methodologies and sustainable design blueprints are the companies who pay to use these “Green buildings.”

Most likely, these eco-friendly buildings turn into offices; housing computers; thus, foreshadowing the rise of a future tech junk problem.

Tech junk. Where does it go? How much energy does it waste? How much energy could we save if we all shut down our computers rather than conveniently choosing, “sleep mode”?

According to iamgreen, today 1-billion computers are active. The accumulative energy wasted by these computers, which on average are left on between 9:00am – 5pm is equivalent to the amount of power it takes to light the entire New York Yankee stadium for every home game from today to the 2596-2597 season.

But, don’t get too excited. There’s more info below!

Scroll down, dive into the rest of the amazing Computing Vs. Environment infographic head first, and let us know what you think in the comments box or on our Facebook fan page.

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Source: iamgreen

Tags: Sustainability, IAMGREEN, design blueprints, Computers, green building, 1 billion, Electronics <BR/>

Eco-friendly Stageboard…Coming to a theatre Near You!

Mainstream pop music, movies, television, theatre; all of it can easily be judged from an armchair.

The entertainment industry — in the eyes of the environmentalist — exists for two reasons: 1) to entertain us while wasting materials 2) to try to “entertain” us even more by wasting even more materials. But, that’s just an opinion from an armchair.

Nonetheless, recent innovations in eco-friendly building have helped ease this age-old problem. More engineeers, tradesmen, artchitects and hobbyists are choosing to use “recycled materials” over natural wood.

Renew Resources has listed the top three reasons why businesses — including the entertainment industry — are investing in eco-friendly stageboard.

GOVERNMENT CERTIFIED

Eco-friendly stageboard is certified by the Canadian Government and U.S. Pentagon. Stageboard has also received the most-coveted “Eco-Mark” in the world by the Japanese Government EPA.

When businesses use government certified eco-friendly stageboard, businesses benefit from a new unique sales point (USP); carrying more market water and marketing themselves as an organization who uses the highest grade of eco-friendly material in the market today.

MAXIMIZED INCOME

Unlike real wood, eco-friendly stageboard doesn’t crack, splinter or break. It doesn’t require high-maintenance chemicals that damage the environment; renowned for lasting longer than regular wood. Ultimately, the more durable your building materials are the less materials you use.

BETTER THAN WOOD

Unlike real wood, stageboard is immune to weather damage. It doesn’t decay or warp or splinter. Stageboard is built from recycled materials as well; preventing abrasion while also serving you excellent acoustics and sound deadening. Builders have also found stageboard takes nails or screws equivalent to or better than real wood with zero pre-drilling required.

SUMMARY

With the green movement seeping more and more into the mainstream year after year, businesses are becoming more inclined to use eco-friendly building materials for its market appeal, sustainability and eco-mark.

In stageboard, users receive a government certified eco-mark and offer a unique sales point; staying above the competition while maximizing material minimization.

Companies like Renew Resources offer eco-friendly building materials all year around to help you save as many trees and money as possible.

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Tags: eco-friendly building, U.S. Pentagon, Japanese Government EPA, Sustainability, reuse, eco mark, maintenance chemicals <BR/>

Deforestation is climbing at an alarming rate.

Here’s a reminder: By the year 2030, only 10 per cent of what the Amazon Rain Forest is today will remain in tact.

Shocked? Yet, within this frightening forecast shines glimmers of hope. The “Green Movement” stands tall with forward-thinking tradesmen, architects, engineers, politicians and new green entrepreneurs, all playing a vital role in the green movement; trailblazing a healthier and sustainable lifestyle for a dying “blue society,” so to speak.

The once kooky green building ideology now has a mass production business model.

The growing popularity and production of recycled plastic lumber has already and will continue to play an important role in the future of sustainable building.

Recycled plastic lumber is equivalent to; or, better than real lumber; serving planet earth with many environmental benefits:

Recycled Plastic Lumber is…

Made From 100% Recycled Plastic and 100% Recyclable: With the world losing 7.3 million hectares of forest per year; adopting recycled plastic lumber instantly reduces the amount waste exhausted in any given construction site. Made from 100% industrial plastic waste and 100% recyclable, all breaks or mis-cuts can be recycled and used again; lasting a lifetime.

Aesthetically Pleasing and Heat Resistant: Equally pleasant to the human eye and just as sensual as real wood, recycled plastic lumber is heat-resistant; preventing dry wood and unattractive shrinkage. Its strong planks serve a cool surface allowing you to freely roam your deck on any given hot day. Your soles of your feet and exposed skin are safe when you lay there and soak in the warm sun.

Versatile: Infestation, warp, and splinter free recycled plastic lumber has proven to be applicable in many different building projects. Hailed in the green building community as the essential alternative to wood; its versatile properties can be used to build exterior moldings, window frames, door frames, decking to fences, vertical gardens and more.

Health Risk Free: Away and beyond the hazardous lather real wood needs to fight off insects and weather, recycled plastic lumber is chemical free: no additives or preservatives. It serves high performance without being high maintenance.

Summary: With the climbing rates of deforestation and illegal loggers continuing to pillage planet earth, recycled plastic lumber attempts to even the score.

Recycled plastic lumber is..

 

• Made From 100% Recycled Plastic and Recyclable
• Aesthetically Pleasing and Heat Resistant
• Versatile and equivalent if not better than real lumber
• Promotes a healthy and green environment

 

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Tags: soles of your feet, building projects, construction site, Sustainable building, sustainable lifestyle, eco-friendly building, high performance <BR/>

On average, every new construction project produces 3.9 pounds of waste per square foot of building area.  With mainstream media focusing on lowering CO2 levels for the passed 5 years, it’s easy to get caught up in the mass media hype; forgetting about the other alternative ways to reach a healthly environment; such as, alternative construction-waste management solutions.

This is not to say that everyone who builds a new office or new home plays a “dirty role” in deforestation, or our drinking water crisis, or our “dangerously high CO2 levels.”

Don’t get me wrong,  there are trendsetting companies, cultural influencers, and individuals out there who have discovered innovative ways to help both  the environment  while reducing living expenses.

How?

Easy.

1. Minimise Your Materials.  Go Standard Size:  Make sure your architect and construction manager commit to your Green building agenda from day one. Let them know exactly which materials you want to minimise and discuss how both parties can prevent wasteful building habits.  In other words, you don’t want to build a mansion when all you need is the average-sized Canadian home of 1,800 square feet.

A good idea is to suggest dimensional planning and design rooms based  on 4-foot multiples that conform to standard-sized wallboard and plywood sheets.  You also want to recycle demolition materials so you can use to build a base for your driveway or sidewalk.

2.  Use Recycled Materials to Build Your Home:   It takes 400-board-feet of lumber to build a three-bedroom home of 1,500 square feet.   A great way to save trees is to simply implement recycled building materials to maximize your Green agenda.  So when pieces around your home eventually fall a part or break, you’ll be able to recycle them. Baleboard, Polyboard and  Eco-friendly lumber are excellent examples of Green building materials that do an equal–if not  better–job than  regular wood/lumber.

3.  Water Conservation: The drinking water crisis is a story many people simply ignore, and water conservation is bigger of a deal than “high CO2” levels.

Preserve water by installing 3-G or more water pressure limiting devices. I’m sure you’ve heard of  9-year old Mason Perez, who saved his community thousands of gallons of water and money through his science project by simply reducing water pressure.  If a nine-year-old can do it, so you.

4.  Passive Solar design: Build high windows and invest time and research on passive solar design. Passive solar design helps your home customize to your local climate and naturally heats your home in  the winter and cools it during the summer. You’ll also want to position your home where it maximizes natural breezes, shading, and you can even build skylights on your roof to help you reduce  heating and air conditioning bills.

5.  Safe Floors:  Try to limit the amount of stairs in your home. Many houses build stairs for aesthetics alone.  By eliminating unnecessary stairs, you’ll invest in safe floors where you can  minimise the amount of materials you use.  Also, it helps you plan for your future; making it easier for you to get from point A to point B in your home as you age.

Summary

It’s a fact. Construction waste makes up for approximately 40 percent of our landfill. Luckily enough building environmentally conscious abodes isn’t as inconvenient as it was a few decades ago.

With basic online research you and your architect can find Green companies that provide eco-friendly building materials/services.  Ultimately, you’ll improve your overall energy efficiency, save  a ton of money, and a lot trees.

• -Minimize materials Go Standard or lower than standard size.
• -Use Recycled Materials to Build Your Home
• -Conserve Water
• -Passive Solar design
• -Safe Floors
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Tags: Water Conservation, construction manager, ways to help the environment, construction waste, environment, demolition materials, board feet <BR/>

 

This is for you. The busy eco-body who just doesn’t have enough time to keep up with Renew Resources’ daily Twitter feed.  So to save you the hassle of sifting through all of our glorious Eco-friendly tweets, we have narrowed and highlighted this week’s best “Sustainable Building” posts. They’re current, relevant and definitely worth knowing about!  Here we go in no particular order!

 

 

Beton Hala Waterfront Proposal by Architecktur Studios

Introducing the Beton Hala Waterfront proposal by Egyptian architects Andreas Eckmann and Stefanie Hesse of Architecktur studios.  Here we have an eco-friendly structure that goes beyond most of our eco-friendly building tweets we’ve made thus far.  What’s so special about it?  Underneath the asphalt lies Piezoelectric Sensors which are placed underneath the 350 meter long pathway expected to produce 420 KW of electricity per day. Specifically, when a 125 lbs individual walks up and down the roadway for a few seconds, it’ll produce 0.1 W of electricity.  Amazing, huh?

Source:  Eco-friend

 

Groundbreaking Recyclable Basketball Stadium by Architizer

Designed by Sinclair Knight Merz, Wilkinson Eyre and KSS London unveil a Recyclable Basketball stadium for the 2012 Olympic Games.  How is a 1,000 steel tonne structure “Green?”  Good question.   It’s a recyclable basketball stadium, meaning that the country can reuse its temporary structure for other events.  Nonetheless, London avoids using over the top wasteful materials for the Olympics and shows to put forth more effort in recyclable standing structures which a step closer to an eco-friendly direction.

Source:  Architizer

 

 

 

Yiftach Ben Meir Sea02′s Computer System For Sustainable Design

 

Architect Yiftach Ben Meir invents Sea02, a computer system dedicated to propose energy alternatives for sustainable design.  Here we have a quick example of how Sea02 helped produce an eco-friendly structure using for a green building project in Tel Aviv.  Ultimately, the plan is to utilize the sun, wind, and land energy sources optimizing solar, wind and land energy for green living.

Source:  Tuvie

 

 

 

 

Summary
And there you have it, Renew Resources‘ top three sustainable building tweets of the week.  All three tweets help us forget about the clusters of crises we experience today and also reminds us that the human species always finds a way to reach over the clouds of calamity and father rainbows of solutions that save the day.  Until next post—stay green.

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Tags: piezoelectric sensors, design architect, renew resources, sifting through, Save You, olympic games, basketball stadium <BR/>

 

If you are new to our social media feed, this Green article shows you–in four posts–the eco-friendly building revolution.

And due to popular demand, Renew Resources has compiled a quick list of the trendsetting structures that were built using green design techniques and most importantly recyclable building materials!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Consarc Architects

It’s no surprise the award-winning designers at Consarc Architects were given the “Green light” to concoct the iCon Innovation Center. The eco-friendly building is famous for being the first ever commercial building in the UK to use “Phase-change” eco-friendly materials. What makes it uber special?  It only uses 15 Kg of Co2/m2/yr giving the iCon Innovation Center and everyone associated with it “Zero carbon status.”

 

Source: Consarc Architects

 

 

 

The Helix Hotel

Masterminded by Leeser Architects, the eco-friendly Helix Hotel in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Bay maximizes natural light, sun, wind and hydro energy. Its spiral aesthetic gives each room its own unique view providing all guests with a certain “sustainable design hospitality.”  What makes it special? It uses GROW panels made out of 100% recyclable plastic on the outside making it easier for green energy to transfer indoors for optimized energy efficiency. Oh and did I mention that it has an ocean fed waterfall coming straight from the Persian Gulf! Amazing.

Source:  Leeser Architects

 

 

Bay and Adelaide Center

And now trumpeting  Brookfield Properties, the architects who developed the Bay and Adelaide Center in Toronto, Ontario.  Here we have Toronto’s first sustainable standing structure to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard. The 51-story eco-structure was made with local and recyclable building materials all positioned to perfection in efforts to harness natural light and hydro energy.

 

 

Source:  Brookfield Properties

 

 

Fushionopolis

Last but not least we have Ken Yeang’s Fushionopolis Research Center, an eco-friendly building made for the Singapore Sky. Its eco-friendly design embodies Yeang’s trademark philosophy: “All standing structures should be designed like living organisms.” Here you can also witness the world’s largest 15-story vertical garden armed with vegetation which also acts as a natural passive cooling and insulation system. It’s also positioned to maximize natural light using indoor prisms for optimized energy efficiency. What makes Fushionopolis special? It’s organic and inorganic materials are built as one living ecosystem!

Source:  Ken Yeang

 

SUMMARY

And there you have it!  The four eco-friendly building trendsetters that have set the tone for future sustainable design projects. Of course, this is only the beginning; however, all four examples above will likely provide green building inspiration in your neck of the woods. Until next post!

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Comments? Got a Green building project to share? Leave a comment below!

Tags: phase change, toronto ontario, renew resources, environmental design <BR/>