Passive Housing

Today was our last Ecology and Design Class. We finished off the term with a seminar on passive housing.

 Articles one discussed “How can a home more effectively self regulate energy consumption? How can it monitor potential hazards and dangers so that its inhabitants don’t have to? How can the house become flexible accommodation that will permit us to stay in the same place as our families grow?”. According to Le Corbusier, a house with all it systems and appliances is a “machine for Living”, and he is correct, our houses are as much a living organism as we are. They age, grow, and reinvent themselves just as we do. So it is only fair that they should be made to be friendlier towards the earth, they need to adapt as much as the human race does.  It is simply a matter of being smarter with how we do things. We can have the same amount of comfort level as we have now, simply by making smarter decisions towards various aspect of our daily decision. As far as heating, we can heat and cool our houses passively by looking towards sun, shade, and wind. According to the article it is “possibly to ‘zero out’ our energy consumption so tat we generate as much power as we use, and sometimes even achieve a surplus that can be fed back into the power grid”. Take a look at Zoka Zola’s Zero Energy House in Chicago, it is an extremely stylish, energy-balanced house. It generates 100% of its own power by harnessing the wind and sun. Chicago is not that much different from Winnipeg, which I think is a great example of how we can also implement this type of technology in our city, despite having such a harsh and varying climate.

 

Zero Net Energy House, Zoka Zola Architects 

Article speaks about Thermal behavior and Renewable energy. Its starts off by speaking about the possible 4-6 degree temperature increase that is expected to happen by the end of the century and the severity of the weather that is expected to come from that temperature change. The Brighton Earthship is located in Stanmer Park, co-owned the townships of Brighton and Hove. It is a building that has been erected on a volunteer basis. It was undertaken by the Brighton Low Carbon Network in 2002 and was finished in 2006. The building is designed to use only recycled building material, passive heating, photovoltaic power systems, rainwater harvesting, solar hot water heating, and black and grey water treatment systems. It does not have a foundation, as the earth underneath it is stable and level enough to support it. It is a very interesting project that really shows how all this technology is possible, that it is possible to build a three-story building while having the least amount of disturbance to the earth. This may not work completely all over the world, but it serves as an example, a precedent for similar works.

 

Brighton Earthship 

 Article 1:

 Chapter on Building a Green home

 Article 2:

Ip, Kenneth, and Andrew Miller. “Thermal Behavior of an Earth-Sheltered Autonomous building- the Britghton Earthsip.” Elsevier, February 28, 2009, 2038-2043.

Image 1:

“view looking east” Unkown, http://www.zokazola.com/prj_adams_zeroenergy.html, Accessed April 13th

Image 2: 

Unkown, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earthship_Brighton_Front.jpg, Accessed April 13th

Sustainable Energy, is it possible or are we “attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis?”

if you don’t get the quote over there, its a fancy scientific way of saying “screwed”

Thanks Big Bang Theory, much appreciated.

 

This weeks seminar was lead by Alicia, Todd, Ivan, Ian, Taylor, Sam, Derek, Krystul, Chad, and Matt. It was all about sustainable energy. They started off by telling us all to put away our laptops, turn off our phones, and then proceeded to roll up the window shades and turn off the light. What was that mysterious thing making light outside, I asked myself???? We don’t see the sun that much as architecture students .

 The first question asked of us was “what is renewable energy”. Well renewable energy is any type of energy that can be recycled or reused, for example, solar, hydro, and wind. Energy systems can be categorized into two catagores; passive and active. Passive energy is known as the more economical and better. Unfortunately, energy is inherently unsustainable, it cannot be created or destroyed so, and there for can not be classified as sustainable. A light bulb itself gives off 90% of its energy in heat and only 10% in light. To quote the seminar “energy is not about where we get it from, but how we use it”.

 The idea of renewable energy is something that we only buy into, it is not actually true; even Hydro, that in Manitoba we rely on so completely, is not green. The production of hydroelectric energy displaces a large amount of water, that displaces and disrupts many ecosystems.

 The Second question asked was “Do you agree it is  more about the type of energy of the way are using the energy?”

 Some responses:

 “I think in how we collect energy, we cannot leave it up to society to decide, we need to make the decisions”.

“It’s a mix, obviously its great to use less, but forcing wont work, education and encouragement might be beneficial, cleaner, better energy is an important aspect to work with”

 I would agree with that. Much like everything we are taught to do, we need to build good habits. Good habits are best ingrained when we are children, much like “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Our children and their children need to learn that they way we live now is not acceptable. We need to let them learn from our many mistakes. Now this does not get us off the hook. We owe it to future generations to do what we can to try and reverse the damage that we have done.

 Changes to reduce energy intake are not going to appear instantaneously. We need to take the initiative to start the change. Society needs to take responsibility for what we have done and how we should change it.

 

They also shared some interesting little facts about energy consumption:

 “if you are reading a page on the internet, if you are reading it for over three minutes, it is more energy efficient to print it out.”

 

Want to read more?? Here are the articles that inspired this seminar and blog entry

 

Bry. Sarté. “Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design.” John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2010, pp.166-176.

Abbasi, Tasneem. “ Is the Use of Renewable Energy Sources an Answer to the Problems of Global Warming and Pollution?” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2012, Vol.42(2), pp.99-154.

Life is a Highway, but do I want to ride it all night long??

This week’s class was an interesting one. We had two older students, one from Landscape Architecture and one from Architecture come and talk to us about their thesises. One was on this old concrete building, that somewhat like the Highline in New York, had had nature come in and begin to take over after it was abandoned. The other thesis was about how to improve the design of harbors.

 Can you guess which was from Architecture and which one was from Landscape??

It really shows how much the various disciplines complement each other when you can’t tell which project was which. Both projects had a very strong link to ecology and how nature influences the way we design the world. The concrete building project was from Architecture but had a very strong ecological aspect in the wishing to show case how nature had taken back was had been a very human, brutalist, solid building. The second project working with harbors had a lot to do with how the harbors were designed and how to integrate that particular piece of architecture into a more natural landscape.

the Highline, New York City

 

Next came the seminar, delivered by Devon, Katlyn, Neilly, Kurt, Daniel, Corey, Branton, Heber, and Marco. It was on the topic of roads, highways, and the expansive architecture used for transportation. They discussed how the road and highways of our world cross through landscapes, interrupting them and causing many animal fatalities. It was very similar to a video we watched first term called Bear 71 (http://bear71.nfb.ca/#/bear71). The discussion then turned to a project called the Netway. The Netway, simply, is a plan to improve highways systems and make them safer for the animals and to cause less fragmentation of landscapes. A long discussion ensued. Many question were asked on how we could improve this, did we think it was a good idea, did we see any other solutions. What my class came up with was that

 

–       to completely change the way the highways are set up would cost millions of dollars, and no tax payer would be ok with that, also there would be so many emission into the atmosphere with all the construction

–       we should start looking at how to make cars that are safer for the roads, or abandon then all together

–       implement more public transit, could we make elevated trains that produce less emissions and are raised from the ground to keep them out of the way of animals.

–       Could we go underground?? Why would be do that, the best part of driving through nature is being able to see it and experience it, for some people that is the only exposure to nature that they get.

–       Could we create over pass like structure for animals to use that go over the highway??

–       Dig the roads into a huge trench, studies show that animals would be less likely to go right up to the edge and would avoid the roads all together then

 

Article 1:

 Forman, Richard T.T., Sperling, Daniel.“Solutions: The Future of Roads: No Driving, No Emission, Nature Reconnected”. http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com. Accessed March 19, 2013

 

Article 2:

 Alexander, Lauren E.,Forman, Richard T.T. “Roads and Their Major Ecololgical Effects” Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org. Accessed March 19, 2013

 

Image: “The Highline” Unkown, http://www.thehighline.org. Accessed March 31^st 2013

Creating Natural Landscapes, Climate Change, and Biodiversity

Creating Natural Landscapes:

 Some specialists from Ducks Unlimited came into talk to our class about designing natural landscapes that will succeed. They talked to us about the benefits of having natural storm water retention ponds and engineered wetlands and the good that they can do for the environment. They help regulate the algal blooms that start to make their way down to Lake Winnipeg (which has been named the most threatened lake in the world). Planting the right plants in these retention ponds and engineered wetlands can help protect the species of animals in the ponds. They also help to prevent Canadian Geese problems. Engineered wetlands can help regulate landscapes that have been altered by displaced water from electric dams.

 

 

Article 1:

 There has been a dramatic shift in urban living, more than 95% of the net increase in global population will be in cities of the developing world. There are 5 major types of global and environmental change; land use and land cover change accompany urbanization, altered biogeochemical cycles in cities and their regional to global effects, urbanization and climate change, human modification of hydrologic systems, and biodiversity changes in cities. These 5 changes mean that things affects like urban dwellers depending on the productivity and assimilative qualities of ecosystems well beyond their city boundaries will begin to pop up around the world much sooner than we think

 

Article 2:

 Cities are growing and both population and size. The way that water is distributed across the globe will have to change. An average of 100 million more people will experience water shortages by 2050. This statistic stays consistent through all climate change scenarios. Urban populations can be divided into 3 categories that reflect their perennial water shortages; water scarcity at 100 km, water demand by expanding buffer, and no perennial water scarcity at 100km. Water shortages will hit hardest in Africa and India. Some infrastructure solutions to the water shortage problem are seasonal cities include more dams and water shortage, coastal cities may want to take the salt water and turn it into fresh water, and cities on aquifers could make use of ground water. The problems are solvable but will take time money, and political effort to succeed. 

 

image: http://bowrivershuttles.blogspot.ca/2012/09/engineered-wetlands-tour-fish-creek.html

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Today’s class was quite the mixture of topics. It opened up with a lecture on ground water and how it plays into design and the world. David Toop, a hydro geologist, came in and explained to us the various ways water, and ground water, is connected to the water cycle. He also explained what water tables, aquitards, and aquifers are and how they affect infrastructure. The water table plays a huge part in out of town infrastructure, as digging a well is more accessible and cheaper than putting water pipes in to reach out of town areas. There are two main types of wells (Bored/Dug and Drilled). Ground water touches into so many aspects of life, such as landslides, flooding, water quality, for example, that it is impossible for us, as designers to ignore.

 Next came the seminar. The seminar was based on unconventional building materials. For example, I learned that…

 1. Materials are compared to diamonds when industry assess them for hardness

2. Spider silk fibres are very strong and have a protein that can be harvested. You can’t farm the spiders because they will kill each other, so the protein is extracted and injected into goats. When the goats produce milk, the protein can be extracted and spun into a strong, yet flexible, natural fiber.

3. Adding coconut into materials, such as wood, makes it biodegradable

4. The lightest solid ever made, Seagel, can be lifted by static electricity, is biodegradable, and edible

5. Plastic and metal particles that can restore skin to it’s normal condition could be used a building material that can heal itself. For example, you’re roof could heal itself after hail damage occurs

 The second and last lecture was on two things, the education understandings for teaching ecology to design disciplines, and the nine tenets of the transformation of commerce through a dialogue between business and ecology. There are four teachings; Focus on the underlying processes that shape place, Learn how to observe, Make visible the processes that sustain life, and understand the Concepts of Process. The nine Tenets for business and ecology are; design in concert with natural principles, partner with nature is productive regenerative capacity, partner with succession, address a range of temporal and spatial scales, embrace ecological economics, address hierarchal levels of decision making, implement integrated management, integrate with life cycle flows, and pursue eco balance. 

 

Image: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html 

“Water water Every where and not a drop to drink” – The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Coleridge

Water

 So today’s class lecture was water and it’s various types; Grey , Black/Yellow, and Storm water. The seminar that was presented was a rousing game of who wants to be a millionaire on flood architecture; a “multifauceted” topic, as Rob so cleverly said.

 Ha Ha Ha, You’re hilarious Rob

 

Black/Yellow water is water that has be touched/used by humans. Grey water is water from showers, sinks, and washing machines. Storm water is water that has touched the ground. It is possible for these different water types to be recycled and reused, especially grey and storm water.

 Grey water can be filtered by many different systems. There are above ground and below ground systems. The above ground is cheaper, but not guaranteed for smell. An excellent example of these types of water filter is the CK Choi building.

 

Another way to filter Grey/Storm water is to use a wetland. These wetlands are called constructed wetlands and are fiscally and environmentally friendly. They are simple to install and can be disguised as green spaces/flow gardens. The vegetation that is planted in theses wetlands should be natural to the environment but can include Yellow Iris, Cattails, Bulrushes, and Long grasses. The plants and their roots filter out the toxins in the water, 60-80% of solids, leaving it cleaner and in good shape to use for irrigation. A good example of a constructed wetland is the Sidwell Friends Building in Washington (2007). The water circulates from the building that filters through wonderful stepped constructed wetlands.

 

Other ways to filter grey/storm water are to use modified green roofs, gardens, and sidewalks

 

Images: “Stalwart Middel School” Halkin Photography co. , CK Choi Building; http://newcity.ca/Pages/choi_building.html

WEEDS

Weed

 Opinions anyone??

 So today’s seminar was on Land Use and Bio Diversity.

 Class discussions opened up with a talk about weeds. What makes a weed a weed? Plants that we could consider weeds, in our culture and landscape, may be thought of as viable vegetation elsewhere. It was discussed by class that maybe we should curate our landscapes to suite the local vegetation types. Our green spaces should reflect our natural landscapes. We should embrace the natural “weeds” around us to have our green spaces reflect our area. “BUT!” someone added, who wants their green spaces to look like parking lots with dandelions growing up through the seens. How do we let nature take back what is rightfully it’s without it looking like crap, essentially. “Advertising!” someone piped up; if we can change people’s perceptions of what a green space is supposed to look like, then we can move towards a more culturally relevant landscape.  The next question asked of our class was, how can the planner think of biodiversity as a primary concern? It was answered by saying we should make it some sort of requirement. We need to watch where we buy our materials from, making sure we buy locally. We could implement some sort of law that for a certain amount of developed land there is a corresponding requirement for a certain percentage to be green space. This is everyone’s responsibility, not just the planner. We do need to find a happy medium thought, as biodiversity can increase some unfortunate natural no-no’s such as ticks and mosquitoes, which can release disease into the environment. 

 

Image: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/dandelion%20field

Agi’s Unite!

“Urban Agriculture is ideal, but in reality are inner-city people going to implement it?”

 That’s a loaded question if there ever was one.

 Urban agriculture are farming endeavors that are undertaken inside the city. They are generally not meant for commercial sale or profit, due to the limited size. Where this method does excel is its ability to serve the surround community. It can provide much needed sustenance and an avenue to foster positive community growth. Unfortunately, people that do rely on this method of farming for food, find that they are being threatened by the monstrous expansion of cities.

 

The benefits of urban agriculture are many; a greater reason to foster this type of production, not destroy it. It helps create a community that does not have to source to much of their supplies, allowing for it to be more self reliant. This saves money on transporting and purchasing from other places. It also gives the community a greater understanding of the natural systems around it; what the soil is like, and other factors of their environment. The people themselves can become more aware of how to plan and implement strategies of urban agriculture.

 One of the articles for this class tries to break down and really get to the main reasons for the discrepancies between empirical findings and literature that relates back to the many benefits, both ecological and environmental, of urban agriculture.

 

The series of question asked of our class included…

 “why do you think there is a disconnect between what the experts say and the data that is being collected in relation to urban agriculture practices?”

 “Should the urban poor be the only ones to worry about Urban Agriculture, or should everyone, even though the middle class/upper class residents have the money to buy their produce?”

 As you can imagine, there was a debate. Every one should be concerned with Urban Agriculture, as we all are connected to the consequences, be they positive or negative, of Urban Agriculture. If we all partake in Urban Agriculture we can reduce the CO2 emissions that are caused by the transportation of produce from far away places. We can help increase the amount of Green Space that our Cities have, reduce groundwater pollution, improve soil quality, and that is just the beginning. We all live in this world and are responsible for taking care of it. Whether we have the money or not, we should all make a contribution.

 Here is a link to a friend of mine’s Urban Agriculture products.

Here in Winnipeg, we have the opportunities to make use of Urban Agriculture methods and products!

http://citigrow.ca/urbanagriculture.html

 

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/New_crops-Chicago_urban_farm.jpg/250px-New_crops-Chicago_urban_farm.jpg

Site Planning and Urban Sprawl

Today’s seminar was all about sustainable site planning, built systems, and material flow. In today’s world we seem to be seeing a shift in the way sites are approached with regards to the built systems. We see them being separated from the natural systems to somewhat make a more cohesive sustainability-focused plan.  We, as humans, are now beginning to fully understand and appreciate how Mother Nature and her various workings really play into our lives and our designs. With in each site that we build on, we see a unique system that must be preserved and disturbed as little as possible. We can do this by properly conducting site analysis that gives us the information that we need to properly build on the site and allow it to thrive. Our designs should at to, not take away from the building’s natural system. 

 

This week’s various readings have to deal with this topic; proper site analysis. One article used the Danish city of Fredericia as an example of a city that has an urban sprawl. The city has expanded its infrastructure into land that was not previously used for the city fabric. Environmentalists have pressured the city in re-thinking and re-evaluating the plans for urban sprawl, prompting them to lean towards coming up with a more sustainable option.

 The questions asked by the seminar leaders had to do with Winnipeg’s fondness for expanding horizontally vs. vertically and the age-old question of country vs. city.

 The sprawl question was met with some veracity by my class, with a debate starting right away about the affordability of condos in Winnipeg.

           “If the city could come up with a more affordable apartment complex alternative to the somewhat pricey condos in the city today, there might be more of a reason and lean towards living in a complex.”

            “Personal space; a house feels more like YOUR space that an apartment. Also what about the family’s that want their children to had the big yard and house that they grew up with? How would building more vertically accommodate this market?”

           “Is Winnipeg lazy with our space?? We live on the prairies where flat land is never in short supply. Have we simply spoiled ourselves and become lazy by having all of this space to fill?”

            “The country allows for more intimacy and breathing space. The city is so crowded and impersonal.”

 All of these valid questions and statements were brought up during the question leaving many of us students with much to think about over the next few days.

 

image: arial view of Winnipeg and surrounding areas

http://www.cky.ca/about_winnipeg.htm

To Be or Not to Be………

Today’s seminar was the first of many seminars to be given by my classmates during the course of our Ecology and Design class. The topic of the seminar was a park that is almost an early ancestor of the High Line project in NYC. The park used to be an old train station that was abandoned eventually by civilization. Nature slowly took back the train station becoming a Prairie grasslands and Woodland area. Years later when people rediscovered it, the two types of vegetation  were at war. There were some very rare grassland species whose existence were threatened by the encroaching woodlands. The question asked of my class was “should the park area simply be a NO HUMANS ALLOWED conservation area (with the idea that the woodland would be able to get ride of the rare prairie species) or should humans intervene, creating a completely open to humans park that would still conserve both the grassland and the woodland. An interesting debate started. It all came down to “Should we intervene when Mother Nature seems to want the grasslands wiped out. Do we go against nature to save it??”

 

Image: Chernobyl regrowth http://villageofjoy.com/chernobyl-today-a-creepy-story-told-in-pictures/