Rhinoceros Creates Sustainable Objects

This is example how "Rhinoceros" cooperates with architects for making sustainable objects.

KREOD is a ground-breaking sustainable sculpture and London’s newest architectural landmark. The brainchild of Chun Qing Li, Managing Director ofPavilion Architecture, KREOD is an innovative architectural sculpture, organic in form, environmentally-friendly and inspired by nature. Resembling three seeds, these pods combine through a series of interlocking hexagons to create an enclosed structure that is not only magni­ficently intricate but secure and weatherproof. KREOD functions beautifully both as an architectural landmark and an imaginative exhibition space – its three pods can be combined in a variety of con­figurations or installed as free-standing forms.

As part of the design team, Evolute was responsible for rationalizing KREOD’s complex input surface, designing the panel layout, the parametric detailing of the wooden members and outputting the production geometry for fabrication. As with any ambitious project, KREOD’s design and manufacturing constraints updated dynamically based on available resources. Throughout the project, Rhino3d,EvoluteTools Lite and EvoluteTools PRO were used for modeling, analysis, geometry optimization, production data generation, as well as a data exchange platform. Evolute proposed a torsion free hexagonal panel layout, as the dual of a circle-packing optimized triangular mesh. The circle-packing optimization forces the incircles of each triangle to be tangent to the adjacent corresponding incircles, as pictured below. After one step of subdivision, the hexagonal panel layout is achieved, carrying crucial features that lower the fabrication costs – the angles around each vertex are 120 degrees, allowing prefabrication of node elements if needed.Once the hexagonal panel layout was adopted, we could proceed in refining the solution for an even distribution of hexagons according to the engineering constraints – size of hexagons and boundary conditions. Several panel layouts were explored in an attempt to find the perfect balance between aesthetics and the physical limitations involved.

A breakthrough in KREOD’s design was brought up by the Ramboll engineering team while designing a connection detail strong enough to take the loads of the structure, elegant and simple to manufacture at the same time. The reciprocal connection became KREOD’s signature. Based on this detail design, Evolute coded the generation of the member layout in tune with all the aesthetic and manufacturing constraints. The parametric generation of the components was programmed in RhinoScript.

Biosphere 2 - ecosystem enclosure experiment

Biosphere 2 is a world-renowned environmental and ecological research site operated by the University of Arizona, and located near Oracle, a small town approximately 15 miles North from the Oro Valley Hotel & Suites.

The name comes from Earth’s biosphere, Biosphere 1, Earth's life system and the only biosphere currently known.

Completed in 1991, it was designed so that scientists could study the complex interaction between natural life systems, including plant, animal and human, in a closed environment over an extended period of time.

Researchers also wanted to use Biosphere 2 as a place to conduct studies to evaluate the challenges and risks of closed systems in possible future space colonization efforts.

The interior portion of Biosphere 2 was opened to the public in the spring of 2002, and the University of Arizona offers guided tours of the facility.

The tour begins in the human habitat, where the original Biospherians lived, continues to the small farm where they grew crops, and then to the wilderness areas with desert, savanna, tropical rainforest and ocean environments.

Project:

Biosphere 2 is a new type of laboratory which combines state-of-the-art architecture and mechanical and computer monitoring systems with a wide range of living ecosystems. It is an experimental project where everything that happens - both expected and unexpected - provides valuable insights into our complex and evolving world. 

While the biospherians further the research of more than 60 projects, 42 Ph. D.-level scientists are formally analyzing the information gathered inside Biosphere 2, as they study such topics as carbon dioxide and oxygen cycles, soil composition, coral reef health and vitality, agricultural pest management, waste and water recycling and more. Every two weeks, the biospherians send the samples they have collected through the airlock to scientific consultants and analytic laboratories for study.

Vertical forest by Stefano Boeri

"Vertical forest" - a project of an Italian architect Stefano Boeri, whose main goal is to increase the efficiency of using land in the center of Milan.
It was the idea of  designer Michel Brunello, his team was engaged in the planting of trees in Milan several years ago. 

Festa Major de Gràcia (Barcelona 2012)

Gràcia is a district of the city of Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, Spain. The most well-known attraction in Gràcia is the Gaudí-designed Parc Güell which is located on El Carmel mountain. Every August, Gràcia holds an eight-day festival "Festa Major", known as Festes de Gràcia, one of the largest festivals in Barcelona.
In any event, the festival that strengthens the middle and late nineteenth century, it was defined in a more civic religion, through the efforts of the many organizations working and leisure, cultural associations or societies of dance.

The concept of Gràcia festival is that each street in the neighbourhood competes to win the prize of being the best decorated street. Each street tends to take the competition very seriously and the standards are very high. A theme is chosen by each street and this can cover anything from Roman wrestling to underwater sea life. Walk through the streets of Gràcia and you will be amazed by the canopies of colourful decoration that are above you and the creativity and originality that each street demonstrates.

Carrer Berga

As we can see mostly all the decorations are made out of waste materials, but how creatively they used! The bees out of painted bottles and lighters out of plastic spoons which create such a nice texture. Probably the one bottle bee would not look so impressive but when there are hundreds of them? Huh? Impressive? 

Carrer Berga

I just made a close look on how all the objects were made and I was absolutely stunned by the creativity of these people. 

Carrer Berga

Carrer Berga

Major celebrations on the festival occur at night, that's why it is omportant to interact with light in installations.

Pack-Unpack

The biggest part of waste problem is a pack. The majority of pack is produced from plastic and oil sub-products.

Everyday each of us uses some plastic objects like plastic bottles, glasses, pockets and others once.

The most of them is thrown right away almost at the moment of buying. For example when you buy a cup of coffee you throw the plastic glass away after some minutes. Moreover to use plastic utensil for hot drinks is very dangerous for health. 

Luis Enrique (Venezuela) created eatable cups for Lavazza company coffee.

This eatable cup is made from cookie and covered inside by sugary powder. 

One more idea about unpacked products was created and realized by Catherine Conway in 2006. She founded the company “Unpackaged” (http://beunpackaged.com/why-packaging/) in the belief that there is a better way to sell products, so their customers can do the right thing – for themselves and for the environment. 

Catherine set up Unpackaged because she wanted to refill her groceries using her own containers. The dream was to set up a beautiful shop that made it really easy for customers to come & refill all their daily essentials.

"Unpackages" vision is a world with less wasteful packaging and we’re achieving it one customer at a time!

This means:

• C0²e reduction from less packaging
• The reduction of material waste from landfill & incineration
• Positive behaviour change – we help our customers consume more sustainably
• Less food waste – buy only what you need

"Unpackages" Policies:

• We always source organic products, where available
• We source products as seasonally as possible
• We always source fair trade products, where available
• We support artisan local producers to help keep money in our local economy, giving preference to social enterprises & cooperatives
• We work with our suppliers to develop reusable packaging “up” the supply chain as well as “down” to our customers
• We apply the principles of the waste hierarchy to all our operations: reduce, reuse and recycle
• We only sell non-air freighted products
• We plan efficiently to minimise our own transportation
• We are actively involved in the local community – from local street parties to supporting environmental campaigns & hosting local school trips to teach kids about waste & the environment
• We promote healthy eating; raw, whole, unprocessed ingredients that our customers can cook for themselves

However Catherine didn’t stop and develop and distribute the idea with unpackaged product among other business to help them go ‘Unpackaged’.

There are some videos about Catherine business:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/03/local.green.produce.london/index.html
http://www.reuters.com/video/2008/11/17/recycle-what-about-precycle?videoId=93941&videoChannel=74

Features in many different types of publications from national newspapers to industry, design & consumer magazines. Time Out recently voted this shop the #48th best shop in London.

Catherine was voted #32 in the Observer Food Monthly Top 40 Eco Heroes.

Unpackaged was included in Time Out’s ‘Little Black Book’ of the 500 most essential services in London.
Unpackaged was set up with support from the following organisations: Multistorey, Portobello Business Centre, The Hub, Unltd, Global Tolerance, Striding Out, Sustain, Aquila Green and carpenter Andrew Roddis – do click on their sites and have a look at what they do.



The same idea was realized by three brothers Lane with their friend (Austin, USA). They opened shop «in.gridients» (http://in.gredients.com/)  what will be the first store in America what will sell products without pack.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyTCx2Uo6k&feature=player_embedded

It's obvious that this idea is more and more recognised around the world. In my opinion there might be only one minus or reazon for non-following of this behaviour is a laziness. 

I can to affirm that on a base of my personal experience because for some years I try don't use unnecessary pack and plastic bags if it's possible to do. When I ask somebody "Why you don't do it?" I hear just one answer "I'm lazy to do it". 

Social housing from shipping containers

Bio-Cleaner – vacuum cleaner for the sea

Bio-Cleaner – vacuum cleaner for the sea
We have almost ceased to wonder robot vacuum cleaners that move independently on the floor and collect the fine dust. Here is a similar principle and decided to use the designer Hsu Sean, creating the concept of the device with the name of Bio-Cleaner, designed for cleaning the seas and oceans from oil spills.

Bio-Cleaner – vacuum cleaner for the sea
We all remember the recent tragedy of the Gulf of Mexico, which is due to an accident on an oil platform for a long time has become one of the most beautiful and popular tourist destination on Earth in a zone of ecological disaster. Here's to the future to quickly solve these problems, just as it should be created by the device Bio-Cleaner.

Bio-Cleaner – vacuum cleaner for the sea Because Bio-Cleaner - an automatic robot designed to clean water stains from the hydrocarbon. To do this he will be by special microorganisms which, acting on the oil will break down it to safety on the marine ecology of the substance.

Moreover, the vacuum cleaner Bio-Cleaner will also be equipped with a special system that prevents the mass death of animals caught in the zone of ecological disaster caused by oil spills. Audible and ultrasonic signals will drive away the fish, birds and marine mammals from dangerous areas.

Bio-Cleaner – vacuum cleaner for the sea

As an automatic home robot vacuum cleaner, the device Bio-Cleaner will run in standalone mode, finding the oil spill itself, moving in the contaminated areas and cleaning them.

Such small devices pave the way for a new great discoveries. I do not believe that these machines are able to completely clean the sea, or that they are able to cleand even a big area. However, they can be an important step in addressing this issue.

On the green field of the stadium.

As the world is rolling the wave of enthusiasm "green" architecture. The boom in the whose construction can be seen in our time. Here are a dozen of the most interesting and unusual in the world of eco fsegodnyashnem stadiums in this review.

Sun Stadium in Qatar
Qatar is preparing to take vengeance World Cup to be held there in 2022, the year. Moreover, the country plans to use the stadium during the operation your most important resource (after oil, of course) - the sun. Three sports arena for the World Cup 2022 will have zero emissions of carbon dioxide, that is, all these stadiums need to be met by solar energy.

Sun Stadium in QatarEco-friendly stadium for the Chinese soccer club Tianjin Songjiang
Recently, China's Tianjin Songjiang FC celebrated house warming - it moved to its own 25-titysyachny football stadium. This arena was built according to the latest "green" architecture - it collects and uses rain water has a natural ventilation system of the bowl. Part of the energy that gets through the Stadium of solar panels and wind turbines.

Eco-friendly football stadium for the Chinese Tianjin Songjiang

Garden Stadium Dalian Shide FC for
Dalian Shide FC in a few years, will move to the new stadium. The walls of this building will be ovity variety of plants that change color and texture depending on the season. No cost at this stage and without solar panels and wind turbines.

Garden Stadium Dalian Shide FC

Stadium with solar roof
In the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan in the 2009 World Games were held (similar to the Olympics for the non-Olympic sports). That's the sportцs forum and the stadium was built Kaohsiung National Stadium, the whole roof is covered with solar panels.

Stadium with solar roof

Sunny stadium in Bordeaux
Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron has created a draft of the stadium in Bordeaux, which will become one of the stadiums hosting Euro 2016. The construction of this will look like a cloud hanging in the sky. But eating an energy given by the stadium will be solar panels installed on most of its construction and the area around the arena.

Sunny stadium in Bordeaux

In Croatia there are no volcanoes. At least for now. But soon the country will Stadium Blue Volcano. In addition to the unusual architectural form, this arena will have a flying airship over it. It plans to install cameras and solar panels.

Ezo electric stadium in India 
In India, the construction of a stadium full swing Athletic Ripple, which will be used for their needs, not only solar energy but the energy of the crowd. To do this around the stadium will be installed piezoelectric elements, transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Piezoelectric stadium in India

Stadium-an oasis in Morocco
Morocco - desert country. Vegetation there is not much. Therefore, even a football stadium Grande stade de Sasablanca then constructed so as to be both a natural oasis. Within its premises is a garden, which is also a thermal buffer, creating a favorable climate and is used to cool the stadium box.

Stadium-an oasis in Morocco

Olympic Stadium in Tokyo
When applying for hosting the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 the first year, the city of Tokyo has promised to build a new Olympic stadium. According to the authors of this project, the arena was to be created from recycled materials, and most of the electricity used here was assumed to be solar. But when choosing a host 2016 Olympics won the bid of Rio de Janeiro. So this amazing project, likely will not be realized.

Olympic Stadium in Tokyo

Ekostadion in Nice
Another stadium for Euro 2016. At this time, in Nice. Arena Eco Stadium will become the center of the new district, Eco-Valley. The project provides for the stadium recycling of rainwater, the use of natural ventilation and lighting. A 16,000 square meters of solar panels is expected to allow this construction to produce more energy than can be spent.

Ekostadion in Nice

The spirit of competition and national pride can be very helpful. Amazing buildings are created, made ​​important discoveries. They help make a difference. However, it is nice that it's not one single thing that this helps.

Algae Urban Farm - a project reflective of eco-building in Iran by British Architects

For me, it is clear that the development of technology, recognizing that sustainability is important, the important role played by the environment. While I was writing my essay, I studied this question.

Algae Urban Farm - a project reflective of eco-building in Iran by ecoLogicStudio

Great people about nature ...

All the books I've read about sustainability, about the nature and the environment begins with quotes of famous people. I realized that people think about nature and itspreservation with a very, very long time. Here is a selection of my favorite quotes:

 - All of life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1969)
 - The scarcest resource is not oil, metals, clean air, capital, labour, or technology. It is our willingness to listen to each other and learn from each other and to seek the truth rather than seek to be right - Donella Meadows, environmental scientist, teacher and writer (1941-2001)
 - We do not have a freehold on the earth, only a full repairing lease - Margaret Thatcher, 1988
If something is sustainable, it means we can go on doing it indefinitely. If it isn't, we can't - Jonathon Porritt
 - If we are so selfish that we live unsustainable lifestyles, when will we learn that a sustainable lifestyle also serves self interest - philharding.net/quotes-corner/
 - The whole world is our dining room, but be careful: it is also our garbage can - Ashleigh Brilliant
 - What good is a house, if you haven't got a decent planet to put it on? - Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
 - A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions - Luke 19:20
 - If there are to be problems, may they come during my life-time so that I can resolve them and give my children the chance of a good life - Kenyan proverb

Well, then immediately comes to mind "Earth Song" the great Michael Jackson

Passive energy

Passive energy is used in sustainable architechture to make use of natural energy sources and local climate. It's used in energy efficient houses such as Zero-energy buildings and Low-energy houses. The most used is use passive solar energy, which is different from active solar energy which must be collected through solar panels or other devices in order to become useful.

The point is to use the maximum of available energy sources that surround the house. The special architectural solutions are used to heat the house in the winter and release heat in the summer.



Passive energy can be used in conjunction with other sustainable solutions such as thermal isolation.


Advantages

• isolation for building owners from future energy price increases
• increased comfort due to more-uniform interior temperatures (this can be demonstrated with comparative isotherm maps)
• reduced requirement for energy austerity
• reduced total cost of ownership due to improved energy efficiency
• reduced total net monthly cost of living
• improved reliability - photovoltaic systems have 25-year warranties - seldom fail during weather problems - the 1982 photovoltaic systems on the Walt Disney World EPCOT Energy Pavilion are still working fine today, after going through 3 recent hurricanes
• extra cost is minimized for new construction compared to an afterthought retrofit
• higher resale value as potential owners demand more ZEBs than available supply
• the value of a ZEB building relative to similar conventional building should increase every time energy costs increase
• future legislative restrictions, and carbon emission taxes/penalties may force expensive retrofits to inefficient buildings

Disadvantages

• initial costs can be higher - effort required to understand, apply, and qualify for ZEB subsidies
• very few designers or builders have the necessary skills or experience to build ZEBs
• possible declines in future utility company renewable energy costs may lessen the value of capital invested in energy efficiency
• new photovoltaic solar cells equipment technology price has been falling at roughly 17% per year - It will lessen the value of capital invested in a solar electric generating system - Current subsidies will be phased out as photovoltaic mass production lowers future price
• challenge to recover higher initial costs on resale of building - appraisers are uninformed - their models do not consider energy
• while the individual house may use an average of net zero energy over a year, it may demand energy at the time when peak demand for the grid occurs. In such a case, the capacity of the grid must still provide electricity to all loads. Therefore, a ZEB may not reduce the required power plant capacity.
• without an optimised thermal envelope the embodied energy, heating and cooling energy and resource usage is higher than needed. ZEB by definition do not mandate a minimum heating and cooling performance level thus allowing oversized renewable energy systems to fill the energy gap.
• solar energy capture using the house envelope only works in locations unobstructed from the South. The solar energy capture cannot be optimized in South (for northern hemisphere, or North for southern Hemisphere) facing shade or wooded surroundings.

How designers comprehend a sustainable approach

It is well-known phrase: “Opinions differ” however regarding to sustainability designers demonstrate just few ways to express their meaning and develop ideas in this sphere.

 

The first way is a usage of alternative sources including alternative energy: solar or wind or water energy instead of traditional electricity production which can be applied for great amount of things from night lamps to cars.

 

 

 

Designers create new devices from funny things like this night lamp (http://sunjar.com.au/) to very serious project like “The Portable Light Project” which enables the world’s poorest people to create and own energy harvesting textiles, providing the benefits of renewable power as an integral part of everyday life (http://portablelight.org/). 

 

The similar approach is a creation of traditional objects like cars with reduced impact on ecology. The good example of this approach is a concept car Fiat Ecobasic (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z389/Fiat-Ecobasic-Concept.aspx) which is presented in Torino auto museum (http://www.museoauto.it/website/en). This car consumes less than 3 litres of petrol per hundred kilometres, costs little to run, is versatile, easy to use and friendly to the environment, wоth excellent performance. 

 

 

 

The third way is an attraction of attention to waste and pollution problem. In addition to wide propaganda and social advertising campaign designers invent a lot of devices including different containers for sort and separate of waste. However the most popular and useful of them are containers from recyclable stuffs (like recycled cardboard) instead of traditional plastic pockets.

 

 

The other side of this approach is an application of used stuffs or wastage of production for creation new things. For example these stools, bench and these carpets are made from waste of textile production.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a different example of sustainable approach. Designer invented new technique of stuff creation from used coffee grounds with addition of secret ingredient.

 

 

 

The similar to this way is a creation of plates and dishes from eatable stuff like flour.

Some more good examples of up cycled things are demonstrated by few companies which are specialized on production from used paper or cardboard (http://essent-ial.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126&Itemid=73&lang=en; http://essent-ial.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120&Itemid=82&lang=en)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most popular way among hand-makers is a creation new design or art object from old thing. It is a kind of down cycling and it has one serious disadvantage – these things are unique and they are produced like a limited set of goods.

 

 

 

 

One more example of sustainable approach of designers what I want to consider is a creation of things and objects which are applied for making life more green. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every of these ways can be applied if it helps to decline the negative effect from people activity. However it mustn't lead to new useless things creation.