Pulse Technology: Micro-monitoring Your Energy Use for Conservation

How cool would it be to receive updates on the amount of energy used every time you turn on a light, open a window, or turn on the heat?

Thanks to Pulse, a digital tool developed by Investa Sustainability Institute and Green Buildings Alive, electricity usage per building can be assessed and uploaded directly to the web. Pulse data feeds update every 15 minutes, and create summaries of daily overall consumption.

“What we are doing here might look simple, but the practice draws from nearly a decade of measuring and monitoring what really makes a building greener. We’ve learnt that sustainability in our sector doesn’t have to mean a fancy façade or expensive technology. Real, measurable energy savings are the bedrock of the radical changes on the horizon for cites worldwide,” says Craig Roussac, director of the Investa Sustainability Institute.

Pulse technology aims to influence behavioral change and raise energy awareness among building occupants. Already, large corporate buildings have the ability to compare their energy usage with that of competitors as well as the increased involvement of employers in ensuring a greener work space. Pulse can also uncover and report costly energy anomalies automatically. It doesn’t get much more convenient than checking your automatically reported energy usage online.

-Caroline

mies van der rohe remembered on google

On March 27th, Google celebrated the 126th birthday of one of the most important Modernist architects, Mies van der Rohe, with a search bar doodle based on his S.R. Crown Hall in Chicago. The doodle depicts the modular structure that now houses the Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture, and that was one of the most groundbreaking buildings in the Modernist Movement.

The Hall is made of steel and infilled with glass with varying degrees of transparency, and features an upper level architecture studio with an 18-foot ceiling. From Mies’ Seagram Building to his Farnsworth House, we can see his famous architectural philosophy, “less is more,” manifest in his style’s elegant simplicity and efficiency. Mies died 42 years ago, but the mark he left on all major American cities continues to inform and inspire contemporary green architecture.

Happy birthday again, Mies!

-Caroline

“green” vs. “sustainable”… what do they actually mean?

The words “sustainable” and “green” are both buzzwords often used interchangeably. Up until I took an Environmental Studies class last semester, I wasn’t completely clear on the distinctions between them. From a designer’s point of view, however, the distinctions are critical to understand an otherwise hackneyed movement in architecture and design.

First, let’s look at “sustainable.” A sustainable product lowers pressure on the environment by using renewable or sustainably produced materials. A sustainably produced material, in turn,  is one that doesn’t pollute, destroy or erode the environment in which it is gathered or produced, and one that doesn’t permanently reduce the supply.

“Green,” on the other hand, refers to products that function so efficiently and/or strategically as to cause reduced or minimal impact on the environment. Specifically, green design minimizes waste, fuel, and other potentially unnecessary resources that go into construction. Usually, buildings are “green,” but not sustainable. However, there are a few out there that are both. Oberlin College’s Lewis Center, for example, employs its own water treatment system, features scores of solar panels on its roof, and uses geothermal wells to heat and cool the building.

Of course, the term “green” has also come to be known as something too that’s politically liberal, but here at KSDG, we believe that caring about the health of the environment and the people in it shouldn’t be restricted to one political party or another, don’t you?

-Caroline

how to collect rain from an entire city

I’m a member of the Berkeley chapter of Global Architecture Brigades, and for our most recent design competition for a medical center in Honduras, it was my responsibility to research rainwater collection systems for implementation on our building.

In general, rainwater collection systems involve directing rainwater to a filter, and then to a cistern which is usually located underground, and that pumps filtered water throughout the rest of the building. Pretty simple, right? So imagine the possibilities of a city-wide rainwater collection system!

Sabrina Faber, developed just that for Sana’a, Yemen, a city plagued by frequent water shortage, and of which she is a long term resident. Her design, which won the 2011 Phillips Living Cities Award, captures water from the flat roofs that are of the dominant architectural style in Sana’a, and siphons it off to underground tanks. Watch the video to learn more about Faber’s RAIN System.

-Caroline

a vertical forest inside a city of gardens: “bosco verticale”

I’m fascinated by something called the Garden City Movement of the early 20th century, and was intrigued when I heard about this similar sustainable urban restructuring plan in present day by Stefano Boeri. Currently under construction in Milan, “Bosco Verticale” is comprised of two apartment towers with giant cantilevered balconies that accommodate a vertical forest.

The forest includes approximately 900 trees as well as a plenitude of shrubbery and other floral vegetation, and has a flattened footprint of about 10,000 square meters. Each apartment has a balcony enveloped by a lush garden which is irrigated by  filtered grey water produced by the building.

Not only have solar and wind energy systems been built into the structure to increase energetic self-sufficiency, but these forested patios also create microclimates that require less energy to heat and cool. These microclimates are a result of the forest’s humidity and oxygen production, carbon dioxide and dust absorption , and protection from direct sunlight. The biodiversity of the plants within this forest in addition to the attraction of birds and insects hope to create a self-sufficient ecosystem. Bosco Verticale is the first element in Boeri’s urban project BioMilano, a proposal for a green belt around Milan that would restore 60 abandoned farms on the outskirts to community use.

-Caroline

a greenhouse grows in harlem

The Harlem Edge competition challenged entrants to create a plan for the redevelopment of the Department of Sanitation marine transfer station on the Hudson River at 135th Street in Harlem, New York. The competition states the ideal plan should engage residents with the waterfront, introduce urban agriculture into the community, stimulate economic and educational activity, and be sustainable.

The winning proposal, known as The Greenhouse Transformer and designed by the Boston-based Urban Planning and Architecture firm Praud, integrates all these concepts. The structure features a hydraulic mechanical system that lifts the roof off the base during the summer, and replaces it in the winter to create a giant greenhouse. This greenhouse allows for year-round farming through hydroponics and exterior gardens. The Greenhouse Transformer serves a variety of other purposes besides urban farming, which includes hosting farmer’s markets on the open deck plaza, giving kids hands-on learning opportunities, and accommodating and promoting social events.  The proceeds from the crops grown in the Greenhouse also fund urban agriculture learning programs.

How’s that for sustainability?

-Caroline

how do you spell green revolution? C-o-n-X-t-e-c-h

When you hear of a 101,000 square foot, steel reinforced data center built in nine days, you’d think it unfeasible. Then when you hear about a 10 story steel tower built in three days, you’d have to think “impossible.” These two extraordinary feats have one thing in common: ConXtech, a Hayward-based technology company that manufactures prefabricated steel space frame systems.

Their modular systems are comprised of wide flange beams, HSS (or box columns,) and ConXR or ConXL connectors, allowing for mass-customization and configuration. With a ConX system, architects can select the structural grid early on in the design process, saving time that otherwise would have been spent designing around certain structural constraints.

Dimensional accuracy also enables various architectural elements such as curtain systems, stairs, and balconies to be attached to the framework. ConX systems also allow for seismically sound, higher buildings as a result of their unique moment connection with bolted collar systems. ConXtech’s cost effective systems have already been employed for projects at Burning Man (where five people assembled a ten story building in five days in the middle of the desert), Stanford Law School, and the Coronado U.S. Naval Base.

What makes ConX systems so green is their decreased overall tonnage, collapse resistance, and energy and material efficiency. I guess this just goes to show that with maximum efficiency, anything is possible.

Cool, huh?

-Caroline

KSDG volunteers at the san francisco food bank!

Hello again!

Happy KSDG employees sorting fruit at the San Francisco Food Bank!

Did you know that not only is KSDG an awesome leader in sustainable architecture, investments, and living but also incredibly passionate about helping the community? The most recent example of the company lending a helping hand is a recent trip taken on February 24th to the San Francisco Food Bank. The group spent the day sorting for fruit for different churches, food kitchens, and other groups around the Bay Area.

Volunteering at the Food Bank is a simple way to make an impact on the community. Dedicating just one day to helping sort food is an invaluable contribution. One of SF Food Bank’s mottos is that “hunger shouldn’t be an option.” Every day, the city of San Francisco sees people who skip meals and eat less well because they must save food for other costs. Choices like these hinder the health of the individuals within our community. To solve this problem, the Food Bank collects thousands of pounds of foods, which are shipped to different Food Bank locations where the products and sorted, shelved, and packaged by volunteers. The food is then delivered to over 450 nonprofit locations, serving over 225,000 people a year.

Fruit at the San Francisco Food Bank waiting to be sorted by our KSDG volunteers.

Being a volunteer for the San Francisco Food Bank is an inspiring experience. Helping to sort, shelve, and package healthy food for those in need truly makes an impact. Over 22,000 volunteers contribute thousands of hours to helping the Food Bank each year, which translates to a distribution of 43,5 million pounds of food – equivalent to 93,000 meals a day. If you or your organization are interested in working at the food bank as a group like KSDG, you can visit this website to learn more about the available volunteer schedule.

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily  

KSDG employees sorting away

electric bike rentals: the new zipcar?

Many people are now familiar with the company Zipcar, which lets members rent cars at low hourly fees. But this

An electric bicycle could be your newest sustainable way of getting around the city of San Francisco.

month, San Francisco will be a starting a similar program, but this time with electric bicycles! $1.5 million has been given to the project by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency, and the program will be carried out through the car rental company City CarShare. Look out for 45 rentable electric bikes on the streets of San Francisco and Berkeley in the second half of this year, followed by 45 more by the end of 2013!

Would you choose an electric bike over a car? The program estimates that renting an electric bike will cost 50-70% less than renting a car. Fresh air, exercise, and a cheap bicycle ride that has electric power to help you push up though tough San Francisco hills?

I don’t see why choosing to bike wouldn’t be the best option! Hopefully a rental location will be near the KSDG office so that we can navigate the San Franicsco hills with sustainably-friendly ease, too.

Happy biking & sustainable living!
- Emily 

futuristic sustainable living with the hover home!

Hello blogosphere!

Hover House 3 is an innovative model for sustainable living.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the FLOAT House – an innovative design that allows homes to “float” in cases of flooding and sea level rise. While making your house able to float on water is cool, how about a hovering house? Glen Irani Architects has worked to design the aesthetically flawless and energy efficient “Hover House 3.”

Located in Los Angeles, the goal of the house is to hover the building structure over outdoor living space in order to maximize the amount of outdoor square footage a property has in an tightly fit urban location.

These hovering structures also reduce indoor floor area significantly, which help lower building costs and consumption of dwindling building resources. The home also boasts large windows, photovoltaic panels on its roof, and many other sustainability-improved technologies.

Happy Sustainable Living!
- Emily