Filed under: November 13 | Tags: Data Collection - New/Alternative Projects
David Fisher has designed a sky scraper that towers 80 stories, 420 meters, into the air. It will be the first building in the world to rotate and is intended to be complete in 2010 in Dubai. Each floor rotates independently from the others, allowing each floors occupants the opportunity to change the direction in which they face. The sun can shine in through the same window throughout the whole day if one would like. It allows for many opportunities.
This dynamic tower also has many green benefits. Between each floor a wind turbine is located. These 79 or so turbines provide energy for the tower itself as well as for buildings surrounding it. It is the first tower designed to be entirely self powered. The tower is also intended to implement many other energy saving features, including solar panels on the top of each floor. The efficient construction methods of the tower will also save energy. Each unit is pre-fabricated in a factory allowing for a cleaning construction site and fewer workers needed on site. Because of these factors, construction of the tower will be a great deal quicker.
The first 20 floors of the tower are intended for commercial use, mainly offices. The next floors, up to floor 35 are designated for a luxury hotel. The rest of the floors will be residential apartments with the top 10 being luxury villas.
For more information of David Fisher’s Dynamic Rotating Tower visit: http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/home.html
UBC Sustainability street in Vancouver, British Columbia was designed by space2place design inc. They have successfully combined beauty with practicality and sustainability. The street focuses on turning waste water into clean water, managing storm water and using reclaimed and reused maters to reduce the ecological footprint. It is the first closed-loop system in the world in regards to re-using water. The street also plans to treat storm water in the future. Before they allow the water to enter into the ground, it will be treated and filtered to remove contaminants. To continue with the designs focus on sustainability, ground source heat pumps are used to provide energy for cooling and heating buildings instead of using natural gas. Materials, such as granite from the recently demolished Vancouver College of Theology, are reused throughout the streets design. Also, all wood used is locally milled.
Information on UBC Sustainability Street from: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/sustainabilitystreet/about.html
I think that a campus is a great place to implement sustainable design. Since sustainability is one of the major issues in the world today, these ideas need to catch the eyes of young students. As a student, I would find it more motivating to not just be learning about sustainability but to be witnessing this form of design coming to life. Green design would appear more attainable. Yes, we learn about it everyday and attempt to develop ways to implement it into our environment, but it doesn’t always feel within our reach. It is designs like the new Manitoba Hydro building that catch the attention of Winnipeg citizens. Slowly, Winnipeg is attempting to implement elements of sustainability into its city. Like Vancouver, I believe Winnipeg needs to bring green design closer to campus. If we are trying to change the world, this is the place to start.
