NOW (NO WATT) means a Zero Energy Building.vGreen Icon has an energy consumption of EPtot=0,00 kWh/mc per year so it reaches the enegy class A+.
The first work-unit GREEN ICON, designed by Rizoma Architetture in collaboration with ProholzEmilia, is placed in the new BIOENERGY system in Mantova’s plain.
Existing contours and infrastructure act as the primary form generator for a new research building at RWTH University – producing a structure which works in symbiosis with the man-made and natural elements that surround it. A structure which harnesses regenerative energy techniques to produce more power than it consumes.
While the world is looking for alternatives to fossil fuels, Algae is an unlimited source of energy, food, and most important, a remarkable natural CO2 absorber. Every industrial energy system inscribes its technological order into the urban fabric. Therefore, what shall be the shape and the fingerprint of the next ZERO CARBON economy in the big cities? So, which spatial implications shall have Algae’s new technologies, and which potentials integrations could be imagine for Algae bio reactors in central urban areas? Re-use is by far the most sustainable option: that’s why the key issue is how anticipate Algae’s green future in the core of the major cities, transforming existing building, there where most of people live and where emissions of CO2 are the most important.
Venice is an organic city, where the sea water goes in for six hours and goes out for six hours from the lagoon, which surrounds the city.. The saltwater is mixed with fresh water of the lagoon, creating a unique ecosystem, where, perhaps, against nature, man has built. In these green water, due to the life of the seabeds, everything is reflected, starting from the sky which provides colour variations throughout the day, seasons and weather conditions.
The Danish energy infrastructure operator Energinet.dk is actively upgrading the visual appearance of the Danish power grid. As a result, the large open-air switchgear stations are gradually being replaced with gas-insulated switchgears – also called GIS stations. The idea is to give the technical enclosure of these stations, typically placed in the open landscape, a distinct architectonic profile, and at the same time maximise their future flexibility.
The ParaSol is a rooftop shading structure that produces a constant shadow by tracing the sun’s rays. Through advanced technology, ODA calculated and predicted the solar exposure for the site while taking into consideration all the contextual parameters of the surrounding buildings. The ParaSol form emerges through a process of sculptural optimization where 90 models (each one producing an ideal shadow for a different day) were tested to form a hybrid prototype. This outcome creates a high performance shading structure in a singular, spectacular object, shaping the identity for the rooftop while improving its micro-climate.
A building particularly worthy of note was constructed on the Bruderholz site – a popular, nearby recreational area – when water reservoirs were built for the city of Basel.
On Samsø, focus is on sustainability with a range of renewable energy projects. Samsø Energiakademi. Has been built to collect and make available this knowledge. The experience gained from the many renewable energy projects on Samsø, from windmills to straw-based district heating, from rap seed tractors to solar collectors, are presented here. The doublewinged academy is situated in the middle of e green meadow with a view of the sea. Close to the energy of the sea and with the sun beating down on it.
The energy-produced elements of Energiakademiet are integrated in the “staircase elements” of the prefabricated zinc-plated roof. Current is produced in the visible crystalline solar cells incorporated in the zinc elements (Images Courtesy Thomas Mølvig)
XelioxEnergy Lab is the new headquarter building for Xeliox srl, an Italian company that produces solar parabolic troughs and that, through a new fully operational building, wants to achieve benchmark status with regards to production and energy consumption in line with the target of being a modern, hence sustainable, industrial environment. XEL is designed to be the first industrial building in Italy with an average energy consumption ≤ 6 kWh/mc: equivalent of Italian Class A.
The access from the parking pavement. The solar skin wraps the building and protrudes further to capture the visitors.
The Leith Renewable Energy Plant has an opportunity to make the most of its unique setting at the waterfront of Scotland’s capital city by drawing inspiration from the surroundings, reflecting their maritime industrial character and history.