Name: Malene Husum Student number: 307752
1: Describe the difference between eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness Eco-efficiency is when we only are doing initiatives which are attempting to reduce the waste and the consumption which thereby still has a negative impact on the environment, the target is to get closer to 0, which mean we just are doing less bad. Eco-effectiveness has a plus-target. It is when we are making new initiatives which has a positive impact to the environment as for example making renewable energy sources integrated in a building, using materials which has a positive impact to the environment as for example self-cleaning glass or hydroteet which both is self-cleaning but also air-purifying or designing for disassembly so the materials in the building can be reused without loosing quality (=upcycling). By combining these two things we will be able to reach the point where the building actually are doing more good to the environment than bad - for example producing more energy than it consumes.
2: Give an example of a technical and a biological material
The biological and technical material is devided by the fact that biological materials can biodegrade and safely go back to soil, water or air and the technical materials can be disassembled and reused in the production of a new product. An example of a technical material could be Ytong Energy+ which is a concrete block used for construction of insulating solid walls where there have been made sure that the blocks are non-toxic and able to be reused as raw material for new concrete products. An example of a biological material could be the material dochawol which is an insulation material containing of 100 % wool and no harmfull chemicals which therefore is able to be composed safely in the nature and thereby also help keeping a good environment for the rearing of sheeps - the production of wool which thereby also will ensure continued production of dochawol.
3: Give an example of upcycling
Upcycling is when a material is recycled without loosing quality and thereby can be used in the production of a new product with equal or better quality. An example of upcycling could be paperwool where newspapers are recycled and reused as insulation in buildings which has the same properties and qualities as normal insulation but is emitting less CO2 in the production. The paper is keeping its quality as a physical material during the recycling instead of just being burned where the target of the recycling then only would be to use the energy from the burning of the paper and which would leave the quality of the material non-existing.
4: Discuss the potential value of designing for disassembly The potential value of designing for disassembly is that it is possible to make upcycling. We can seperate the different elements and reuse them without loosing quality and be able to use them in a production of a new product in the future. The problem has been that we are combining both biological and technical materials in a product without making sure that they can be separateted again and therefore we are not able to reuse them in the technical or biological cycle but instead we have to reuse them in a worse quality as we have to recycle the two materialities together(=downcycling). When we are designing for disassembly we are making sure that we are able to reuse the materials independently and thereby keep the quality of the materials and make the best out of the ressources that we have. So if we use materials in a building today and are making sure it is designed for disassembly the next generations will be able to reuse the materials without loosing quality when they tear down the building and do thereby has better ressources to keep producing new products and build new buildings.
Fagligt introduktionsforløb 2013
Name: Malene Husum Student number: 307752
Building: Year: Place: Function: Architect:
Sustainability Base xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2012 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Northern California, United States xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Federal Building (office-building) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx William McDonough + Partners The materials used to build Sustainability Base is local produced and also including recycled elements and processes non-toxic. The materials are furthermore also designed for disassembly which thereby means that the materials are able to either go back to the nature or be recycled in the industry which thereby creates no waste.
Material metabolism
The support elements are placed on the outside of the building which made it possible to add cladding which could provide shade from the sun for the building and thereby help keeping a good indoor environment which imply that the consumption of energy for a climate system can be kept at a minimal. The plants around the building is plants that have a minimal need of of water which thereby make it possible to keep the water consumption low.
Urban Biodiversity
Water Purification
Clean Energy
First of all are they reducing the usage of water - they are using 90 % less portable water than other comparable buildings and the water needed is reused. The water from sinks and showers in the bathrooms are collected and cleaned and then reused for the toilet flush.
The energy consumption is minimized especially by reducing the need of artificial lightning, making the building narrow which are making the natural light able to reach inside the whole building which reduced the consumption down to the fact that artificial light only is needed 40 days a year. Furhtermore is the energy consumption needed supplied by renewable energy - 30% by a solar panels and the remaining from a small wind mill and a fuel cell
Fagligt introduktionsforløb 2013
Name: Malene Husum Student number: 307752
Building: Year: Place: Function: Architect:
Netherlands Institure of Ecology xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2010 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Netherland xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Center of Ecological Research xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Claus and Kaan Architects
The building is made of renewable raw materials and produced without any harmful emissions. The concrete used for the floors is helping distribute the heat and cooling inside the the building as it can stock heat. Material metabolism
The building has a green roof which filters water and air and also help controlling the temperature. Furthermore is the roof also an experiment of technology which attemps to generate power from living plants. Urban Biodiversity
Rain water, domestic water and waste water from the toilets are collected and purified whereupon the water flows into a helophyte filter which remove any impurities from the water. The water is then reused in a pond in the sorrunding area or in the toilet flushing and in the final stage of reusing the water is the water processes by an alga cultivation system and a helophyte filter which by harvesting the algae will recover valuable minerals as phosphates which then can be used as agricultural fertilizers. Water Purification
Clean Energy
In addition is the building also reducing the consumption of water by using vacuum toilets which use a minimal amount of groundwater. The building is storaging heat both the solar heat but also the heat from the greenhouses. It is placed 300 meters under the ground which allows it to storage warmth from the summer for use in the following winter. That results in energy savings of 70% to 80% which will increase furhter as solar energy plants and solar cells will be applied in a larger scale.
Fagligt introduktionsforløb 2013
Name: Malene Husum Student number: 307752
Building: Year: Place: Function: Architect:
Material metabolism
Villa Alstrup xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2009 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Esbjerg, Denmark xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Private xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx C.F. Møller Architects A/S xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The house is build of sustainable materials only and is for example insulated with recycled paper. The production of this isolation requires 20-30% less energy than the production of traditional insulation and are a biological material which thereby can be composted safely in the nature. Furthermore is concrete used as the material for the indoor walls which are able to absorb and storage heat which can help keeping a good indoor climate.
This was not in focus doing the design process of this building.
Urban Biodiversity
This was not in focus doing the design process of this building.
Water Purification
Clean Energy
The main windows are turned towards South-South-West which thereby utilises the heat from the sun as efficient as possible And besides that is the energy used in the house only supplied by renewable energy - from solar panels and cells and from a groundheat system which all in all is producing more energy than the house actually consume.
Fagligt introduktionsforløb 2013