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IN CHINA, NET-ZERO A 300-meter tower
that would require zero net energy to operate is on
the boards at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and
could potentially be erected in Guangdong, China.
SOM’s Chicago office drew up what is informally
known as the Zero
Energy Tower, one of three finalists for Guangdong
Tobacco Company’s new headquarters, according to
Architectural
Record. SOM’s high-tech design would be a
revolutionary take on wind power. Integrated wind
turbines would be housed on
two separate mechanical floors and a sweeping
southern façade would sport integrated photovoltaic
louvers, calibrated
to automatically adjust to the sun’s angle and
intensity. "We felt this was an ideal opportunity to
showcase how a
large building could be designed to utilize energy
harvested from the local environment," says SOM
associate partner
Gordon Gill, who worked on the proposal. No word on
whether the (ironic) client plans to address any
smoking-related air pollution issues. ::more ::Architectural Record
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The first Wal-Mart inside Chicago’s city limits will also
be the first to host a grassy meadow on its
roof.
The initiative is part of a deal the mega-chain made
with Mr. Eco himself, Chicago's Mayor Richard M.
Daley. The
67,000-square-foot roof will feature three inches of
soil and a flowering oasis of cactus-like plants, hardy
enough to
survive a Chicago winter and designed to reduce
rainfall runoff. Daley launched the Green Roof program
(which offers
$5,000 to residents and small business owners who
go green) last fall, but Wal-Mart’s could be the city's
first when
the store opens this summer. ::more
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Natural High, a yoga apparel and accessories
company, has added a great new fiber to its roster:
bamboo. The
manufacturer, which already used natural hemp fibers
to produce its comfy wares, has now introduced
bamboo into the
mix—or, more specifically, the blend. New pieces are
made with either 100 percent bamboo fibers or from
bamboo-cotton
blends. Our picks: the Serenity shawl (shown here),
the Power wrap, and the very sexy Lotus slip. ::more
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Imagine if the window in your living room let in light
during the day, turned into an efficient light source in
the
evening, and then became a movie screen. Sound
impossible? Maybe not, thanks to a technology called
Organic Light
Emitting Devices and researchers at USC and UMich.
Until now, OLEDs have been limited, but new
work has enabled
them to efficiently emit broad-spectrum light suitable
for illuminating interior spaces. That means flexible,
OLED-illuminated surfaces could be morphed into—
and do double-duty on—all sorts of surfaces, from
windows, to
flat-screens, to curtains. ::more
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Today's
Tip
U.K. website Eat the Seasons encourages people to
eat local, seasonal foods. Each week, the site
focuses on a different
fruit or veggie in season. Foods come from the U.K.
and Europe (but Americans and others can learn lots
here, too) and
include wild fish and game, but no farmed animals.
Eating local, seasonal food saves energy in growing
and transport
and supports local economies. And, perhaps most
important, local produce tastes fresher and is more
nutritious. ::more
Yours,
Team TreeHugger
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