Green Architecture

By myke

Eco Friendly Structures for the 21st century

I found a very well written article about eco friendly structures, in Cracked.com that I think is well worth sharing with you. For the full article see the bottom of the post for a link.

Construction projects around the globe are looking for ways to incorporate energy efficiency into their designs, occasionally resulting in buildings that look like they were put in place to make James Bond late for his next sexual conquest.

Spain’s Power Tower

Eco Friendly Structures – Solar power tower
By afloresm (SOLUCAR PS10) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

This solar-thermal plant produces enough energy to provide over 11 megawatts of power to over 6,000 places of residence in Seville, Spain.The giant tower in the picture overshadows 600 specifically angled mirrors, which reflect the sun’s rays directly toward a single tiny point near the tower’s roof. Running through that point in the tower is a network of water pipes, which get superheated by the combined might of all that reflected sunlight.The mirrors generate so much heat that the turbines continue to run for over an hour after the sun goes down.

Nanyang Technological University Art School

Eco Friendly Structures – School of art design and media
By Vvvolvol (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Nanyang Technological University Art School consists of three buildings; with a grass-and-earth roof which insulates the building, while also collecting rainwater to serve as a cooling agent.Additionally, the transparency of virtually every floor of the building allows for natural lighting to come through at every angle, saving over 120,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year.The California Academy of the Sciences

Eco Friendly Structures – California Academy of Science

The building itself is predominantly made of recycled material – from recycled steel beams to recycled blue jeans in the insulation.

The roof has over 60,000 photovoltaic cells providing solar energy for the entire structure. In addition to the solar energy harvested on the roof, the plant life on the sloping hills of Hobbiton Academy actually insulate the building, lowering their energy consumption to 30 percent below federal requirements.

The Bahrain World Trade Center

Eco Friendly Structures
Bahrain World Trade Center
By Graeme from Dunfermline, Scotland (DSC01524.JPG) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Standing 50 stories tall, the two buildings are linked by three skybridges that each support a 95-foot-long wind turbine.The sail shape of the towers creates a wind tunnel that increases the efficiency of the turbines.Tthe turbines produce enough electricity to power approximately 300 homes each day.More at … 4 eco friendly structures straight out science fiction | cracked.com

I must say these Eco Friendly structures are quite amazing and absolutely awe-inspiring.

I think it is fantastic that so many architects and companies are looking to the future when designing buildings for the 21st century.

Buildings and structures that are self sustainable in energy must be a good thing.

I hope you have found this article – Eco Friendly Structures – informative, and you will share your own experiences and thoughts below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.