Post by louise87 on Mar 4, 2014 21:06:38 GMT -5
Solar is unique in the energy industry in being able to transform from a utility scale power plant, into an architect eco tool.
No other energy source can quite claim the same aesthetic credentials, as solar cells can be imbedded into facades and transparent, or rainbow coloured and injected into glass, or camouflaged on roofs and into integrated to shaded rooms and greenhouses.
Solar is the energy-conscious architect’s best friend. Just recently India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh inaugurated India’s first zero net energy office block, complete with solar panels. The project was undertaken by the Minister of Environment and Forests to construct a new office building in New Delhi, the design was to make a completely green, ‘zero net energy’ building.
The ambitious targets for the building included earning India’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum rating, and the Green Buildings Rating System (GRIHA)’s five star rating.
The building cost an estimated INR128-200 crore and has a reinforced concrete frame to form two office blocks, seven and six stories high – making it the most energy efficient multi-storey building in India. The landmark building undertakes several conservation and environmental efforts from water saving, energy efficiency and geo thermal energy utilised to assist in its zero net energy ranking. The entire hot water generation for the building is all generated from solar panels as is all of the external lighting.
On the site there is a high efficiency rooftop PV array to meet the buildings total energy demand; it is the largest PV installation on a multi-storey building in India. The solar passive design of the office blocks is to reduce heat and increase natural indoor light. The project began construction in January 2011, and was completed in November 2013, spanning 7.4 hectares. Next up in the energy saving architecture innovation category is Clear point residences in Sri Lanka. The residency block will be the world’s tallest vertical garden – complete with solar panels. Solar energy is to be used in communal spaces during the day and any excess power will be net metered, international design firm and Clear Point Residency’s designer, Milroy Perera Associates hope the use of solar energy will attract residents hoping to keep energy bills down.
The residential tower will have 46 floors with 164 apartments, each one with a garden terrace, including an internal irrigation system to conserve water use in the building. The residential block will be the first sustainable high rise apartment block in Sri Lanka, situated 10km from central the city of Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka and the country’s largest city.
The block will be on the Rajagiriya and Kotte border over looking the Diyawanna Lake’s tributaries with construction planned to end in late 2015. The two new buildings show solar's increasingly popular role in everyday buildings - and the architect's who design them.
No other energy source can quite claim the same aesthetic credentials, as solar cells can be imbedded into facades and transparent, or rainbow coloured and injected into glass, or camouflaged on roofs and into integrated to shaded rooms and greenhouses.
Solar is the energy-conscious architect’s best friend. Just recently India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh inaugurated India’s first zero net energy office block, complete with solar panels. The project was undertaken by the Minister of Environment and Forests to construct a new office building in New Delhi, the design was to make a completely green, ‘zero net energy’ building.
The ambitious targets for the building included earning India’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum rating, and the Green Buildings Rating System (GRIHA)’s five star rating.
The building cost an estimated INR128-200 crore and has a reinforced concrete frame to form two office blocks, seven and six stories high – making it the most energy efficient multi-storey building in India. The landmark building undertakes several conservation and environmental efforts from water saving, energy efficiency and geo thermal energy utilised to assist in its zero net energy ranking. The entire hot water generation for the building is all generated from solar panels as is all of the external lighting.
On the site there is a high efficiency rooftop PV array to meet the buildings total energy demand; it is the largest PV installation on a multi-storey building in India. The solar passive design of the office blocks is to reduce heat and increase natural indoor light. The project began construction in January 2011, and was completed in November 2013, spanning 7.4 hectares. Next up in the energy saving architecture innovation category is Clear point residences in Sri Lanka. The residency block will be the world’s tallest vertical garden – complete with solar panels. Solar energy is to be used in communal spaces during the day and any excess power will be net metered, international design firm and Clear Point Residency’s designer, Milroy Perera Associates hope the use of solar energy will attract residents hoping to keep energy bills down.
The residential tower will have 46 floors with 164 apartments, each one with a garden terrace, including an internal irrigation system to conserve water use in the building. The residential block will be the first sustainable high rise apartment block in Sri Lanka, situated 10km from central the city of Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka and the country’s largest city.
The block will be on the Rajagiriya and Kotte border over looking the Diyawanna Lake’s tributaries with construction planned to end in late 2015. The two new buildings show solar's increasingly popular role in everyday buildings - and the architect's who design them.