Dubai has money like no other place I’ve ever seen.  They’re working to beat Taipei 101, so they can have the tallest building in the world.  Now, they’ve announced this building called Times Residences, which is aiming to be the only rotating residential structure in the world.  Solar energy will be stored and used to rotate the 80,000 ton, 30-floor structure, 52 degrees every 24 hours.  The project will cost about $109M/Dh400.  Construction is slated to begin June 2007 and end in the first quarter of 2009.  Units will range in size from 1-5 bedrooms and everything will be up-scale + luxurious.  The project was designed by Glenn Howells Architects + Palmer and Turner. 

In total, there will be 200 residences and everyone will have a 360 degree view due to the solar- powered rotation.  Apparently, one will also be able to tell time by the way the building is lined up, etc.  Although prices for the residences have not been released, sales are expected to begin in March 2007.  What’s more, the developer, Dubai Property Ring, plans to build 23 more rotating towers in each of the world’s time zones.  Whether the building actually gets built is another story.  And although the company states the technology will allow the building to rotate 5 mm/second using a mere 21 electric kettles’ worth of electricity, I’m thinking there must be a better use for all that solar power.  What do you think?  Via ecofriend.

Extra Links:
Rotating Tower to be Solar-Powered [Gulf News]
Dubai to Get ‘World’s First Turning Tower’ [Middle East Times]
Dubai Plans First Rotating Skyscraper [USA Today]

1. Enertia: Houses Heated + Cooled by the Sun – [includes video] No furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or swamp cooler — just an innovative design that harnesses geothermal energy and sunlight year round.
2. Sydney Leading Light in Hour of No Power – This ambitious plan aims to send a message to Australians about climate change. It hopes its Earth Hour campaign will demonstrate the connection between the electricity people use in homes and offices and the climate change pollution that coal-fired power stations generate.  Via Linton. 
3. New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology – With DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance.  Via Celsias.
4. Mileage From Megawatts: Enough Grid Capacity to Charge Plug-in Hybrids – A new study for the Department of Energy finds that "off-peak" electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel 84 percent of the country’s 220 million vehicles if they were plug-in hybrid electrics.

I like people that leave comments.  Comment-ary adds color + perspective that I may not have otherwise considered.  The blogger over at geekwhat did a post about the Top 5 Reasons Why Blog Readers Don’t Leave Comments, and I’m convinced there’s some substance to what he’s saying.  I also saw the Eco-Entrepreneur (his blog is down right now) give away his 700th post to whoever commented for the number that he guessed.  He guessed third, so the third commenter won.  So in the spirit of giving and encouraging eco-edification via comments, I’m inaugurating the Official Jetson Green Prodigious Commenter Award.  I will give away $25 to the 500th comment on Jetson Green.  Not necessarily on this post, but when we get to that point, you’ll know…

Logistics:
First, we’re already partly there, so who knows when #500 will come?  Second, I will provide payment to a paypal address or via mailed money order.  I’m no stiff, don’t worry.  Third, comments do not include spam or hate.  These comments will be deleted and not figured into the mix.  Fourth, when you comment, your email is registered, so I will contact you via email.  Fifth, if I could muster up sponsors, I’d give that stuff away too…Maybe for round #2. 

Update: 4/2 – only at 177 comments. 

The December 2006 edition of Buildings magazine included the Editor’s Choice Top Product Picks (about 100 different products) and I wanted to talk about one certain product.  Assume the following:  you’re a developer, you’re going green, and you’re working hard to get approval on something like a large PUD, or maybe something like what the guys at LandPooling do.  Well, you’re going to have beautiful, open green space and the proper benches and lighting to allow residents to enjoy the development.  Take a gander at the Knight family of products available at Forms+Surfaces.  The Knight Bench is sharp looking and comes backed/backless, with/without armrests, in 6-foot + 8-foot lengths.  You choose.  The bench is surface mounted. 

Green Features:
First, it’s fabricated with solid aluminum made of 95 % recycled content.  The surface is then clear-coated to resist oxidation (not sure what the coat is).  The wood slats are Ipe, which is a sustainably harvested wood that has the USDA Forest Products Laboratory’s highest rating for decay and insect resistance.  The bench is fully recyclable, which is important when looking to the life cycle.

The Knight series also includes a litter receptacle, bollard (CFL or HID), and pedestrian lighting.  The geometric design of the Knight series is completely amazing.  You’ll note that Forms+Surfaces is a member of the USGBC and committed to sustainability (www.forms-surfaces.com).

 

Green building renovation is the future; there are so many inefficient structures and the time will come when deciding not to renovate a building would be similar to using a typewriter when you have a laptop.  Why not start now?  Natural Home Magazine is chronicling a developer who will take a seedy, dilapidated (Boerum Hill) Brooklyn building and remodel it with cutting edge technology and green features.  The developers, Rolf Grimstead + Emily Fisher of R&E Brooklyn, bought it and plan to make it New York’s first American Lung Association Health House.

Green Features:
The interior will use IceStone recycled counters (C2C), salvaged wood or bamboo flooring, and Kirei board cabinets.  Finishes will be with low or no-VOC water-based poly (American Pride).  The house will be wired with solar energy via photovoltaic panels.  Also, there will be a solar-thermal and gas-fired system to heat and cool the place.  In addition, the developers will use the Health House criteria (regarding moisture + humidity control, energy efficiency, and air filtration + ventilation) to guide them in making the indoor air quality top notch.  This should be an interesting project to follow throughout 2007.

Extra Links:
93 Nevins/453 Pacific: 2 Eco-smart Townhouses [R&E Brooklyn]
Brownstoner Blog Post on the 2 Eco-smart Townhouses [Brownstoner]