This infographic looks at the impact the digital age is having on the environment. Taking proactive steps to lower your carbon footprint means more that switching of lights and reducing the amount of times you drive your car. Every time you switch on your computer or digital device CO2 is released into the atmosphere and polluting the planet.
Late in October, 36 new homes made from recycled shipping containers began arriving in Brighton to become temporary dwellings for men and women that have had a history of homelessness.
The initiative was begun by the Brighton Housing Trust, a housing charity, and QED Estates Ltd, a housing developer. Located in New England Road on a plot that is known as Richardson’s Yard, the development is taking the place of a car park and a former scrap metal yard. Because the land is not suitable for long-term housing, the location is temporary, but the container homes can be easily relocated when the five-year permit expires.
The first team from the Czech Republic to enter the Solar Decathlon is Team CTU, made up of 26 students who set their sights on designing and building a prototype for future housing while raising awareness of solar energy, energy efficiency, and Czech architecture and engineering.
Their submission in the Solar Decathlon 2013, for which judging takes place in October 2013 in Irvine, California, is AIR House, which stands for Affordable – Innovative – Recyclable. Utilizing energy effective materials and technologies, AIR House provides a comfortable environment for older generations that appeals to the senses and respects the environment.
Over ten years ago, Clive Wilkinson Architects (CWA) were trailblazers in the use of repurposed shipping containers to build out the warehouse headquarters of Pallotta TeamWorks, a charity event company. The design won several design awards, including a national AIA Honor Award in 2002 with comments from the awards jury showing appreciation for its visual richness and environmental conservation. One juror said that it was “truly a California concept – recycling and sustainability at its utmost.”
Recognizing a housing crisis in New England, where many renters and homeowners pay over a third of their income on housing, much of which includes homes that were built before 1950 and are extremely inefficient, the ∆T90 team at Norwich University in Vermont designed a high performance, affordable solution that has been accepted in the Solar Decathlon 2013 that takes place in October 2013 in Irvine, California.
Addressing concerns that include inefficient heating systems, insufficient insulation, and leaky construction of door and window assemblies that contribute to fuel costs that are sometimes equivalent to mortgage payments, the ∆T90 team took “an unapologetic design position” to deliver a modular home that is tailored to the northeastern region of the United States.
One of four teams that are representing California in the 2013 Solar Decathlon, Team USC (from the University of Southern California) will be submitting its fluxHome, a net zero prototype, as an entry in the competition to be held in October 2013 in Irvine, California.
fluxHome reimagines the suburban tract home in an energy efficient and affordable combination of smart home technologies with readily available and customizable components that can serve as a single family residence for up to four people or be adapted to other lifestyle scenarios.
