Dissertation case study -UN Green Headquarters in Copenhagen

One case study that has been given an award-winning is the UN Green Headquarters in Copenhagen. Solar panels, rainwater tanks and a sea water cooling system has been installed in the green building office complex. 

The new UN city complex in Copenhagen has been promoted for its environmental sustainable trough the green building with a platinum-certificate of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). (denmark.dk. N.p., 2017)

Adam Mørk /3XN, 2017. UN Green Headquarters. [Photographer] (UN Green Headquarters in Copenhagen).

The included sustainable criterias that were included in the UN City were, the building materials, reducing waste, minimizing impact on surrounding ecosystems and promoting indoor air quality, energy efficiency and smart water use. During the construction wood was being harvested from sustainable -managed forests that is located 800 kilometres away from the building site, to reduce emissions from transport. UN City limit its amount of traditional energy that is used for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation for its every day use. (denmark.dk. N.p., 2017)

The rainwater that will be captivated in UN City, is being used to flush its toilets of an average 5,300 times a day for a whole year. The reuse of rainwater has provided more than 60 percent reduction of total water use in the building's toilet, kitchens and showers. An innovative way that they have regulated the building's indoor temperature is with a system that is pumping seawater to use it for cooling system in UN City, solar shades are also installed on the building's exterior roofing that can open and close to trap or reflect heat from the sun. (denmark.dk. N.p., 2017)

With a 1,400 solar panels generating electricity for UN City, wind energy makes up more than 35 percent of the additional power stated off the grid. With 1,200 employees that are in the building use less than half as much energy as a similar sized office building. (denmark.dk. N.p., 2017) This officially results the amount of energy saving that is being consumed within this project investment.

This case study managed to include a lot of innovative systems that has made a whole building function with its best economy saving from the energy efficiency. One clever idea that I really liked and thought it would be ideal for the hot summer season  in Malta was, the system of the seawater pump that then it was used for cooling system. In addition to my thought is, since in advance the Maltese island is surrounded with seawater we (as designers) may use this function system in our buildings.


Reference: 
denmark.dk. N.p., 2017. 'UN opens Green Headquarters in Copenhagen'. Available at: <http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/sustainable-projects/un-opens-green-headquarters-in-copenhagen> [Accessed on 27 Feb 2017]

Dissertation case study -Dr. Pere Castell Muixi

Another study that I have found is of Dr. Pere Castell Muixi, whom is qualified with a PhD in AITIIP Technological centre. Within this profession, he is a Manager and a member of Sustainable Districts and Built Environment, also a member that consists on Positive Energy Blocks. The goal of this study is to continue expanding the competitiveness of the companies that takes over in moulds and plastic parts that will be manufactured from the factories, as well as to advance the knowledge with new upgraded technological systems. (Dr. Pere Castell, 2016)

This project was based within a private group where they have configured to design materials towards the construction of energy efficient buildings. Their innovative aim towards this project was to integrate with technological terms. A basic description about this proposed project is to construct energy efficient buildings with low energy waste with a development of multifunctional and advanced materials that will provide the necessity service for a future developement building that will capture, transport and enhance the storage of highly energy efficiency.  (Dr. Pere Castell, 2016) 

A technical understanding of this proposed project is to produce advanced materials and have a bigger impact on the construction and development of self-sustainable buildings. As described in the proposal it is said that different parts of the buildings will compose organs dedicated to the capitation of energy, which would include solar cells and other systems that will distribute the energy among the whole building. In the current design the self-sustainable building is composed as a living creature with advanced materials. (Dr. Pere Castell, 2016)

The highly impact that this project can be of success is on the energy saving amount production, transport that will distribute the energy among the whole building and the installation that will be of a multi-functional lightweight material. The system of construction with lightweight modular structure can be used in new and old buildings, as the private group explained and the required maintenance of those buildings will be minimal since they will be serviced with self-repairing and self-cleaning materials on external parts. These materials will be generated with energy store and external energy dependency. The materials increase the lifespan of their habitant while it decreases the overall energy consumption. Their final idea of those buildings will result to have zero energy consumption, so that the city will have its highlight significance of  energy efficient buildings. (Dr. Pere Castell, 2016)

Their whole idea of this project is for the buildings to benefit from this technology in reduction of external energy consumption. With the installation of multi-functional materials and construction methods will recover and reduce the energy bills. (Dr. Pere Castell, 2016)

Some interference that Dr. Pere Castell has exploited within technologies are of, new materials that are self-sustained and make use of all advanced functionalities, sensing capabilities to monitor air quality, quantification of pollutants and intelligent ventilation. The innovation regarding this proposal project has a great impact on the sustained materials that will be self-repairing and self-cleaning, which I believe if this study will be of success and distributed, it will make a great achievement also because it will be highly efficient on the systematized energy that will be taken from the solar cells.

What strikes me most from the intended project is the material installation. Since the material itself generates and store energy impacts well with the innovation of the energy saving. Including this study in my written literature review aided me to get a general idea of possibilities and upgraded technologies that can be applied on buildings. Along the years more studies regarding self-efficient and sustainability is being approved that it is being more highlighted, since one would know that including solar cells or any other agrivoltaic microsolutions will financially benefit well from the energy or water efficiency investment.


Reference: 

Dr. Pere Castell, 2016. 'Construction of self-sustaining energy efficient buildings'. Available at: <https://eu-smartcities.eu/content/construction-self-sustaining-energy-efficient-buildings> [Accessed on 24 Feb 2017]

Dissertation case study -UCLA

One case study of a project that has been developed with the new sustainability system and transformation of energy efficiency upgrades, which at this case it is perceiving expenses to high-return investment opportunities, is the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). (Alison Hewitt, 2014)

The UCLA has already invested in energy efficient building retrofits in the past five years with $20 million because the money invested in climate change, will then receive some of the cost each year and onwards at an advantage year after year will then receive back all the money that one will have invested them in. (Alison Hewitt, 2014)

Nurit Katz who is the UCLA's chief sustainability officer, supportively encourages on other colleges or universities to create their own sustainability, since they are very efficient and a good financial investment. (Alison Hewitt, 2014) 

As Katz said, for further future fund projects to save more, in their previous projects at UCLA they have installed thousands of occupancy sensors that lights will turn on and off when the room are being in use or rather empty, more retrofits of heating, ventilation, and cooling systems in the campus, they made sure to replace the old light bulbs and install the efficient models in classrooms, auditoriums, streetlights and parking spaces. (Alison Hewitt, 2014) Keeping the campus fully sustained with the energy system and water technology would save and supports more the biodiversity.

Breaking down the bill to get an idea of how much all this would cost and how much one will save back in return, Katz says that for example if $1 million will be invested on a project, in return one will save $250,000 annually on energy costs. Later, half of the savings $125,000 would automatically return in the loan that will have been taken, until the $1 million good investment will be paid. (Alison Hewitt, 2014)

Mark Orlowski who is the executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, says that a growing number of institutions are using development, fundraising and endowments. They want to help people think outside of their limited capital operating budget. (Alison Hewitt, 2014)

It is of a good benefit to invest in because you save from energy and water and not only, it will also help to combat the climate change. I have included this in my literature review as an indication with someone else's case study to approve how efficient and encouraging on how the system of loan can be easily invested into something that can automatically be paid off throughout the years, and in return you will also save up a good amount of money because of the new installation of energy or water system saving. This is also very ideal to suggest it to other people that will be looking for a good investment on their property. 

For my dissertation, this qualitative research information will aid me to conserve a better choice of an installation, to sustain the carbon neutrality and reminds me better on how good it is to support and invest on the energy and water criteria. From the study made on the university building project, I could take a good idea on the estimate amount of the all-over project costing. I also have admired the feedback of Nurit Katz that has given his thought about the opinion of the financial investment that supports the background of sustainability and its own efficiency. It is always important to include all kind of perspective thinking, especially when conducting with total amount costings, an estimate or rather offers or great values that one can benefit from them, such like the given example of the energy and water saving efficient system of the UCLA investment.


Reference:

Alison Hewitt, 2014. 'UCLA creates nation's largest self replenishing fund for green projects'. Available at: <http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-creates-nations-largest-self-replenishing-fund-for-green-projects> [Accessed on 16 February 2017]

Dissertation topic part 2

As I have posted in my last blog, I clarified that until now my chosen dissertation topic will be conducting on 'Redesigning existent self-efficient accommodation'.

Regarding this subject at first, I have brainstormed and analysed what could make my dissertation so special to get to a point where I need to resolve a problem for my end result. Later, I started researching in many different secondary sources that were referred from books, web browsing data, articles, interesting documentaries, and other videos that relate to the same subject.

Of course, this lead me to reach and visualize better towards my intended subject by taking more in consideration and special attention on certain specifications that open up on the key literature and theoretical framework.

Due to my considered subjects, they emphasis on two key words, which are self-efficiency and sustainability. Each key word has its own strategy and statement. Looking at the reference of self-efficiency, results to ''requiring less effort than comparable devices or methods'' or ''acting directly to produce an effect'' (the free dictionary, 2016). Rephrasing the two resulted definitions, they are defining that being efficient doesn't require any unnecessary efforts. As a solving result for my intended thesis was to come out with solutions that rely on having the same service without any hesitations of anyone's need.

Processing to the other key word, 'sustainability' results ''the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance'' (dictionary.com, 2016). Although, the word 'sustainable' can be of a broad view point, I thought on using it to discover how I can sustain interior spaces, including green environments within the human zones.

One thought that has brought me to include the subject of sustainability, was because I want to keep helping the society to build up and enforce the encouragement towards the support of the environment and our everyday living.

As I looked up for further information regarding the sustainability subject, I have found a video clip by Noah hammond Tyrell, where it points out the damages and depletion that us human are creating, for a very long period of time, and now we want to recover it because we have been alerted that the nature is getting destroyed because of us, with all the factory fumes, exhaust, smoke, littering, and so much more.

This cause has hit us so big that it has affected our relationships, businesses, our health, the wealth generation, our spirituality, and everything else.


References:

thefreedictionary, 2016. ''Efficient''. Available at: <http://www.thefreedictionary.com> [Accessed 28 Nov. 2016]

dictionary, 2016. ''the definition of sustainability''. Available at: <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sustainability> [Accessed on 28 Nov.2016]