Some as yet unbuilt designs

Urban redevelopment (Year IV, B. Arch.) – Besides addressing the more obvious architectural
issues, I tried proposing forms and devices at different scales to create a comfortable microclimate in
the site. For instance (above left) prevailing wind is channeled into the site through angled streets, at
the entrance of which are sculptural fountains to cool the breezes. To the right is an exhibition complex,
proposed as a semi-underground structure opening out into a large water body. The water body was
proposed as a rainwater harvesting mechanism for the site, with the earth extracted in its construction
used to cover the exhibition as a green roof. These concerns were considered at building level as well.
In the obligatory office building (see below) an atrium is used like a wind tower, with air directed into it
by an entrance canopy and cooled by a tall fountain inside. The cooled air is then channeled into the
office spaces and outside to a pedestrian bazaar street, while the water circulates outside as well.

Thesis project – Biotechnology Centre

A major determinant of the design here was the existing rock
quarry on the site, a 3m deep gash defining one edge of the site. I
decided to use it as a greenhouse – part of the research facility
but more informal, a place where the scientists could get in touch
with nature at a more personal level. The buildings themselves
were very eclectic, reflecting the varied nature of the functions
housed within – from a more fixed rhythm for the laboratories to a
discordant symphony for the student functions, with exposed
materials and photovoltaic panels part of the built expression.
Photochromic glass, photovoltaic panels and planters as part of the building vocabulary

The quarry and proposed greenhouse

Honeysuckle Redevelopment, Newcastle (M. Arch UNSW)

This is a design I’ve done in the first part of my first session here at UNSW, with 6 other friends –
redevelopment of a site on the Hunter River harbour of Newcastle.
We proposed breaking the linear coastline into smaller interconnected harbours to bring the water to
the heart of the city, as nuclei around which activities of the city could crystallize. The “harbour” in our
site would be used to create a pleasant microclimate in the CBD, break the strong sea winds, and as a
heat sink for the buildings proposed around it. In addition, we proposed using it to have ships as part of
the proposed museum exhibit, with the periodic changing of the exhibit as a social event to give identity
to Newcastle and its people.

Text below (written by Lori Storm) is from the Team report (compiled by Carlos Rodrigo Pizzaro)
ESD Principles
i. Conserve and protect natural resources
• Encourage efficient buildings for energy conservation
• Explore alternative energy systems
• Promote use of renewable energy
• Minimise resource consumption
• Maximise reuse of resources
• Brown-field development
ii. Maximise Precinct opportunities
• Maximise the assets of precinct
• Encourage exchange with CBD
• Celebrate harbour
• Use water to cool buildings, where possible
iii. Promote alternative transport opportunities
• Reduce the need for car use, through provision and encouragement of quality transport options, including
walking and cycling, public transport and water-based transport
• Maximise integration, links and continuity with existing transport infrastructure and the CBD
iv. Create a healthy urban environment
• Develop healthy buildings and urban spaces for visitors, workers and residents
• Develop a healthy urban habitat for flora and native fauna
ESD Design Elements
i. Biodiversity
• Restore appropriate native vegetation.
ii. Soil
• Identify and remediate any contaminated soil.
• Reduce sedimentation of adjacent harbour and river during construction.
iii. Water
• Reduction of water need and demand.
• Reuse of water (stormwater and grey water).
• Cleaning and mitigation of water on site, prior to release.
• Collection of rain and stormwater.
• Use of porus surfaces to contain storm water run-off on site.
iv. Transport Energy
• Encourage alternative transport options, particularly walking and cycling by providing attractive access
and storage and changing facilities.
• Alternative transport options are expected to reduce visual and physical congestion, air and noise
pollution, travel costs and travel stress levels, and reinforce the concept of a people-focussed precinct.
v. Energy
• Provide opportunities for developments to take advantage of local environment.
• Orientation (north and south-orientated facades require less energy);
• Natural cross-ventilation (for specific areas to reduce air conditioning);
• New generation cooling systems (eg chilled ceilings/beams, which reduce energy demands);
• Heat dispersal systems; which use water mass to transfer and absorb heat from building heating and
cooling plants.
• Use harbour for heat rejection from buildings.
• Thermal mass in residential developments (which improve temperature stability)
Bioclimatic skyscrapers, aka Tea strainer architecture

[Link] calls Ken Yeang’s buildings “tea-strainers” because he turns the traditional impermeable
“polythene” surface of the modern skyscraper into a filter between the exterior and interior – ‘to
maximise the beneficial effects of exterior environment on the ecology of the building interior’.
…bioclimatic strategies refer to strategies, which have positive effects
on the microclimate around the building, while at the same time with the
appropriate optimization of plans, sections, use patterns and orientation.
Another aspect of bioclimatic strategies relates to the form and envelope
of the building. This is referring to the relationship with service core
positions as well as sun and wind-related devices… evaluation
throughout the whole process of the building design can assist architects
in making environmentally responsive decisions to advance building
design to create improved environments for the occupants. (Yan Law)
Menara Mesinaga Building by Ken Yeang ([Link])
The need to maximize usable floor area by reducing external wall thicknesses, horizontal and vertical
support thicknesses, floor-to-floor heights, and service and vertical circulation core areas govern the
traditional skyscraper design. At first glance designing for climate would seem to go against the profit
making imperative of the companies that normally commission and own the skyscrapers. However, the
bioclimatic building has low operational costs (up to 40% savings on life cycle cost), is ecologically
sound (low energy consumption by using passive structural devices and low emission of waste heat into
the city), is more “user-friendly” (look Ma I can open my window!) and is more regionalist because it
fits into its geographical context.
USING RENEWABLE ENERGY
To decentralize, district or grid? That is the question. Not a very grammatical question at that but
perhaps a valid one nevertheless. While renewable sources of energy as an alternative to our current
petrol hungry way of life is obviously the way to go, the costs of present technology is economically
unviable (or so Enron told me). And in a world where the dollar is God, that’s all, she wrote. Still: we
need to consider that the technology will become more efficient, and with increased usage it will also
become more inexpensive (based on what poor grasp I have about the mysteries of economics). Then
all that remains to be seen is the environmental impacts, because even the cleanest technology built
with the best of intentions has repercussions (why Heisenberg why?!). Maybe there isn’t just one
alternative, but a judicious mix of alternatives deployed at community level across the globe.

USING LIGHT

Source: Time Earth Day Special Source: [Link]

Photovoltaics and building facades Source: [Link]

PV coated glass

From PILOT PRODUCTION OF THIN-FILM CRYSTALLINE SILICON ON GLASS MODULES by Paul A. Basore
HEAT

Source: [Link]
Geothermal energy is energy derived from the natural heat of the earth, from reservoirs found in
"geothermal systems" which are regionally localized geologic settings where the earth's naturally
occurring heat flow is near enough to the earth’s surface to bring steam or hot water to the
surface. Power plants using dry steam systems use the steam from the geothermal reservoir as it
comes from wells, and route it directly through turbine/generator units to produce electricity.
(Source: [Link])

BIOMASS
Biomass (organic matter) can be used to provide heat, make fuels, and generate electricity. Besides
wood, plants, residue from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and
industrial wastes can also be used as an energy source. Many bioenergy resources are replenished
through the cultivation of energy crops or bioenergy feedstocks. Biomass can be converted directly into
liquid fuels such as ethanol (made by fermenting high-carbohydrate biomass) and biodiesel (made
using vegetable oils, animal fat, algae and recycled cooking grease).

METHANE

Landfill gas (LFG) is a by-product of the decomposition of municipal solid waste (MSW).
LFG: 50% methane (CH4), 50% carbon dioxide (CO2),<1% non-methane organic compounds

For every 1 million tons of MSW, 1.0 MW of electricity

HYDROGEN

Source: TIME Earth Day Special

An advertisement for Ford

Motor Company – maybe Big
Business isn’t all that bad after
all.

Or maybe it’s just that people

are looking for companies to
have an environmentally
responsible image. Either way,
things seem to be changing for
the better.
WIND
Wind farms, like solar farms are a possibly good
alternative energy source, but at the moment simply
too land intensive.

[Link]

RIVERS and OCEANS

TIME Earth Day Special

Big dams – does anything need to be said? And yet we persist in repeating our mistakes (see the Three
Gorges project in China). Small check dams like some beautiful ones I saw in Bhopal seem to be the
way to go in rural areas with low energy demands, but they are probably nowhere near enough to meet
current urban energy demands. I don’t know – I’m just an ignorant architect. Would it matter if I
designed beautiful buildings that were ecologically efficient, like I think I wrote earlier in this piece?
Again I don’t know, but I sure as hell am going to try anyway. Enough said, and I’m not gpoing to write
anything about nuclear energy either. I think a mushroom cloud is beautiful (wrote the psychopath) but
I wouldn’t want to have front row seats at Ground Zero.
The following is from [Link]. I don’t know how much of this can be blamed on global warming and how much

on natural climatic change cycles, but maybe the facts speak for themselves. No cartoons here.

Consequences of Global Warming

The latest scientific data confirm that the earth's climate is rapidly
changing. Global temperatures increased by about 1 degree
Fahrenheit over the course of the last century, and will likely rise
even more rapidly in coming decades.

Scientists say that unless global warming emissions are reduced,

average U.S. temperatures could rise another 3 to 9 degrees by the
end of the century -- with far-reaching effects. Sea levels will rise,
flooding coastal areas. Heat waves will be more frequent and more
intense. Droughts and wildfires will occur more often. Disease-
carrying mosquitoes will expand their range. And species will be
pushed to extinction. As this page shows, many of these changes
have already begun.

CLIMATE PATTERN CHANGES Since 1979, more than 20 percent of the polar ice cap
has melted away. (Illustration courtesy of NASA)
Consequence: warmer temperatures
Average temperatures will rise, as will the frequency of heat waves.

Warning signs today

• Most of the United States has already warmed, in some areas by as much as 4 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact,
no state in the lower 48 states experienced below average temperatures in 2002. The last three five-year
periods are the three warmest on record.

• Since 1980, the earth has experienced 19 of its 20 hottest years on record, with 1998 the hottest
and 2002 and 2003 coming in second and third.

Consequence: drought and wildfire

Warmer temperatures could also increase the probability of drought. Greater evaporation, particularly during
summer and fall, could exacerbate drought conditions and increase the risk of wildfires.

Warning signs today

• In 2002, the Western United States experienced its second worst wildfire season in the last 50 years; more
than 7 million acres burned. Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon had their worst seasons.

• Dry conditions produced the worst wildfires in 50 years in Florida in 1998.

Consequence: more intense rainstorms

Warmer temperatures increase the energy of the climatic system and lead to more intense rainfall.
Warning signs today

• National annual precipitation has increased between 5 and 10 percent since the early 20th century, largely
the result of heavy downpours in some areas.

HEALTH EFFECTS

Consequence: deadly heat waves and the spread of disease

More frequent and more intensive heat waves could result in more heat-related deaths. These conditions could also
aggravate local air quality problems, already afflicting more than 80 million Americans. Global warming is expected
to increase the potential geographic range and virulence of tropical diseases as well.
Warning signs today

• In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1500 deaths in
India.

• More than 250 people died as a result of an intense heat wave that gripped most of the eastern two-thirds
of the United States in 1999.
 • Disease-carrying mosquitoes are spreading as climate shifts allow them to survive in formerly inhospitable
areas. Mosquitoes that can carry dengue fever viruses were previously limited to elevations of 3,300 feet
but recently appeared at 7,200 feet in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.

WARMING WATER
Consequence: melting glaciers, early ice thaw
Rising global temperatures will speed the melting of glaciers and ice caps, and cause early ice thaw on rivers and
lakes.
Warning signs today

• At the current rate of retreat, all of the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone by 2070.

• After existing for many millennia, the northern section of the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica -- a section
larger than the state of Rhode Island -- collapsed between January and March 2002, disintegrating at a rate
that astonished scientists. Since 1995 the ice shelf's area has shrunk by 40 percent.

• According to NASA, the polar ice cap is now melting at the alarming rate of nine percent per decade. Arctic
ice thickness has decreased 40 percent since the 1960s.

• In 82 years of record-keeping, four of the five earliest thaws on Alaska's Tanana River were in the 1990s.

The satellite photo at far left shows the Larson B ice shelf on Jan. 31, 2002. Ice appears as solid white. Moving to the
right, in photos taken Feb. 17 and Feb. 23, the ice begins to disintegrate. In the photos at far right, taken Mar. 5 and
Mar 7, note water (blue) where solid ice had been, and that a portion of the shelf is drifting away. Photos: National
Aeronautics and Space Administration

Consequence: sea-level rise

Current rates of sea-level rise are expected to increase as a result both of thermal expansion of the oceans and of
partial melting of mountain glaciers and the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps. Consequences include loss of coastal
wetlands and barrier islands, and a greater risk of flooding in coastal communities.
Warning signs today

• The current pace of sea-level rise is three times the historical rate and appears to be accelerating.

• Global sea level has already risen by four to eight inches in the past century. Scientists' best estimate is
that sea level will rise by an additional 19 inches by 2100, and perhaps by as much as 37 inches.

ECOSYSTEM DISRUPTION

Consequence: ecosystem shifts and species die-off

The increase in global temperatures is expected to disrupt ecosystems and result in loss of species diversity, as
species that cannot adapt die off. The first comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk from global warming
found that more than one million species could be committed to extinction by 2050 if global warming pollution is not
curtailed. Some ecosystems are likely to disappear because new warmer local climates or coastal sea level rise will
not support them.
Warning signs today

• A recent study published in the prestigious journal Nature found that at least 279 species of plants and
animals are already responding to global warming. Species' geographic ranges have shifted toward the
poles at an average rate of 4 miles per decade and their spring events have shifted earlier by an
average of 2 days per decade.

It all sounds very apocalyptic and gleefully doomsdayish doesn’t it? But when things have reached the
stage where we have to anticipate deviations from the normal climate when we design, then we are at
a sorry stage indeed. I don’t know who’s meant to read this journal once the session is over and done
with, but if it hasn’t been consigned to some dusty corner of the library and you’re reading this, then
maybe it’s time to get out of Ennui and choose a stand. Maybe I should too.

[Link]

I hear hurricanes ablowing. I know the end is coming soon.

I fear rivers over flowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

CHORUS
All right!

(Bad moon rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

And to end on a less depressing note………………………

Next on the Journal – Demographics etc.

References

Bhatt, A. (2001). ‘A City Machine’. [Link]

Darwin, C. (1859). ‘The Origin of Species’. [Link]
Dhami and Mahendru (1994). ‘A Text Book of Biology for Class XII’. Tata McGraw Hill New Delhi
Gleick, J. (1988). ‘Chaos: Making a New Science’. Penguin Books
King, S. (1986). ‘The Dark Tower’. Signet Books
Schmidhuber, J. (1998). ‘Facial Beauty and Fractal Geometry’. [Link]
Stewart, I. (1989). ‘Does God Play Dice’. Penguin Mathematics
Tillotson, G.H.R.(1989). ‘The Tradition of Indian Architecture’. Yale University Press
Yeang, K. (1987). ‘Tropical Urban Regionalism’. Concept Media