Stormwater Master Class Series at Forester University Expands

Jeffrey L. Bruce FASLA is now teaching Fundamentals of Green Infrastructure for the Post-Construction Stormwater BMPs Master Class Series at Forester University.

http://www.foresteruniversity.net/masterseries-postconstruction-Stormwater-BMPs.html

Building Skin Developed That Could Cool Our Cities

© Harunori Noda

The urban heat island effect - the hot, overwhelming temperatures that a city’s concrete produces – has a huge impact on livability and comfort within the city. Now, an elegant cooling system has been designed that not only reduces energy usage, but – should it be installed on multiple buildings – could even lower the overall temperature of a city itself. Learn more, after the break.

Designed by Nikken Sekkei, The Sony City Osaki Building, which recently won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), features an innovative new cooling system: a skin of water-filled ceramic pipes known as BioSkin. BioSkin reduces the surface temperature of a building up to 12°C, and can even lower the micro-climate surrounding the building 2°C. The CTBUH explains how:

“The simplicity of the system is elegant. The BioSkin tubes are made of extruded aluminum cores, with a highly water-retentive terra-cotta shell attached to the aluminum core using an elastic adhesive. When rainwater collects on the rooftop, it is then drained to a subsurface storage tank, where it is filtered and sterilized. This water is then pumped up and circulated through the pipes, which in the live test case were incorporated as balcony railings on a Tokyo office building, reminiscent of the horizontal screens seen throughout Japan and known as sudare. Rainwater penetrates outward through the porous ceramic, evaporating from the pipe’s surface, cooling the surrounding air. Excess water is then drained down to the soil of the premises to the extent possible, normalizing the water cycle and reducing the load on sewage infrastructure.”

 Cite: Galloway, Andrew. "Building Skin Developed That Could Cool Our Cities" 21 Jul 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 11 Aug 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=529486>

Natural Swimming Ponds Ditch the Chemicals

This gorgeous swimming pool isn’t a typical chlorine-filled watering hole–it’s actually a natural swimming pond that relies on plants to filter the water. (Don’t worry, you’re not swimming among the plants and stepping in squishy mud; the plant regeneration area is kept separate from the swimming area.) Even if you already have a swimming pool, you can enjoy the benefits of a chemical-free pond and relaxing natural environment using the structure you already have with a few design changes

Natural swimming ponds are already quite popular in Europe and are gaining interest in the US. Companies like Clear Water Revival (UK) and Total Habitat (US) can help you design your perfect dream pond, or revamp the pool you already have. The cost of new natural ponds versus conventional swimming pools is said to be comparable, but maintenance costs for a chemical-free pool will be much lower. (Just think of the increased health benefits as an added bonus.)

A natural pond is usually larger than a normal pool to accommodate the plants, rocks, and natural vegetation that comprise the filter zone (separate from the designated swimming area). Once water filters through the plant zone, it is then pumped through a UV filter to ensure maximum cleanliness and aeration. Typically, natural ponds have a waterfall to pump water back into the swimming area. Design and shape options are endless.

Whereas a conventional pool is little more than a concrete tub, a natural pond is a landscape centerpiece that will enhance the value of your home and quality of your life. What could be more beautiful than that?

http://inhabitat.com/?p=24114

Herzog-de Meuron Breaks Ground on Public Bathing Lake in Riehen

In 1979, just a year after founding their practice, Herzog-de Meuron won a competition to design a public swimming pool for the Swiss municipality of Riehen. After developing several unrealized iterations over the following years, the project was put on hold indefinitely in 1982. Twenty-five years later, in 2007, Herzog- de Meuron were commissioned to rethink the project and proposed to abandon the conventional pool concept with its mechanical and chemical water treatment systems in favor of a pool closer to natural condition with biological filtration.

Understood as a bathing lake, Naturbad Riehen was modeled after the natural pool on the local “Badi”, Basel’s traditional wooden Rhine-side baths, which combine a lively atmosphere with a timeless appearance. Planted filtering cascades purify the water and define the soft edge of the lake, as the site’s southern perimeter opens up to the river, bounded only by a green hedge.

A multi-functional timber wall, that offers a 200-meter long sheltered solarium with recliners, shields the site on the north and west from the adjacent roadway as it connects to an entrance on the east that provides support amenities.

The biological water treatment basins – the non-mechanical “heart” of the baths – are embedded in the sloping landscape on the opposite side of the road. Together with various leisure facilities provided here, they form a recreational area open the whole year round to the municipal population. In terms of ecological cleaning capacity, the baths are designed to accommodate 2 000 bathers per day.

Rosenfield , Karissa. "Herzog & de Meuron Breaks Ground on Public “Bathing Lake” in Riehen" 09 Apr 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 10 Apr 2013.