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Fakros Innovative Windows Transform Into Airy Rooftop Balconies! – StumbleUpon.

Fakros Innovative Windows Transform Into Airy Rooftop Balconies! – StumbleUpon

Window design company Fakro has developed an innovative skylight that can transform a window into a balcony! With the flip of the window sashes, the panes open out to form a guard rail, creating a small open-air terrace. Met with a slide rail inside, Fakro’s design can transform a room’s architecture without expensive renovations.

via Shipping container architecture – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Shipping container architecture – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shipping container architecture is a form of architecture using steel intermodal containers (shipping containers) as structural element, because of their inherent strength, wide availability and relatively low expense.

Contents [hide]

1 Advantages

2 Disadvantages

3 Examples

4 Markets

4.1 Other uses

5 For housing and other architecture

6 See also

7 References

8 Further reading

9 External links

[edit]Advantages

Strength and durability

Shipping containers are in many ways an ideal building material. They are designed to carry heavy loads and to be stacked in high columns. They are also designed to resist harsh environments – such as on ocean-going vessels or sprayed with road salt while transported on roads. Due to their high strength, containers are useful for secure storage.

Modular

All shipping containers are made to standard measurements and as such they provide modular elements that can be combined into larger structures. This simplifies design, planning and transport. As they are already designed to interlock for ease of mobility during transportation, structural construction is completed by simply emplacing them. Due to the containers’ modular design additional construction is as easy as stacking more containers. They can be stacked up to 12 high when empty.

Transport

Pre-fabricated modules can also be easily transported by ship, truck or rail, because they already conform to standard shipping sizes.

Availability

Used shipping containers are available across the globe.

Expense

Many used containers are available at an amount that is low compared to a finished structure built by other labor-intensive means such as bricks and mortar — which also require larger more expensive foundations. Construction involves very little labor and used shipping containers requiring only simple modification can be purchased from major transport companies for as little as US $1,200 each. Even when purchased brand new they are seldom more than US $6000.

[edit]Disadvantages

Temperature

Steel conducts heat very well; containers used for human occupancy in an environment with extreme temperature variations will normally have to be better insulated than most brick, block or wood structures.

Humidity

As noted above, single wall steel conducts heat. In temperate climates, moist interior air condenses against the steel, becoming clammy. Rust will form unless the steel is well sealed and insulated.

Labor

The welding and cutting of steel is considered to be specialized labor and can increase construction expenses, yet overall it is still lower than conventional construction. Unlike wood frame construction, attachments must be welded or drilled to the outer skin, which is more time consuming and requires different job site equipment.

Construction site

The size and weight of the containers will, in most cases, require them to be placed by a crane or forklift. Traditional brick, block and lumber construction materials can often be moved by hand, even to upper stories.

Building permits

The use of steel for construction, while prevalent in industrial construction, is not widely used for residential structures. Obtaining building permits may be troublesome in some regions due to municipalities not having seen this application before.

Treatment of timber floors

To meet Australian Government quarantine requirements most container floors when manufactured are treated with insecticides containing Copper (23-25%) Chromium (38-45%) and Arsenic (30-37%) Before human habitation, floors should be removed and safely disposed. Units with steel floors would be preferable, if available.

Cargo spillages

A container can carry a wide variety of cargo during its working life. Spillages or contamination may have occurred on the inside surfaces and will have to be cleaned before habitation. Ideally all internal surfaces should be abrasive blasted to bare metal, and re-painted with a non toxic paint system.

Solvents

Solvents released from paint and sealants used in manufacture might be harmful.

Damage

While in service, containers are damaged by friction, handling collisions, and force of heavy loads overhead during ship transits. The companies will inspect containers and condemn them if cracked welds, twisted frames or pin holes are found, among other faults.

via Intermodal container – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Intermodal container – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shipping container details

Twenty-foot equivalent unit – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Twenty-foot equivalent unit – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Container facts.

Jul 30 2012

Sman Cruisers’ Classic Wooden Bikes Take to the Streets With Sustainable Style | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

With summer in full swing and temperatures soaring across the states, why not stay cool and reduce carbon emissions at the same time by taking to the streets on a wooden bicycle by Sman Cruisers? The retro-styled beach bikes, developed by Dutch master woodworker Arnolt Van Der Sman, combine 1950s California surf culture with environmentally-friendly materials to inject classic form with contemporary eco-consciousness. Read about what makes this cruiser sustainable after the jump.

via Sman Cruisers’ Classic Wooden Bikes Take to the Streets With Sustainable Style | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.

Jul 30 2012

Izhar Gafnis Incredibly Sturdy, Lightweight Cardboard Bicycle Costs Just $10 to Make! – StumbleUpon

Izhar Gafnis Incredibly Sturdy, Lightweight Cardboard Bicycle Costs Just $10 to Make! – StumbleUpon.

Jul 25 2012

B9 Shipping developing 100 percent fossil fuel-free cargo sailing ships

Ireland-based B9 Shipping has started work on a full-scale demonstration vessel as part of its goal to design the modern world’s first 100 percent fossil fuel-free cargo sailing ships. Unlike most conventional large cargo vessels, which are powered by bunker fuel, B9 Shipping’s cargo ship would employ a Dyna-rig sail propulsion system combined with an off-the-shelf Rolls-Royce engine powered by liquid biomethane derived from municipal waste.

The company says all of the technologies that will be used in its cargo vessels are already proven and readily available. The Dyna-rig sail system was originally conceived in the 1960s by German hydraulics engineer Wilhelm Prolls and was first used by Italian shipbuilders Perini Navi in its 289 ft (88 m) clipper, The Maltese Falcon, which made its maiden voyage in 2006. The free standing and free rotating system has no rigging and comprises multiple relatively small sails that are operated electronically from the bridge. This allows them to be trimmed quickly to maximize wind power and turned out of the wind in the event of sudden squalls.

The Dyna-rig sail system is expected to provide around 60 percent of the vessel’s thrust, with the remainder coming from a biogas-powered Rolls Royce engine. The biogas will be produced by the anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste and other commercial and industrial organic waste. B9 Shipping’s sister company, B9 Organic Energy, has recently sunk money into a 50,000 tonne per annum AD plant in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, to demonstrate the biofuel production technology.

To demonstrate the engineering and economic validity of its fossil fuel-free cargo ship design, B9 Shipping has started work on a full-scale demonstration vessel, wile a testing program, which is set to begin this month, is being conducted at the University of Southampton’s Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Aerodynamics (WUMTIA). This will involve tow tank and wind tunnel research using a scale model to identify a basic hull design and how it interacts with the Dyna-rig system.

The testing program will also examine the calibration of the thrust from the sailing rig with various hull shapes to ensure the maximum efficiencies in a wide range of wind and sea conditions, whilst conforming to the loading, unloading and port constraints of commercial cargo vessels. Once the towing tank and wind tunnel testing has been completed and the data validated, the company will undertake an economic analysis of the designs later in the year.

“We are designing B9 Ships holistically as super-efficient new builds transferring technology from offshore yacht racing combined with the most advanced commercial naval architecture,” says Diane Gilpin, Director of B9 Shipping. “We’re combining proven technologies in a novel way to develop ‘ready-to-go’ future-proof and 100 per cent fossil fuel free ships.”

Here’s a video from B9 Shipping outlining the technology they will use in their cargo sailing ship design.

They are going to transfer their technology to the small island states:

Source: B9 Shipping

via B9 Shipping developing 100 percent fossil fuel-free cargo sailing ships.

Jul 25 2012

Technicolor Tape Installations Turn Ordinary Hallways And Staircases Into ‘Dreamscapes’

Glasgow based Jim Lambie has mastered the art of tape, fashioning large-scale installations out of the sticky stuff that he manages to imbue with the power to transform the dynamics of an entire space. Lambie’s creations are heavily influenced by the architecture of the gallery space it inhabits, tracing the floor with brightly colored vinyl tape to create pulsating illusions that disorient the viewer.

Each of the installations is site-specific and labor-intensive, with most taking weeks to complete. Through the use of contrasting colors, angles and lines, Lambie’s installations emphasize the movement created within the space, transforming the quiet gallery into an energetic sensory overload, pulling you into some kind of “dreamscape.”

via Architizer Blog » Technicolor Tape Installations Turn Ordinary Hallways And Staircases Into ‘Dreamscapes’.

Jul 24 2012

Cardboard containers

Organization: The Moving Crew

Project: What’s Inside?

A collective project by The Moving Crew What’s Inside? uses the motif of the international shipping container as a platform for cross-cultural and creative exchange between the Midwestern United States and Rijeka, Croatia.

We will stack 1800 cardboard boxes to form a volume of one big shipping container.

Dimensions of each box are 20’ x 8.5‘x 8’ in inches, or 50.8 x 21.59 x 20.32 in centimeters. Please see box diagram below.

Intermodal Shipping Containers are 8.5 X 20 X 8 feet:

The Moving Crew will silkscreen each box to transform it into a small sized container.

We ask you to invent the logo or company identity, which will be printed on them. The company identities can be fictional or not, but should reference shipping companies to whom those containers belong.

DESIGN SMALL SHIPPING CONTAINERS WHICH WILL BE STACKED TOGETHER INTO ONE REAL-SIZE CONTAINER:

You may submit separate images in any or all of the 3 categories.

1) Company Identity / Logo (for this project we hope to receive submissions of logos which could communicate various statements about the shipping companies)

2) Graffiti (containers collect various graffiti while traveling across the globe. Leave your graffiti messages for the container design)

3) Surface (ie. barcodes and numbers, rust and damage, barnacles, hinges and latches, texture, etc?)

The Moving Crew will print your single color images on multiple colored backgrounds. The surfaces of these boxes are collaborative. Each box printed with your image may also contain other images. (I.e. your company identity may be printed with rust, a barcode, and graffiti from another artist.)

We will take your digital files and convert them to film. This film will then be used to create a silkscreen of your image. The Moving Crew will hold community screen printing workshops throughout the midwestern United States and Rijeka Croatia to create 1800 miniature shpping containers. These containers will be the primary object in the What’s Inside? exhibition.

Send the following to: themovingcrew@gmail.com

1) JPG, Ilustrator or Photoshop files. Since our exposure process requires a decisvely opaque black image, anything that is more nuanced will be filtered to translate a continious tone into ‘yes or no’ information. This will be done using Photoshop with one of the following filters: halftone, bitmap, diffusion dither, threshold, posterization etc. If you have questions about this please email: themovingcrew@gmail.com

2) Your Image IN BLACK ONLY composed within a 20’ X 8.5’ or 8’ X 8.5’ canvas (in centimeters: 50.8 x 21.59 or 20.32 x 21.59)

3) Image Resolution: 300 DPI

4) Images must be labeled with your name and the category you are submitting in. For instance if Sarah Jones is submitting an image of Graffiti her image file is called: S_Jones_Graffiti

5) Your Full Name, Address, Email and Phone Number so that we can get in touch with you and send you a catalog.

In submitting to this exhibition you are agreeing to have your design printed in tandem with the designs of other artists. You are agreeing to show your work at Molekula in Rijeka Croatia, and at the Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell IA USA. You will not receive your printed boxes at the end of the show, they will remain the property of The Moving Crew. If you have additional questions, please email themovingcrew@gmail.com.

via TheMovingCrew :: WeAreShipping.

Jul 9 2012

Floating islands can boost fish production while cleaning water, creator claims : Lifestyles

Breaking muddy night crawlers into thirds, Bruce Kania is so anxious to get two visitors to catch fish in his pond that he’s baiting their hooks.

“A little pressure here, we have to average one fish every two minutes or you screw up my average,” he said like a coach urging his team on in a critical playoff game.

During all the banter, he deftly baited hooks and unhooked perch and crappie as the anglers reeled them in, tossing the fish into a 5 gallon bucket.

“We’re like a machine here, we’re like a factory,” he cheered on. “Our job is to harvest nutrients. That kind of sounds grandiose, but that’s what we’re doing. We’re trying to harvest nutrients before they get down to the Gulf of Mexico and create a dead zone.”

Kania is the owner of Floating Island International, based northeast of Shepherd. On his property, Kania has a 6-acre pond in which he demonstrated the capability of his products.

The large plastic squares that the islands are made of — resembling huge, hollow honeycombs – provide the structure for plants to grow in by sucking sustenance out of the nutrient-saturated water. The water is nutrient rich because of runoff from agricultural and domestic fertilizers as well as from cattle manure.

In a typical pond, such nutrient loading can produce huge blooms of algae that feed on the minerals. But at Kania’s pond that’s not the case. Instead, the nutrients are gobbled up by biofilms growing on his islands and the plants interweaved into the islands. The biofilms are eaten by aquatic bugs that are then eaten by fish.

But the biofilms must be nurtured to thrive.

“The two variables we control are circulation and surface area,” Kania said.

By providing constant circulation to his pond through aeration, the biofilms flourish, keeping away the algae mats that would otherwise typically form. In the process, the water quality is improved as the biofilms chow down on phosphorous and nitrogen from fertilizer runoff. Water clarity has also gotten better, going from 14 inches to 19 feet in the pond, Kania said.

“I think this represents a new message for folks: that we can take water that’s dead and make it high quality,” Kania said. “And you don’t have to travel far to do it. You can do it wherever.”

Kania pointed to 64-acre Lake Elmo in Billings as an example of a place he’d like to show off the capabilities of the floating islands. He claims they would vastly improve the fishing at the shallow, canal-fed impoundment.

There are costs involved, though. In addition to the initial expense of the islands, there would also be the cost of powering the islands’ pumping systems for circulation. At his 6-acre pond, Kania said he spends about $110 a month to pump about 10,400 gallons of water a minute.

“One or two of them would fix Lake Elmo,” he said.

The idea to create the islands came to Kania while he was working as a muskie fishing guide in northern Wisconsin. The Chippewa Flowage, a 15,300-acre manmade impoundment, is dotted with about 200 islands and floating bogs.

The waterway has the distinction of producing the world record muskie, a 69-pound, 11-ounce fish caught in 1949.

“When you dive into the water you can see why it’s so productive,” Kania said. “There are roots everywhere.”

Those roots harbor the biofilms that feed the insects that the fish eat. Kania uses his islands to mimic what’s naturally occurring in places like the Chippewa Flowage.

Kania said he’s pushing to get some of his islands into New York City’s East River to help clean it up and further prove the viability of his system. Islands have already been installed elsewhere, including New Zealand.

He said he’s proven the islands work on a small scale at his pond. Last year he said anglers caught 2,600 fish from his impoundment. This year he hopes to top 5,000.

“I guess what’s exciting here is that water quality is essential to fish growth and fish harvest, which is fun,” he said. “So which would you rather harvest, 280 pounds of algae or 100 pounds of fish?”

via Floating islands can boost fish production while cleaning water, creator claims : Lifestyles.

Jul 9 2012

The Cool Hunter – Outdoor Wallaper by Wall & Deco – Italy

The Italian wallpaper company Wall & Decò is known for creating exquisite, large-scale mural-like wallpapers that define a room. They are widely used in hotels and restaurants, and for private residences by interior designers.

In April at the Fluorisalone 2012 in Milan, Wall & Decò introduced a new wallpaper system designed for the outdoors.

Their OUT – Outdoor Unconventional Textures – system is a three-part covering that allows for incredible photographic reproductions and large-scale graphic designs to be applied onto outside walls. The system consists of an adhesive, a technical fabric and a finishing treatment.

The designs introduced in Milan included a Bauhaus look, a black-and-white OP pattern, tile-initiations and even military camouflage. We believe this is an idea that has staying power, and that it will expand and improve as feedback from early users comes in. – Tuija Seipell

via The Cool Hunter – Outdoor Wallaper by Wall & Deco – Italy.

Jun 23 2012

Wall Gardens, Living Walls in Home Decor – WSJ.com

Consumers with deep pockets will find wall-garden systems that are elaborate and high-tech. GSky Plant Systems Inc., of Vancouver, sells a ProWall system that holds plants without soil in 1-foot-square stainless-steel units, watered through an automated drip system. Typical cost of a custom 10-foot-by-10-foot wall ranges from about $10,000 to $15,000, says Hal Thorne, chief executive. The company won’t install the ProWall system unless the homeowner or business agrees to a maintenance contract for at least a year—which for a 10-by-10 wall would cost about $150 a month.

“We don’t just build them and walk away,” Mr. Thorne says. “It’s a living system, and it needs constant attention and care.”

Bright Green, of Hartland, Mich., creates living walls from plastic trays of 10 or 45 cells, which hold plants in soil at an angle so they don’t fall out when mounted on a wall. Hand-watering is required. Water enters through notches at the top edge of the tray and travels down via a “moisture mat” made of a coconut-based fiber. A tray collects water at the bottom.

The system retails for $29.95 for the small version or $39.95 for the large. A kit including a wooden frame to set off the design on a wall costs $95.

Woolly Pocket, of Los Angeles, offers a system of 2-foot-wide planters filled with soil. Each pocket has a plastic-coated mesh liner that is both a moisture barrier to protect walls and a reservoir, focusing water onto plant roots. The systems generally are watered by hand or by an automatic system with a timer that can cost as much as $60.

The single-pocket “Wally One” planter retails for $40; three cost $100, five $150.

via Wall Gardens, Living Walls in Home Decor – WSJ.com.

After some trial and error with plants, homeowner Angela Day, a financial analyst, enjoys tending her collection of kangaroo ferns and prayer plants. “When I walk by, it’s calming, just a little more serene, maybe a little bohemian,” she says. “It’s a lot different from where I am most of the day.”

Incorporated into a sleek interior, a green wall lends unexpected freshness and some appealing contrast, designers say. “It gives an otherwise smooth, straight, linear design some texture,” says Jason Lempieri, a 41-year old industrial designer in Philadelphia.

Mr. Lempieri’s recently remodeled 1920s brick row house has an open floor plan and a sleek, black-and-white interior.

Recalling plant-filled walls he had seen in Europe, Mr. Lempieri installed a wall garden in the dining room, on a partial-height wall 13 feet wide by 8 feet high with a skylight 30 feet above. He used a system of felt-like pockets filled with soil and, working with Philadelphia-based designer Peter Smith, came up with a palette of ferns and tropical plants. Total cost: $1,000.

Jason Lempieri, a Philadelphia industrial designer, installed a wall garden filled with ferns and tropical plants on the wall of the kitchen in his renovated 1920s row house. Wall gardens are a good contrast in linear modern interiors, designers say.

Mr. Lempieri says he enjoys watering and tending to it. “I’ve come to care for it like it’s a member of the family,” he says.

Wall systems are often modular, with stackable cells of plants that can be arranged in customized displays. Irrigation can be an old-fashioned watering can, or a hidden computerized watering system on timers. Plants may require soil, or they may be fed hydroponically, through chemical-nutrient mixtures in water.

For some, living walls can be a bad fit. Conditions indoors are more challenging for plants than outdoors, because there is less light and moisture. Homeowners have to be a little more “in tune” with their plants’ needs, says Kimberly Labno, a Philadelphia designer.

People may forget to set the timer on an irrigation system. Yet with automatic irrigation systems, there are risks of mold problems and overwatering, designers say. Manufacturers say their systems are safe, but many have been on the residential market for less than five years—not exactly a test of time.

Ms. Labno actually advises homeowners against certain automatic watering systems for their indoor wall gardens, because she says there’s too much that could go wrong. “If dust prevents a valve from closing, you could have a serious flooding event,” she says. The wall gardens she designs typically require watering by hand.

“I think the jury is still out,” says Rebecca Sweet, a Los Altos, Calif., garden designer and author of the book “Garden Up,” about vertical gardening. “Because this is such a new field, I don’t know any homeowner that has had any of these walls up for 10 years at a time.”

Jun 23 2012

How to Make Moss Graffiti: 6 steps (with pictures) – wikiHow

Moss graffiti, also called eco-graffiti or green graffiti, replaces spray paint, paint-markers or other such toxic chemicals and paints with a paintbrush and a moss “paint” that can grow on its own. As people become more eco-friendly and environmentally aware, the idea of making living, breathing graffiti has become a more green and creative outlet for graffiti artists. It can also be considered another form of guerrilla gardening.

via How to Make Moss Graffiti: 6 steps (with pictures) – wikiHow.

Jun 21 2012

cargotecture musings

the list of 40 uses for containers here’s quite interesting

Jun 21 2012

gallery of container projects

most have been picked up here already, some new ones. This is a good snapshot of cargotecture from an architectural point of view

http://openbuildings.com/collections/cargotecture-collection-132149

also this one is good

http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm

Jun 21 2012

cheap office containers

this site has some good prices on used containers http://www.gacontainer.com/

all different fit outs including office, guard house, lab. quite nice office ones

Resource Furniture: Italian-Designed Space Saving Furniture – YouTube.

Resource Furniture: Italian-Designed Space Saving Furniture – YouTube

Beds you’ve never seen before! – YouTube.

Beds you’ve never seen before! – YouTube

via Murphy Bed with Table went to Portland – YouTube.

Murphy Bed with Table went to Portland – YouTube

Uploaded by AirForce19731223 on Jul 25, 2011

Table for Craft Room on front of Murphy Bed. Cherry Queen size SICO Eurobed system from FlyingBeds.

The Coolest Hideaway Desk Bed – YouTube

The Coolest Hideaway Desk Bed

The Hide Away DeskBed is both a Desk and a Bed. Innovative and convenient, the Hide Away DeskBed is an elegant solution to the need for optimal functionality in limited space. The Hide Away DeskBed provides you with the best of both worlds – an effective work space by day and a comfortable sleeping area by night.

The Hide Away DeskBed locks in place in the up-right Desk position then unlock and lower the desk into the Bed. Your computer, printer, papers and even coffee stay on the desk without removing or spilling a drop. When lowered, the hidden bed is revealed.

The Hide Away DeskBed: perfect for loft living, dorm rooms, home office or a child’s room. Space saving solution at its best! Choose Twin, Twin Extra Long and Full size plus additional Hide Away DeskBed furniture to make your room complete. Please view demonstration video online at http://www.specialtytools.com

via The Coolest Hideaway Desk Bed – YouTube.

via CARGOTECTURE | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.

CARGOTECTURE | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

I had the great pleasure this past weekend of being invited to a little town outside of Seattle, where I witnessed the work-in-progress prototype of Cargotecture’s Studio 320. Had I arrived by chance in the industrial neighborhood to which my directions guided me, I might not have noticed the faded yellow and orange cargo containers that sat at the back of a large, mostly vacant parking lot. They were barely discernable from the backdrop of discarded industrial material. But closer inspection revealed that something surprising was afoot. These two metal boxes are the seed of an ingenious plan by two Seattle architects to turn old shipping containers into sustainable modular dwellings.

On the spectrum of old to new ways of designing sustainably, Robert Humble and Joel Egan pretty much span the gamut with Cargotecture. They are reusing and recycling post-industrial waste, installing new, eco-friendly systems and materials, and presenting it anew for residential habitation, complete with solar panels, smart walls and rainwater collection.

Studio 320 is just one of a group of designs using cargo containers. This prototype is a scant 320-sq-ft, with a thoughtfully-packed bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and great room. The idea is to create a “box within a box” – the exterior being metal and the interior mostly plywood. I was privy this weekend to the insulation process, where they prepared to fill the space between the two boxes. The insulation was being installed by Progressive Insulation, who use a polyurethane spray foam that is non-toxic, produces no off-gasses and claims to offer energy savings over standard insulation. The process essentially turns the whole container into a thermos. Sound too hot for summer? Later in the design process, one whole wall will be turned into a sliding glass panel, and windows cut to permit true indoor-outdoor living during the warmer months.

This prototype is the forerunner of a whole colony of cargo houses called Cargotown, which is the brainchild of Humble, Egan, and a squadron of others who formed a group called Team HyBrid in 2003. Team HyBrid has proposed a multi-tiered, super-low-impact development plan for one of Seattle’s ports, which would include Cargotown, as well as community spaces and habitat restoration projects. They also designed a Mobile Triage Unit for use by Doctors Without Borders in developing countries where housing and healthcare are acutely needed.

These guys are covering all the bases, from post-industrial re-use to sustainable technology, from humanitarian aid to modern urban cool. And if that’s not enough, they plan to offer up free online DIY instructions on building a cargo dwelling yourself. Needless to say, my little field trip to their site sparked tremendous inspiration and admiration. I hope to offer you all a longer interview with these two visionary architects in the weeks to come.

via Houston Buying 25 Shipping-Container Offices for Emergency Solar Power » Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape.

Houston Buying 25 Shipping-Container Offices for Emergency Solar Power » Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape

Houston Buying 25 Shipping-Container Offices for Emergency Solar Power

A SMALL FLEET of modified shipping containers outfitted with adjustable solar panels will soon serve as mobile emergency power supplies for the city of Houston. City officials are currently negotiating a contract to purchase 25 of the units, which are based on a prototype originally deployed as the green-themed sales office of a Montrose condo project. The solar-powered containers, called SPACE (“Solar Powered Adaptive Container for Everyone“), were created by a joint venture of local architecture firm Metalab, Joey Romano’s Harvest Moon Development, and design firm ttweak (best known for the popular “Houston. It’s Worth It.” marketing campaign). City sustainability director Laura Spanjian announced at the opening of the University of Houston’s Green Building Components Expo last month that SPACE and energy company Ameresco had been selected through a public-application process to supply the city with the mobile “solar generators.” Spanjian now tells Swamplot the contract should be complete “in a few weeks.”

* * *

After a hurricane or during any prolonged power outage, the containers would power medical devices and refrigerate and store medicines in various locations throughout the city. They’d also be used to charge phones, computers, and communications equipment. The units were built to withstand hurricane-force winds (as long as the panels are folded down). When off-duty, the SPACE units would hang out at fire stations (providing them with a little solar power on the side). Metalab’s Joe Meppelink tells Swamplot the units will be built in the new Campo Sheetmetal Works shop on Telephone Rd., and that several of them will be finished out for use at festivals and city events.

The earliest versions of the SPACE units were deployed as sales centers for Harvest Moon’s Mirabeau B. condo project at the corner of Hyde Park and Waugh in Montrose — where they handily survived Hurricane Ike. With support from the UH College of Architecture’s Green Building Components program, the team later developed an off-grid version that includes a battery backup, allowing the mobile offices to maintain power for several days without sun.

Solar Powered Adaptive Container for Everyone [SPACE]

RFQ for Design-Build Mobile Solar Generator Project (PDF) [City of Houston]

SPACE [Metalab]

Previously on Swamplot: Solar-Powered Shipping Containers Flee; It’s Apartments for the Mirabeau B., Green Sales Offices for Sale: Solar Powered Shipping Containers for Everyone, The Solar Powered Shipping Container Sales Center for the Mirabeau B., Cisterns and Balcony Bikes: What You’ll See at the Mirabeau B.

via Solar-Powered Shipping Containers Flee; It’s Apartments for the Mirabeau B. » Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape.

Solar-Powered Shipping Containers Flee; It’s Apartments for the Mirabeau B. » Swamplot: Houston’s Real Estate Landscape

Solar-Powered Shipping Containers Flee; It’s Apartments for the Mirabeau B.

HEY, WHAT’S happening to those fancy solar-powered recycled shipping containers on the corner of Hyde Park and Waugh, meant to attract eco-minded buyers to the $400K+ condo units in the Mirabeau B.?

Up and away they go! Did the Mirabeau B. meet its sales target? Nope . . . but it’s time for construction anyway, developer Joey Romano tells Swamplot:

Our financing is in place and we have signed our contract with Mission Constructors who have commenced work on the site. If all goes to plan at the City, the building work will begin in the next few weeks.

How’d that happen? With a little switch: to rental. But Romano says none of the project’s “green” features will be changed:

We’ll still plant our green roof; our 15 KW solar PV system will still power all common areas; and our rainwater retention system will still irrigate our native Gulf Coast plants. Our units will be large, open, and spacious, offering unique, high-grade finishes, high-end energy efficient appliances, and natural light in every bedroom.

So where are the shipping containers headed?

* * *

To this space: A new shop owned by Campo Sheet Metal . . .

. . . where they’ll await their next assignment.

Moving day for Mirabeau B Sales Center [Metalab]

The Solar Powered Shipping Container Sales Center for the Mirabeau B. [Swamplot]

Green Sales Offices for Sale: Solar Powered Shipping Containers for Everyone [Swamplot]

Cisterns and Balcony Bikes: What You’ll See at the Mirabeau B. [Swamplot]

via Shipping container to solar powered restaurant in 90 seconds? Meet the Muvbox portable restaurant.

Shipping container to solar powered restaurant in 90 seconds? Meet the Muvbox portable restaurant

By Mick Webb

05:29 July 7, 2009

We have already seen the humble shipping container take on many guises ranging from pop-up hotel rooms to relocatable homes. Here to “cater” for the entrepreneur on the move is the Müvbox portable restaurant. This compact and mobile unit uncovers a fully operational kitchen in around 90 seconds at the touch of a button, and brings an eco-friendly ethos to the table to boot.

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The refitted 8ft deep and 20ft long shipping container transforms into a functioning restaurant with room for four staff and a wood fired pizza oven. Covered eating space is provided for up to 28 people (with bistro seating for 14) when the walls of the container are folded back and tables assembled. On top of the 90 second initial deployment, complete installation takes around 15 minutes.

The flagship unit, recently unveiled in Montreal, endeavors to promote sustainability by offering largely local produce from its ‘gourmet fast food’ interior. The mobility of the concept enables the investor to move around with demand for business and the basic design means it can be easily adapted to suit other ideas.

“More and more entrepreneurs are seeking affordable, turnkey concepts that reflect their lifestyle while minimizing the financial risk that can often be associated with new ventures says creator Daniel Noiseux. “The Müvbox meets their criteria: minimum staff, minimum cost, and the advantage of not being attached to a fixed location”.

Aside from being a re-used shipping container, the US$150,000 Müvbox concept has an environmentally friendly floor constructed from recycled tires. Added to this, the roof contains two solar panels which enable the unit to be up to 40% self sufficient in terms of energy use.

via YMGI Solar Powered Ductless Heat Pump 12,000 BTU.

YMGI Solar Powered Ductless Heat Pump 12,000 BTU

$2,449 online

12000 BTU – With Heater

Now, for those who want to really conserve energy, YMGI created a solar powered ductless heat pump. During periods of peak sun, one photovoltaic panel is sufficient to power the entire system, providing reliable air comfort without consuming electricity. Those features also make it a reliable option for hotels, sunrooms, offices, restaurants, mobile homes and more. Of course, YMGI’s solar powered ductless heat pump …

via Solar Air Conditioning | Solar Cooling & AC | Solar Absorbtion Chillers & Air Conditioners.

Solar Air Conditioning | Solar Cooling & AC | Solar Absorbtion Chillers & Air Conditioners

Solar powered air conditioning systems is one of the most efficient and cost effective solutions for commercial air conditioning. Solar air conditioning employs time tested absorption chillers made by Yazaki.

Absorption chillers are powered by heat (hot water). Many thousands have been installed using gas boilers or by harnessing waste heat from generators or other sources.

Evacuated tube collectors are one of the most effiecient and effective producers of solar hot water. Therefore, absorption chillers run very effectively with a proper solar thermal configuartion.

How Solar Air Conditioning Works

The solar air conditioner / solar heater is powered by solar energy collected in the evacuated tube solar thermal panels (right). The thermal energy collected is then delivered to the solar powered chiller using a Corn Glycol (antifreeze) solution and a simple but carefully designed system of pipes, pumps, and controls.

In the winter, even at below freezing temperatures outside, our evacuated tube solar thermal collectors still produce an abundance of heat. The system can be designed so that this heat is then transferred into your building, either reducing or nearly eliminating the operation of your existing heating system. This means free solar air conditioning in the summer, and free heating in the winter.

See Diagram of Solar Air Conditioning / Solar Heating System for more information.

About Solar Air Conditioners

Absorption chiller air conditioners are not a newly developed technology. In fact, they have been commercially used in the U.S. since the early 20th century and are still very widely used to this day. Absorption chiller AC units are also very popular in Asian countries like Japan, where the high cost of electricity make them very desirable. Chillers constitute up to 40% of all installed commercial air conditioning tonnage. They are simple and dependable, using no harmful CFC (Freon, etc.) and some units actually operate without any moving parts.

When engineered to run on solar energy the absorption chiller AC units provide the lowest cost to operate and the best return on investment of any air conditioning system in the world.

Solar absorption chillers are very low in operating and maintenance costs, and consume little or no electrical energy. Essentially the only parts that use electricity are low amp fan motors and small pumps that move the thermal transfer fluid (Corn Glycol, a food-grade antifreeze) from the collectors to the chiller and then back up to the collectors. Inside the unit is another small pump that circulates the refrigerant. There is no “compressor” to consume power. All of these small electrical loads can run from solar PV panels if desired, meaning zero operational costs for the solar air conditioning system.

This has become an increasingly attractive system for commercial and industrial applications. Air conditioning is one of the most expensive operating costs that a business faces today. Absorption chillers are efficient, reliable, low maintenance – and even better, able to be powered using only the sun. Solar cooling has the direct ability to drastically lower your energy and operating costs.

Solar Panels Plus provides engineering, design, support to installers of solar air conditioning systems across North America. To learn more about this system, please Contact Us today.