With a chain saw, a wooden mallet and a big needle, volunteers cut, pack, align and smooth straw bale insulation. But straw by definition cannot be perfectly plumb.
Great examples of public interest designs for buildings, in Rawanda and other places.
A Utah building inspector embraces alternative construction methods, as long the the research data is there to support new ways of doing things.
Turning the black tar roofs that cover our cities into green spaces is not cheap or easy, but its benefits to the environment would be great.
Great article in NYTimes about providing homes for homeless veterans. Two social change groups recently joined forces. The result? They are now housing homeless people faster than ever.
Several companies and research labs are working on wearable robots to help disabled people walk or to make the human body superhuman.
Via Verde, a subsidized housing development in the South Bronx, rethinks the mix of private and public spaces and makes an argument for the civic value of architecture.
A NEW interactive database lets renters and buyers track nearly all the privately held subsidized housing in NYC
“The database has extensive information about 304,800 affordable rental and co-op units in about 2,600 properties. A tutorial is available online at www.furmancenter.org/data/search. An interactive map that lets users filter searches by location, subsidies and physical condition, as well as other criteria, can be reached directly at http://datasearch.furmancenter.org. ”
Under a bill signed last week, New York City will study whether it is feasible to generate hydroelectric power from the city’s water supply.
“Powered only by gravity, nearly a million gallons of water rushes into the city every minute. From streams dammed in the hills and mountains north of the city, the flow moves with such force that even as it branches into pipes that run down every street, it rises to a height of six stories on pure momentum.”
New York City’s sustainability director and a green developer discuss how changes in zoning rules could speed the adoption of green roofs, renewable energy and energy-efficient features.
” One green element that seems to be growing in popularity is the use of green roofs. Building owners and developers are recognizing that they can get many benefits from the roofs, including improved insulation, reduction of the heat island effect, passive storm water management and even the opportunity for food production. But I believe what is really driving their popularity is the realization that green roofs are essentially gardens with views. By giving access to them and incorporating seating areas, they become a wonderful amenity.”
” One of the simplest examples of an innovation that was being stifled by outdated codes is the relocation of boiler rooms to the roofs of buildings. Boiler rooms have traditionally been located in the basements of buildings because that was where the coal was delivered. Given that coal deliveries haven’t been common since the last revision of the zoning code 50 years ago, it make more economic sense to locate natural gas-fired boiler rooms on the roof.
In doing so, you don’t need to build a costly fireproofed chimney through the building which also takes up the equivalent space of a large closet on every floor. A boiler also operates more efficiently on a rooftop because the long chimney needed to exhaust a basement boiler also reduces its efficiency. The Zone Green amendment now allows boiler rooms to be a permitted obstruction on a rooftop, which should help promote the use of higher-efficiency boilers on rooftops across New York City.”
