This type of system is extremely useful when it is either really hot outside (like its been that last few summers) or really cold outside (like we have had in the past). What this system does is uses the consistent temp. of the ground to either cool down (summer) or heat up (winter) the air before it enters the building. This make the building heating/cooling systems use less energy trying to condition the air for the building thus making it run more sustainable. The system uses zero energy it is just a series of tubes in the ground. The same fans and pumps pull the air out of the tube just like it would from outside. A building has to have a percentage of fresh air replaced hourly so that the building does not build up carbon monoxide from people breathing in and out. This system can also be used to help naturally ventilate your building as well. Creating a "stack ventilation" system will draw hot air out of the building thus pulling cooler air into the building thru the tubes all without the need for electrical devices. In our area this system will only work during certain times of the year. But the time it is working a building this size will be saving thousands of dollars in energy bills. When it is cold outside the "stack ventilation" vents can be closed to help keep the warmer air within the building and Heating systems are only needed to heat small degree changes in outside air coming in from the tubes. Here is a photo of a series of earth tubes being installed. The size of the tubes as well as the number depend on the size building you are trying to heat/cool. At the far end you can see a tube sticking straight up, that is where the air comes in. This can be positioned anywhere in the system, Ideally it is far from the building are vehicular traffic so it is pulling in clean air.
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Typical heating systems (right side image) heat air in the basement then blow that air all over the building. The location of these vent/grills are important when realizing how much heat/cool is needed in a volume of space. Most of the time ducts and vents are positioned up high and have to use force to blow air down to where the people occupying the space are. This type of system requires large amounts of energy to not only heat the air but to force it all over the building thru large ducts. Radiant floor heating (left side image) is different in that it doesn't rely on moving the air into a space to heat that space. Radiant floor heating uses a fluid filled tube system and places it in the concrete under your feet and heating that fluid heats the surface under your feet thus radiating the heat upwards. This keeps more of the heat where the people are located. The amount of energy is greatly reduced only having to move small amounts of fluid thru the floor as compared to large amounts of air. You can see the energy comparisons in this chart. The amount of energy consumed is 42.3% So for every $100 you spend on energy for a conventional System switching to this system alone would save you $42.30 almost cutting your bill in half. Pairing this up with a geothermal heating system will increase those savings even more. This is a section of how the cooling system would work. Somewhere in the facility there is a holding tank (red tank) hooked up to a condensing unit (gray box with fan on it). The condensing unit is typically outdoors and the tank will be somewhat close to where you want to cool. The condensing unit cools the fluid in the tanks and that fluid is pumped into the blue tube and run along the ceiling across special metal panels. The tubes cool the metal panels which in return cool the room. Then the warm water is pumped back into the take to start the cycle over again. The size of the tank is determined by the size of building it is cooling. This is great in office setting since it doesn't rely on moving air thus blowing papers off desks and or giving employees chills every time the system turns on.
My form is starting to take shape in CAD. Here are my preliminary building sections. Both are cut thru the center of my building, top one looking at the seating area, bottom one looking toward the main entrance (lobby area). I have changed up my structure a bit, instead of being all concrete I left the top portion and outer edge concrete and switched to space frame the for the portion on the interior of my building. I think it will be more pleasing to the eye and seem less bulky. These sections also help show how the roof is going to be accessible for mountain bikes and such. The thick black areas are where I actually cut the building, lighter lines are beyond and really light line are far beyond. If you have any other questions leave me a comment and I will try to answer it.
Grasspave2 porous pavement allows you to park, drive, walk, ride, or lounge on a beautiful grass surface. It performs the functions of asphalt or concrete pavement, but with the aesthetics of a lawn – all while enhancing the environment. Applications
Gravelpave2 is a structure to provide heavy load bearing support and true containment of gravel to create a porous surface with unlimited traffic volume and/or duration time for parking. The system can be used for storage and filtration of rainwater.
Applications
Living systems are sustainable on site water treatment plants that take black water (toilet and shower water) and make it usable in non-drinking situations such as back into toilets and irrigation. This allows you to use less water from the city thus saving large amounts of money on water to flush down the toilets. At a glance, the Living Machine® system incorporates a series of wetland cells, or basins, filled with special gravel that promotes the development of micro-ecosystems. As water moves through the system, the cells are alternately flooded and drained to create multiple tidal cycles each day, much like we find in nature, resulting in high quality reusable water. To recycle water, the Living Machine® System uses the latest technologies and engineering to recreate the ecology of natural coastal wetlands. After an initial primary filtration stage, the system turbo-charges nature’s own processes, pumping wastewater into ‘tidal-flow’ wetland cells – gravel-filled planters – which are alternately flooded and drained to create multiple tidal cycles per day. The specially-engineered gravel within the cells promotes the development of micro-ecosystems, which efficiently remove nutrients and solids from the wastewater, resulting in high quality effluent. Although a typical Living Machine® system recycles thousands of gallons of water a day, everything occurs below the wetland surface. All the casual observer sees are lush, vibrant plantings. The final polishing stage, which involves filtration and disinfection, leaves water crystal clear and ready for reuse. Online sensors continuously monitor water quality and chlorine residuals to ensure that reclaimed water is completely safe. Below is a video of how the system works... |