How can buildings work towards reducing energy use
Smart cities: what urban life will be like in 2050 | London Evening Standard
Buildings of the future will be made from self-healing concrete, be powered by their solar paint and even have flying robots, says Jasmine Gardner
“Smart cities” is the buzz phrase of the moment. It refers to energy-efficient and spacially economical urban worlds in which we’ll live in years to come — all thanks to technology. Smarter cities are now a focus of both big business, such as Shell and IBM, and small entrepreneurs and scientists, such as the Dutch microbiologists who have developed a self-healing concrete. Cracks in the buildings of the future will be filled by calcium carbonate, produced by a bacteria feeding on nutrients, both incorporated into the cement. The bacteria are only activated when rainwater gets into a crack.
The real-time data from 2500 sensors is making the Smarter Cities Technology Centre in Dublin smart and efficient. Want to know more? Join the experts for a Q&A on Twitter. March 6, 2:30 PM GMT. #EBQA
![‘Bioconcrete’ Uses Bacteria to Heal Self | ThisBigCity
No product evokes a sense of solidity and sturdiness the way concrete does. However, the tiniest of cracks in an otherwise colossal slab will inevitably lead to structural degradation, leakages and costly repairs.
It is precisely this problem that two Dutch researchers from Delft Technical University have been working on. Beginning in 2006, Henk Jonkers, a microbiologist, and Eric Schlangen, a specialist in concrete development, sought to develop a self-healing cement [pictured] that would stop cracks from forming in the concrete, thereby extending the life of constructions.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/07604de0ed2862b10a1255524a5efb7a/tumblr_miingyW1qA1qzlda3o1_400.jpg)
‘Bioconcrete’ Uses Bacteria to Heal Self | ThisBigCity
No product evokes a sense of solidity and sturdiness the way concrete does. However, the tiniest of cracks in an otherwise colossal slab will inevitably lead to structural degradation, leakages and costly repairs.
It is precisely this problem that two Dutch researchers from Delft Technical University have been working on. Beginning in 2006, Henk Jonkers, a microbiologist, and Eric Schlangen, a specialist in concrete development, sought to develop a self-healing cement [pictured] that would stop cracks from forming in the concrete, thereby extending the life of constructions.
Is This What Urban Buildings Will Look Like In 2050? | Co.Exist
With internal farms, walls that convert CO2 to oxygen, and even the ability to personalize itself based on your DNA, this concept for the building of the future is a sight to behold.
A (Dimming) City of Light | Scientific American
The French are taking a stand against light pollution. Starting this summer, most non-residential buildings in the country will have to shut off their lights at night in order to “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.”
According to France’s environment minister, Delphine Batho, this shift will reduce total annual energy consumption by the equivalent of 750,000 households. But, the main motivation behind the new decree is public health. According to Ms. Batho’s statement, artificial light can cause “significant disruptions on ecosystems” by disturbing sleep and migration patterns.
Raising the IQ of School Buildings
Schools across the U.S. are discovering that bringing greater intelligence and connectedness into a building’s operations can go a long way toward creating more efficient, sustainable and profitable campuses.
Sounds and the City | SmartPlanet
MEXICO CITY – This chaotic capital rarely whispers.
Mexico City howls, roars, whistles, wails, shouts and sings. These noises and infinite others –- nuisances to many -– make the metropolis sound like nowhere else.
How Mexico City sounds is part of the country’s cultural patrimony, according to the Fonoteca Nacional, the National Sound Archive, whose latest exposition features “aural landscapes” of the capital’s neighborhoods. The exhibit coincides with a new effort to enforce a law limiting noise in the city.
HomeCamp 3 – hacking for smart homes, smart energy, and free beer – GreenMonk: the blog
That’s right. IBM in the home? Surely some mistake? Not so- Andy Piper will be coming along to tell us more about how hackers are using lightweight messaging technology from IBM in all sorts of sustainability/home hacking apps. Given I had my doubts IBM would really go after a pervasive, volume market, led by developers, I am really looking forward to this one…Dave Bartlett from IBM likes to say A Smarter Planet begins with A Smarter Building. Well, perhaps sustainability begins at home. Maybe Andy can tell us how a Smarter Planet begins with a Smarter Home.
Innovate and Disinfect!
Link below describes a recent piece of research that demonstrates innovative approach to fighting the growing problem of mutating infections like MRSA in hospitals and other buildings…..People will never wash their hands enough to eliminate infection so ….build self-disinfecting environments…HOW?….see link below…
http://www.dit.ie/hothouse/technologiestolicense/available%20for%20license/industrial%20technology/anti-bacterial%20powder/
