Focus Week 4 - Ecobuild 2

Much like last year as mentioned in the previous post, this years ecobuild was mainly focussed on solar and tidal power (Renewable energy). However it was clear how they have developed these ideas. The image below shows how solar panels are encorporated in roof tiles, saving space and being more aesthetically pleasing compared to the big gas looking cylinders that were on display last year!

Sustainable floor surfacing in the form of recycled bottles and other plastics were on display in the form of small tiles held together with mesh. As this was closely related to Landscape Architecture, I was very keen about this product. The representative told us how plastic is readily available all over the world and how these tiles have many different finishes. However despite being so easy and cheap to make, the product was rather expensive!

Being a multi-purpose product, it is also sold for swimming pool flooring!

An aspect of my Studio work was to incorporate something from ecobuild into my design.

After seeing the Greenroof stand at the exhibition I was very keen to look further into it for my final design.

The image below shows an idea of thought process behind having a roof garden in my design.

Focus week 4 - Ecobuild

With over 48,000 people attending Ecobuild last year, a lot was expected this year. Ecobuild is huge exhibition based on the future of design construction in the built environment. It is a place where companies show off their new sustainable technology to designers, architects and to people who have a particular interest in the sustainable movement.

A lot of attention was focussed on renewable energy, with many of the stalls in north part of the Excel promoting solar energy. Landscape architecture has benefited from this, for example using solar energy in landscapes to power lighting. However is this the strategically best way to incorporate renewable energy in landscapes?

Tidal Energy (in a smaller form) on a landscape can add a water feature (which is always pleasant) and also provide energy, which can be stored in a dynamo to help power lighting.

The extra advantages would be: (1) water being incorporated in the site. (2) having a more reliable source of constant energy (as sunlight is not always available for solar energy)

Surely it has to be agreed that energy from the constant movement of water is not seen very often at all even though it has greater advantages to solar energy!

All in all, it was great to see the new technology involved renewable energy! Sustainability is becoming more and more important, and rightly so!

More to come!