Footprint

Guest blogger Mira Hoevenaeghel of Studio E Architects

Here’s are my picks of the day in no particular order:

Greenskin Roof is a patented modular and customisable green roof. It basically is a ‘click-clack-system’ consisting of 3 elements: the greenskin box (complete with substrate and everything), a floating floor and auto adjustable pads. The floating system makes RW harvesting after controlled retention possible and creates a technical space with easy access. It can be used for both intensive and extensive roofs - flat roofs only. Different from other green roof systems, because it is a ‘standardised’ pre-assembled system.

As for SUDS, Aco Technologies showcased an excellent 1/1 section trough and have now added storm tanks to their range: a lightweight modular cell system for applications from residential to commercial developments.

On the Innovative Product Stand, I found Pavegen systems: a paving slab harvesting kinetic energy in high footfall environments converting it into electricity. A couple of tiles in Oxford street would generate enough energy to make the pavegen slab glow and could store the rest in a battery for bus stop displays. The director, Laurence Kemball-Cook- developed the concept in his thesis and Pavagen hopes to bring the paving system on the market within the next 12 months.

YBS Insulation, non-itch recycled fibre insulation, is made from approx. 85% recycled plastic bottles though don’t think they are the only ones doing this. The product has been around for 2 years. Main advantage is it’s free from floating fibres and easy to install and they claim to be the direct equivalent to glass fibre insulation (k-value 0.0425W/mK).

At Signo I was introduced to nanotechnology with Glassguard or liquid glass: a single application easy clean/low maintenance glass treatment. Unlike your usual silicone coatings, their products are made up of silicon dioxide molecules whose surface energy is modified by anti-bonding molecules. On application, molecules from the coating start bonding seamlessly with those in the glass, releasing the anti-bonding molecules.  Surfaces won’t discolour, contaminants are unable to adhere to the surface, cleaning becomes much easier and less frequent (50-70% less often). It’s also possible to specify this product to be applied during manufacture or installation of solar panels.

DESSO has extended its range of carpet tiles which meet the Cradle to Cradle certification. These tiles are either biodegradable or are recycled in their entirety to provide raw materials for new goods. Only tiles that are not re-usable are downcycled as railroad ties and plastic lumber. On a similar theme, Carpet Recycling UK offers a carpet tile re-use network. Membership offers contractors a service which sources good-as-new tiles and redistributes existing tiles for resale.

Monodraught’s, Cool-phase - currently only installed in their own offices but in production -  is an intelligent passive cooling system which utilises a microencapsulated Phase Change Material (a crystalline wax) to provide thermal storage and supply comfort cooling or heat recovery. All this uses a fraction of the power required to run a traditional AC. Cool-phase operates under 3 conditions: fresh air, cooling and heat recovery. Under cooling conditions PCM is used to absorb heat from the air. In heat recovery mode it tempers incoming fresh air. Depending on the operation conditions, the system will try to increase or decrease the temperature of the air, by taking energy or returning it to the surrounding environment. An integrated CO2 sensor is able to automatically provide fresh air, thereby maintaining excellent indoor air quality.

The system is floor mounted against an outside wall, but the tank holding the PCM dictates a 400mm depth, which makes it quite encumbering. My guess, it will be especially helpful in warmer climate countries finding it hard integrating the passive house concept. Developed in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, BASF, the Carbon Trust and Monodraught.

I found something similar, but ceiling mounted by Artica Technologies on the Innovative Product Stand. Their application is a cooling, ventilation and heat recovery technology which reduces energy usage by up to 90% compared to AC. At the core of the system is a thermal battery that stores energy when it is freely available and releases it when it is needed, taking advantage of the natural temperature difference between day and night.

I’m throwing in this last one because I’ve always loved the design:

Jaga’s low H2O radiators (1/10 of the water used by standard steel radiators allowing a faster response), now combined with ‘dynamic boost effect’ technology making them ideal for heat pumps. Even with flow temperatures as low as 40C they will produce all the heat output they need, responding faster to temperature changes than high mass underfloor heating or larger radiators. New in their range is a radiator called Play (pink for girls, blue for boys). Let’s hope kids don’t grow out of them too soon - nothing sustainable about an inflexible room. They have also upgraded their heating and ventilation system oXygen for schools to tackle the zero carbon target (2016): energy efficient heating with a balanced cycle of fresh air, improved airflow and fewer vent units - improving energy consumption and rendering operating noise virtually inaudible.

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Filed under: Sustainable products