GWR
09-12-07, 11:34 PM
Buildings 'can play their part'
Published on December 10, 2007
Swiss professor says Asia using poor technology
Hotels and malls in Asia are like ice plants in the middle of the desert. These establishments often have the habit of running their air conditioners at freezing temperatures, especially in summer.
Whether it's for the convenience of customers or to keep them inside so that they spend more time shopping, the point is that the cooler the temperature, the more energy is consumed.
Dr Hansjurg Leibundgut, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and an adviser at the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, said many available technologies could be used to lessen energy consumption.
His first observation in the Bangkok hotel room where he was being interviewed was that there was too much air circulating. There were only six people in the room but the air was enough for 15 people, he said.
He went on to explain the concept of transporting air inside the building with little energy consumption. "The correct thing is to insert as much air as needed and the remaining heat has to be moved out of the building," he said.
An engineer with a background in thermodynamics, Dr Leibundgrut said Asia was nowhere when it came to sustainable building because it had adopted American technology in construction.
"American technology has tried to just do simple construction, with no insulation of the housing."
Simply, the technology uses more energy to circulate air because it has been employing big volumes of machines just to let the air in and out.
Dr Leibundgrut said there should be a different approach in Asia because of the hot climate and humidity.
There are many technologies available now and if architects and engineers know how to use these technologies, they can build tremendous things, he added. "Like a supermarket of new technologies, just look around and pick it up and combine it to other technologies. If you put rooms together, you can build houses."
One of the examples of small technology is an air box, about 20 centimetres in length, which can be installed in buildings. This tiny air box, which delivers air from the outside to the inside, can cool down air from 35C to 22C. One air box is sufficient for three people.
Another example in sustainable construction is the use of LED (light emitting diodes) that are more powerful but more economical than a regular electric bulb. Emitting less heat than a semiconductor, LEDs last for 50,000 hours while regular bulbs only last for 1,000 hours.
Dr Leibundgrut is trying to produce new and small technologies for mass production and "everybody can combine it with new solutions".
As a consultant to Holcim, the world's leader in cement industry, Dr Leibundgrut's firm was tapped to provide a better solution for the World Conservation Union building near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
The building will serve as a model, while Holcim also plans to build a similar sustainable office building. "It is cheaper than a traditional building," Dr Leibungrut said.
For its part, Swiss-based Holcim, through its foundation, is giving sustainable construction awards to encourage sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues affecting building and construction. The company not only provides building materials but also supplies pre-cast houses, building materials and designs that are in line with the ideas of sustainability. The concrete produced by Holcim is also sustainably sourced from local materials like limestone, pebbles and sand.
Holcim's sustainability programme has helped educate builders, architects, engineers and a new generation of masons who adhere to the idea of sustainability.
But do green buildings really exist? Dr Leibungrut said there was no absolute concept of green buildings but there were sustainable buildings.
"My aim is to find zero-emission buildings, produced in a sustainable way," he said.
By green buildings, he meant buildings that make their own or buy clean energy somewhere.
Jofelle P Tesorio
Philippine Daily
Inquirer
Asia News Network
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/12/10/national/national_30038477.php
Published on December 10, 2007
Swiss professor says Asia using poor technology
Hotels and malls in Asia are like ice plants in the middle of the desert. These establishments often have the habit of running their air conditioners at freezing temperatures, especially in summer.
Whether it's for the convenience of customers or to keep them inside so that they spend more time shopping, the point is that the cooler the temperature, the more energy is consumed.
Dr Hansjurg Leibundgut, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and an adviser at the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, said many available technologies could be used to lessen energy consumption.
His first observation in the Bangkok hotel room where he was being interviewed was that there was too much air circulating. There were only six people in the room but the air was enough for 15 people, he said.
He went on to explain the concept of transporting air inside the building with little energy consumption. "The correct thing is to insert as much air as needed and the remaining heat has to be moved out of the building," he said.
An engineer with a background in thermodynamics, Dr Leibundgrut said Asia was nowhere when it came to sustainable building because it had adopted American technology in construction.
"American technology has tried to just do simple construction, with no insulation of the housing."
Simply, the technology uses more energy to circulate air because it has been employing big volumes of machines just to let the air in and out.
Dr Leibundgrut said there should be a different approach in Asia because of the hot climate and humidity.
There are many technologies available now and if architects and engineers know how to use these technologies, they can build tremendous things, he added. "Like a supermarket of new technologies, just look around and pick it up and combine it to other technologies. If you put rooms together, you can build houses."
One of the examples of small technology is an air box, about 20 centimetres in length, which can be installed in buildings. This tiny air box, which delivers air from the outside to the inside, can cool down air from 35C to 22C. One air box is sufficient for three people.
Another example in sustainable construction is the use of LED (light emitting diodes) that are more powerful but more economical than a regular electric bulb. Emitting less heat than a semiconductor, LEDs last for 50,000 hours while regular bulbs only last for 1,000 hours.
Dr Leibundgrut is trying to produce new and small technologies for mass production and "everybody can combine it with new solutions".
As a consultant to Holcim, the world's leader in cement industry, Dr Leibundgrut's firm was tapped to provide a better solution for the World Conservation Union building near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
The building will serve as a model, while Holcim also plans to build a similar sustainable office building. "It is cheaper than a traditional building," Dr Leibungrut said.
For its part, Swiss-based Holcim, through its foundation, is giving sustainable construction awards to encourage sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socio-economic and cultural issues affecting building and construction. The company not only provides building materials but also supplies pre-cast houses, building materials and designs that are in line with the ideas of sustainability. The concrete produced by Holcim is also sustainably sourced from local materials like limestone, pebbles and sand.
Holcim's sustainability programme has helped educate builders, architects, engineers and a new generation of masons who adhere to the idea of sustainability.
But do green buildings really exist? Dr Leibungrut said there was no absolute concept of green buildings but there were sustainable buildings.
"My aim is to find zero-emission buildings, produced in a sustainable way," he said.
By green buildings, he meant buildings that make their own or buy clean energy somewhere.
Jofelle P Tesorio
Philippine Daily
Inquirer
Asia News Network
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/12/10/national/national_30038477.php