How much energy does your school use? How much is used in an office building? What a a building look like that uses no energy from the grid? A tent? A log hut? What would you think of a building that produces more energy than it consumes? Well, look no further than the Sustainability Base at the Ames Research Center in California. This modern, energy self-sufficient building was the topic of last night's Live Chat with Steve Zornetzer, Associate Director of ARC. 48 were in attendance to hear Dr. Hornetzer talk about the novel designs used to make the Sustainability Base the most advance government building in history.
Using a combination of passive and active systems, the building is designed with it's location in mind. It is said it cannot be replicated, because it is so fine tuned to its location, but the techniques used can be replicated to provide unique solutions for other sites. Solar panels, some resembling the giant panels on the International Space Station, cover the roof and extend out to provide shade to windows open to the breeze off the bay. When cooling is needed, water that has been chilled by pumping it underground is used to bring down the temperature, while heated water from the roof can warm things up when needed. Water is stored from wash basin and rain to be used for flushing and irrigation. Ivy covers exterior walls providing extra cooling and a pleasant sight for those working indoors. The building also utilizes a 'cradle to cradle' philosophy that means almost all construction materials can be recycled when the building lives out its usefulness and is demolished.
You can discover more about the Sustainability Base, like how it got its name and the use of NASA technology inside, by clicking on this link. You can view Dr. Zornetzer's Power Point presentaion on the Discussion Board, or download an archive of the chat to hear the session and get the quiz passcode. Now, let's see what you can do to be a good steward of your environment!
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