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Construction continues on Cherokee Lofts and the proof is in the pour – 13.7 tons of concrete and 13.1 tons of rebar to date including 4,110 pounds of fly ash diverted from waste and 24,890 pounds of recycled steel. In fact, recycled content constitutes both the structural material and our mission: to creatively work with available local materials to calculate the greatest benefit of placemaking to yield the least cost to the environment. The high ratio of concrete to fly ash and new to post-consumer steel for rebar therefore remains consistent throughout: 3 parts fly ash to 17 parts of concrete and 95% recycled material for steel rebar. The choice of material for Cherokee Lofts has redirected 29,000 pounds of material away from waste streams to date.
Those familiar with the area or witnessing the pour may have noticed two things: first, the 50 trucks that labored down Fairfax Ave to present the concrete for the ground level; and secondly, the sequential fashion in which the trucks approached, the speed at which the concrete was dispensed and the effort to mitigate the disturbance to the neighborhood.
So far, the shared parking has been poured and now can be seen onsite as part of Cherokee’s effort to reduce vehicle trips and miles traveled. The commercial footprint to feature retail spaces as community assets is also open to view on the ground floor. And now, the structure has begun to rise above grade. The cement deck, or the floor of the 2nd story, is currently being constructed to hold the wood beam structure of the second (2nd) through fifth (5th) floor which will hold the green roof, shared open, public space and solar array.
Currently, we are looking forward to see how the electricians will run wiring from the upper floors which will house the energy producing solar arrays to the garage which will house the charging stations for electric cars. We look forward to keeping you informed of our progress.
Nature has had millions of years to solve the complex design problems presented by unforgiving environments. In order to thrive, plants and animals have evolved to be imminently resource efficient. They create some of the strongest, most durable, and most useful materials known using very little energy without toxic chemicals and very little waste. Using nature as an inpiration or even copying processes and stratgegies directly can lead to tremendous advances in human technology.
This building in Harare, Zimbabwe mimics the strategies used by termites. Termites keep their termite mounds at a constant 82 degrees year round in desert conditions in which the temperature swings from over 104 degrees in the day to 35 degrees F at night. The building uses similar techniques to keep its internal temperature around 68 degrees year round without the use of standard air conditioning or heating equipment. The building saves 90% of the traditional heating and cooling energy use as compared to a similar building while saving $3.5 million on up front costs.
The Gemsbok survives in the heat of the desert with little water under the harshest conditions imaginable. It has evolved advanced water conservation and temperature regulation strategies. What can we apply in our buildings in hot dry climates from the strategies of this animal?
More; http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/10/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/
http://www.arup.com/feature.cfm?pageid=292