Where’d the Enthusiasm Go? References

The resources I found useful for my previous post are as follows:

“How Solar Cells Work.” How Stuff Works. 16 Nov. 2008 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell8.htm>.

“The Cost of Solar Energy.” Solar Power at Home. 16 Nov. 2008 <http://www.solarpowerathome.com/cost-of-solar-energy.html>.

The Man with the Golden Gun. Dir. Guy Hamilton. Perf. Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Film. 1974.

Watson, Gray. “Background.” Watson Solar House. 16 Nov. 2008 <http://256.com/solar/>.

Where’d the enthusiasm go?

The Watson Family Solar House

When I came home from school today, I cought the end of The Man with the Golden Gun, the 1974 James Bond movie.  The references to solar power were astounding.  How could something described in such an iconic movie not inspire further innovation?  Thirty-four years have passed since the release of this movie and in that time solar technology has improved greatly, but global interest has not grown past the solar powered pocket calculator which most people either own or have heard from.  So, what exactly is solar power?  and how would it affect or lives?

Solar power, is electricity formed through the harnessing of the sun’s energy.  The harnessing occurs in photovoltaic cells which, according to www.howstuffworks.com work as follows:

“Photovoltaic (PV) cells are made of special materials called semiconductors such as silicon, which is currently the most commonly used. Basically, when light strikes the cell, a certain portion of it is absorbed within the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor. The energy knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely. PV cells also all have one or more electric fields that act to force electrons freed by light absorption to flow in a certain direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by placing metal contacts on the top and bottom of the PV cell, we can draw that current off to use externally. For example, the current can power a calculator. This current, together with the cell’s voltage (which is a result of its built-in electric field or fields), defines the power (or wattage) that the solar cell can produce. “

If one would like to use solar cells to power one’s house in Canada, or anywhere in the northern hemisphere, the cells should be placed, unobstructed on the south side of the roof at an angle equal to the latitude.  This is the general method for stationary panels to maximize the sun’s energy on any given day.  In order to have electricity when the sun is not shining, one has two options:

1.  Collect as much energy as possible during the day, and trade what isn’t used during the day for energy at night.  The benefits to this is that the homeowner does not need to purchase and maintain batteries for storage.  The drawbacks are that you sell electricity for less than electrical companies charge.

2.  Collect energy during the day and store the electricity for future use in batteries.  The benefit to this is that ones house can live “off the grid”.  The drawbacks are that the batteries require maintenance.

According to www.solarpowerathome.com, the average American home uses 25kWh/day and 1kWh of solar energy costs $4.86.  If one car reduce their consumption to 15kWh/day, a solar system would ONLY cost $72,900.  This shocked me, so I continued to search in order to find data to either dispute or confirm.

http://256.com is a site describing one family’s experience with switching to solar power.  According to the Watsons, without government grants their system would have taken 20 years to pay for itself.  Thankfully their system was subsidized by the American government and they only ended up paying apprx. half the amount.

The idea of solar power has been around for decades already, but the demand is not enough to make the technology affordable for everyone.  According to Francisco Scaramanga, the main antagonist in The Man with the Golden Gun, solar power will never be a commonly used technology due to its suppression by the current electricity providers.

Designing for Wheelchairs References

Here are the sites I used to find my information for the previous post.  I found them very informative and clear, and would suggest them to anyone who is interested in the topics discussed.

“Accessibility.” Accessibility-Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. 16 Nov. 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/accessibility.

“Building Control.” Building Control, disabled access. Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council. 16 Nov. 2008 http://www.berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk/buildingcontrol/access.htm.

Kelly, Rachel. “Doorsteps to be swept away in new rules for builders.” The Times of London. 5 Dec. 1997. 16 Nov. 2008 http://www.concretechange.org/policy_legislative_world_britmandate_art.pdf.

S.K.

 

 

Designing for Wheelchairs

In the spring, my neighbour’s (who is confined to a wheelchair), garage cought fire.  Unfortunately the only wheelchair accessible entrance to the house was located in the garage.  The front door opened to a porch, with a dozen stairs leading to the ground.  My neighbour, lets call him John Doe for the sake of this post, was literally stranded outside on his porch, waiting for help to arrive.  Thankfully, first responders arrived in time to carry him to the ground and away from the fire.  Although this event ended happily, it had me thinking about wheelchair accessibility and whether multiple entrances are required in residential homes.  I had almost forgotten about this event untill Jean Trottier spoke on November 6th.  His references to the required slopes of wheelchair ramps reminded me of John’s situation, so I decided to further research this for today’s post.  What I found was quite interesting and is as follows:

*Great Britain has the most extensive disability regulations.  These dictate that all new housing has to be designed for potential wheelchair accessabilty.  This includes having entrances at ground level, hallways wide enough to allow wheelchairs, bathrooms having reinforced walls for the future addition of support bars, and at least one washroom located on the ground floor.

*Also, Great Britain’s regulations encompass all public places, including apartment buildings and entertainment venues, whereas the United States only has regulations governing public spaces.  Single family dwellings do not need to follow any rules.

*Commonly occupational therapists work with clients and designers to determine what needs to be created/changed for individuals. 

*Seven additions were made to the 1988 amendments to the Fair Housing Act (USA), they are:

1. “An accessible building entrance on an accessible route.
2. Accessible common and public use areas.
3. Doors usable by a person in a wheelchair.
4. Accessible route into and through the dwelling unit.
5. Light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other environmental controls in accessible locations.
6. Reinforced walls in bathrooms for later installation of grab bars.
7. Usable kitchens and bathrooms.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility 

*please note that these do not apply to single family homes.

All this research has caused me to be rather disapointed in governments as universal access should be mandated to every location, private and public, in my opinion.  In particular, houses specifically designed to be wheelchair accessible should also be required to have multiple entrances.  This seems to be a drastic oversight.  My neighbour’s situation should serve as a perfect example to why this is necessary.  I only hope that others have been and will be as lucky as he was if something similar happens to them.

Personal Rapid Transit System

Carmine Militano, the guest speaker on October 31st, was quite captivating, having such strong opinions. Although I didn’t agree with everything he said, I found the lecture extremely interesting. During his lecture Carmine mentioned Masdar City, a carbon-neutral city located in the desert of the United Arab Emirates. I found it difficult to believe how carbon-neutrality could be achieved with todays transportation methods.

This is of particular interest to me since I live outside of Winnipeg and commute on a daily basis. Because of this I have a love/hate relationship with my car. I love having the freedom of going when and where I want, but hate how much fossil fuels I burn while doing so, and have therefore always wished that their was an extensive public transit system in Winnipeg. 

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is the system used in Masdar City.  This system consists of 1-3 passenger modules that run on guideways.  They are computer operated and electronically powered.  Here are some interesting facts about the system:

• MODULES:  The modules, carry the passengers and require absolutely no human driver.  The small size is to reduce the investment cost of the guideways.  The lighter the module, the smaller the guideway, the more extensive the system can be. 
• OPERATION:  Stations will be located all over Masdar City.  When a user approaches a station, Modules will already be there waiting.  The passenger will then indicate his/her destination station and travel by hisself on the computer decided most time efficient route to this station.  PRT systems are deemed safer than other forms of transit because computers have a faster reaction time than humans and therefore can drive at higher speeds and with a shorter headway. 
• GUIDEWAYS:  Modules can hang from guideways and run on guideways either above or below ground.  This allows for many options in new and existing cities.  It allows for privacy in residential areas and great views in city centres and historic areas.  These guideways supply the electricity to the modules and run in a grid-like pattern.  The stations are all located on sub-guideways so as to not interrupt the flow of traffic. 
• COMPARISON: 

                        car:  Modules are similar to the car in that you travel with a small number of family and friends who are going to the same location, but different in that they are not privately owned.  The modules are faster, and contribute to carbon neutrality.

                       bus/light rail:  Buses and Light Rail both have designated stops that the vehicles stop at whether someone wants them to or not.  Modules, as mentioned, only stop once at the destination.

The Personal Rapid Transit System is also under constructions at Heathrow Airport in London.  It is being used to transport passengers from parking lots to terminals.  Although there is not a complete PRT system in use at the moment, test tracks and modules have been built and used.  I am excited to hear how the PRT projects turn out and hope that they are successful.  My only hope is that Winnipeg will one day institute a similar system, or that I will move to a city with one-and happily leave my car behind

Personal Rapid Transit System References

Here are some great, informative sites relating the PRT system.

“Heathrow/Test Track Progress.” ULTra Advanced Transit System Inc. 30 Oct. 2008 <http://ultraport.com/heathrow.htm>.

“London Heathrow Information.” Heathrow Airport. 04 Nov. 2008 <http://www.jatlondon.com/info/transit.htm>.

“Masdar Initiative – Worlds First 100% Carbon Free Community.” Youtube. 04 Nov. 2008 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovly1dqgkh4>.

“Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) or Personal Automated Transport (PAT).” Personal Rapid Transit, costs, history, illustrations, contact information, related websites, advocacy groups, deployment experiences. University of Washington. 4 Nov. 2008 <http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/prtquick.htm>.

“Podcar City; Ithaca.” Podcar City Ithaca, 2008. Swedish Institute for Sustainable Transportation. 04 Nov. 2008 <http://podcar.org/thacaconference/>.

“What is PRT?” Personal Rapid Transit. 4 Nov. 2008 <http://www.personalrapidtransit.com>.

Red River College

After our Jeld-Wen visit, we had the opportunity to visit the downtown campus of Red River College. My classmates and I fought our way through the biting wind to the atrium. Once inside, I was shocked! I had never seen a building in Winnipeg that I liked as much as I had this one.

I loved how the old brick was mixed with new metal and how everything was open and exposed. The building also seemed well layed out, with lots of room for visitors and students to move around.

This building made me wonder how a college with fewer students could afford such a bulding when our University, with almost thirty thousand students cannot or will not.

s.k.

Jeld-Wen Trip

Jeld-Wen’s store was rather difficult to find which surprised me since I drive down Princess almost on a daily basis. Luckily I did find the store and am happy I did. I found the presentation to be very informative and interesting. What I like in particular was how focused the company is on sustainability and green design. They seem to consider everything from the production to the use of the product and strive to make it as sustainable as possible.

An example of this is how the scraps from all the pvc parts are sent back to the manufacturer and remolded to be used again. Also, research facilities make sure that there windows are the most energy efficient on the market.

I found the sustainability goals surprising compared to EQ3. EQ3 is just beginning to look into green design and make steps towards it, whereas it has been a goal at Jeld-Wen since the beginning. After the EQ3 tour, I just assumed that they were on par with most companies and everyone was beginning to hop on the green bandwagon. Now I am more confused than ever.

All the doors and windows were beautiful and the show room was well organized and enjoyable. One of my favourites was a large, wooden door with an interactive peep-hole. Another nice thing about the store was the redesign of the building and the inclusion of new, historically accurate, energy efficient windows. I loved all the uncovered beams and exposed brick of the building.

This tour was very inspiring and I can’t wait to begin my career as an architect so that I can visit the showroom as a designer and use the products in my creations.

s.k.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) Lighting

The lecture on lighting was really interesting and with Christmas just around the corner, the applications of LED lighting spurred my curiosity. I began to research LED lighting because of this. A few key features I discovered are:

• LED Christmas lights use 1-3 Kilowatt hours of energy compared to incandescents which use 12 to 105 Kilowatt hours per string.
• To ring in 2008, as part of New York City’s New Years celebration, the ball that was dropped was made completely of LED lights.
• Christmas tree fires lead to 14 deaths per year due to the heat created from incandescent bulbs. LED lights which are much cooler will reduce fires, resulting in fewer deaths.
• LED light strings last apprx. 4000 hours without a single bulb burning out
• LED Christmas lights can change colour.

Although there are many positives, negatives still exist. They are as follows:

• LED lights have a higher initial cost. This deters some people, although the energy savings and the length of time the LED’s last more than makes up for the extra cost.
• Incandescent lights tend to burn brighter and more vibrantly

Because of all the research I did, and the class lecture, when I went to purchase Christmas lights last week, I bought the LED kind. Not only did I do this because of the energy efficiency, but also because of the selection. Walmart had a whole aisle of LED’s but only a few different kinds of incandescent strings. This just goes to show how society is becoming more environmentally conscious.

s.k.

Drunk Tank Pink

Last class’s discussion about colour had me interested in the real world applications of colour psychology. I’ve heard of prisoners being dressed in pink jumpsuits so I researched this further to discover that jails went as far as painting actual jail cell walls Baker-Miller Pink, a bright, bubble gum shade. Apparently, “Even if a person tries to be angry or aggressive in the presence of pink, he can’t. The heart muscles can’t race fast enough. It’s a tranquilizing color that saps your energy. Even the color-blind are tranquilized by pink rooms.” Sheriff Clint Low, of the Mason County Jail in Washington has employed this colour psychology to positive results. He hasn’t encountered a single fight between inmates since painting everything from the bars to the walls pink. Also, he believes less inmates return due to their hatred of the jumpsuits, according to CBS News.

Another example of colour psychology is blue and its relationship with food. Because there aren’t many naturally occurring blue foods (blueberries are the only ones I can think of), blue is considered to be an appetite supressant. Blue is associated with something inedible and unappetizing, therefore its suggested that dieters eat off blue plates if they want to consume less. On the opposite end, red and yellow combined are associated with hunger and make people want to eat more, that is why they are the colours in the logo of a popular fast food chain.

According to Pam Renovato, in her article “The Psychology of Color and Internet Marketing” the successfullness of ones business is related to the colours in its webpage. People should therefore choose colours that give consumers the impression they want. (ie: blues are calming and give customers a relaxed impression) According to this, the white in our blog gives readers a sense of purity and perfection, whereas the grey conveys a darker, heavier emotion. The green at the top of the page evokes calming emotions.

That is how colour influences perception and society. Which readers have to believe since the colours of our site encourage people to believe that we are all honest people discussing heavy issues in a very relaxed, calming atmosphere :p

s.k.