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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Park(ing) Day is TODAY!

Park(ing) Day is TODAY!
by Olivia Chen
19 Sept, 2008

parking day 2008, parking day, rebar, san francisco parks, public space, urban space, urban planning, public parks, trust for public land, guerrilla gardening

New parks will be popping up all over the country today, thanks to Park(ing) Day, an annual event that turns paved parking spaces into temporary green gardens. The event was started in 2005 by ReBar, an art collective based in San Francisco, and is meant to challenge urbanites to think about what our public spaces would be like if they were designed for the pedestrian, rather than the car.

parking day 2008, parking day, rebar, san francisco parks, public space, urban space, urban planning, public parks, trust for public land, guerrilla gardening

Past events have received great responses, and this year promises to be no different with a slew of participating cities and 450 spaces to be transformed. For a full list, see Park(ing) Day sponsor’s website, The Trust for Public Land.

So go check it out!

“By turning parking spaces into instant parks, National Park(ing) Day creatively demonstrates how much our cities need parks. Across America, cities are renewing their investments in parks, because civic leaders have come to recognize that close-to-home parks, gardens, and playgrounds are essential if we are to have cities that aren’t just livable, but lovable.” -Will Rogers, Trust for Public Land president

+ Park(ing) Day 2008

+ ReBAR

+ The Trust for Public Land

parking day 2008, parking day, rebar, san francisco parks, public space, urban space, urban planning, public parks, trust for public land, guerrilla gardening

parking day 2008, parking day, rebar, san francisco parks, public space, urban space, urban planning, public parks, trust for public land, guerrilla gardening

Kawasaki Reveals The Fastest Bullet Train in Japan

Kawasaki Reveals The Fastest Bullet Train in Japan
by Mike Chino

kawasakiefset.jpg

Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. recently announced that it is developing the country’s fastest high speed train! Named the “Environmentally Friendly Super Express Train” (efSET), the modern marvel will propel passengers along at 217 miles per hour, besting the record-holding Shinkansen’s 186mph. The streamlined design also promises to be less noisy, more energy efficient, and will feature a state-of-the-art electrical control system.

The introduction of Kawasaki’s new high-speed train stands to improve upon Japan’s standing rail system, already considered to be one of the most efficient in the world. The efSET will feature an extremely lightweight and aerodynamic profile in addition to a regenerative braking system that will recycle the kinetic energy generated by its movement.

Kawasaki plans to finalize the design by March 2010, and the company has already announced that it plans to prepare the efSET for international release. They estimate that 10,000 km of high-speed railways will be deployed over the next 20 years - lets hope some of those lines fall within the United States!

The Car of the Future: Designing a Smarter Vehicle

The Car of the Future: Designing a Smarter Vehicle
by Mike Chino

smart car, rca concept car, smarter vehicle, sustainable transportation, alternative energy, joonas vartola

RCA Concept car by Joonas Vartola

What intelligent new systems will the cars of tomorrow feature? Recently we were asked by Best of the Green Web to compose our thoughts about the future of personal transportation into a three part series. Whereas in past weeks we’ve focused upon the drive towards creating more efficient vehicles from eco-friendly materials, this week we focus on the more intricate technologies required to achieve the goal of sustainable transportation. After all, increasing fuel efficiency is a worthy goal, but let’s face it - if we really want to change our relationship with our cars, we need them to be smart. Check out Best of the Green Web for the full article!

Molo Debuts Expandable Honeycomb Urchin Lamp Antonia Halse

Molo Debuts Expandable Honeycomb Urchin Lamp
by Antonia Halse

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

We are excited to announce that one of our favorite contemporary furniture design teams, Molo, just launched a brand new fold-up paper lantern called ‘Urchin’. Molo’s Urchin Softlights are a series of gorgeous expandable lamps composed of flexible-yet-durable honeycomb craft paper. Urchin embodies Molo’s versatile design philosophy and is as adaptable as their paper walls or stacking blocks, allowing the user to lift or push the softlight into any desired position. Watch designer Stefanie Forsythe styling her Urchin softlights in a flash intro here.

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

Molo’s trademark tactile honeycomb weave material is designed for indoor use and can accommodate LED or compact florescent lightbulbs. The softlight comes in a variety of sizes and works well in groups for sculptural modules as photographed below. If their busy stand at 100% Design last week is anything to go by, we’re sure they will have orders coming in thick and fast!

+ Molo Design

+ 100% Design

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% designmolo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% designmolosoftlight.jpg

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

Molo at 100% Design last week.

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

Molo at 100% Design last week.

molo urchin softlight, energy efficient lighting, flatpack lamp, molo design, molo light sculpture, green design, sustainable design, 100% design

SOM’s Stunning Cathedral of Christ the Light

SOM’s Stunning Cathedral of Christ the Light
by Bridgette Steffen

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

Throughout time, cathedrals have signified some of the human race’s most awe-inspiring architectural endeavors. Continuing this trend, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill recently completed construction on their incredible Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. If you have been searching for religious -or architectural- inspiration, check out their awe-inspiring cathedral. The stunning structure makes beautiful use of glass, fly ash concrete, and fsc-certified wood, but we were most impressed by its incredible use of natural light. SOM is well known for its work on many other large projects such as offices, airports, islands, museums, and skyscrapers.

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

Craig Hartman, the lead architect for this project, says he “couldn’t imagine a more important commission than to design a cathedral.” Cathedrals of this magnitude are not often built, so to be chosen to build one among many other qualified architects is truly an honor. The Diocese’s main focus for the design was its use of daylighting. Hartman proposed that light would be the key “to create a contemporary design that was still evocative of the Church’s two millennium-old traditions.” To achieve this heavenly goal, Hartman consulted his retired SOM partner, Walter Netsch, who designed the 1950s Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which is also well known for its use of light.

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

SOM’s Cathedral goes against the classical design of cathedrals and basilicas, which take the form of a cross with the altar placed at the intersection. Hartman wanted a more modern structure that embodied the community, so they placed the altar in the center surrounded by seating. Circular motifs play and important role in the design, especially the outside structure, which funnels up 12 stories towards a glass oculus roof. The skylight focuses light onto the center altar, allows views of the sky, and is also part of the unique passive cooling system. The system uses natural convection to cool air as it rises up through floor vents and out through openings in the oculus.

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

Additional sustainable features of the building include the extensive use of natural light to cut back on energy use during the day. The structure’s concrete was formed using fly ash and contributes thermal mass for heating and cooling. Finally the beautiful woodwork provides warmth to the building and came from FSC certified Douglas Fir. The Diocese asked that the Cathedral be built to stand the test of time for at least 300 years, and it is also seismically outfitted to withstand a significant earthquake.

The site for the Catholic Cathedral is the location of the old St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, which was irreparably damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Cathedral of Christ the Light is home to the Oakland Diocese, the Bishop and over 500,000 parishioners. Construction began in 2005 and was just recently completed, with the Cathedral scheduled to be dedicated and consecrated on Thursday, September 25th in a private service. It will be open to the public for a special mass on Friday at 10 am, and regular weekend service will begin on Sunday.

+ Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Via World Architecture News

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

som cathedral, skidmore owings & merrill, sustainable cathedral, green cathedral, oakland cathedral, sustainable architecture, green building, fsc-certified wood, passive cooling system, fly ash concrete, daylighting

Monday, September 29, 2008

Common LED Types and Packages

LEDs come in two basic categories:

Low power LEDs
commonly come in 5 mm size, although they are also available in 3 mm and 8 mm sizes. These are fractional wattage devices, typically 0.1 watt, operate at low current (~20 milliamps) and low voltage (3.2 volts DC), and produce a small amount of light, perhaps 2 to 4 lumens.

High power LEDs come in 1-3 watt packages. They are driven at much higher current, typically 350, 700, or 1000 mA, and—with current technology—can produce 40-80 lumens per 1-watt package.

High power LEDs come in many different shapes and sizes. Some current products from the leading LED manufacturers are shown below.


Structure of a 5mm type LED.
Source: Lumileds™

Luxeon® K2 Emitter / Lumileds
Structure of a high-brightness LED.
Source: Lumileds™



Cree XLamp 7090
Cree® XLamp 7090
Luxeon K2 Emitter
Philips Lumileds
Luxeon® K2 Emitter
Osram® OSTAR Lighting
Osram® OSTAR Lighting

Luminous Efficacy

Energy efficiency of light sources is typically measured in lumens per watt (lm/W), meaning the amount of light produced for each watt of electricity consumed by the light source. This is known as luminous efficacy. DOE's long-term research and development goal calls for white-light LEDs producing 160 lm/W in cost-effective, market-ready systems by 2025. In the meantime, how does the luminous efficacy of today's white LEDs compare to traditional light sources? Currently, the most efficacious white LEDs can perform similarly to fluorescent lamps. However, there are several important caveats, as explained below.

Color Quality
The most efficacious LEDs have very high correlated color temperatures (CCTs), often above 5000K, producing a “cold” bluish light. However, warm white LEDs (2600K to 3500K) have improved significantly, now approaching the efficacy of CFLs. In addition to warmer appearance, LED color rendering is also improving: leading warm white LEDs are now available with color rendering index (CRI) of 80, equivalent to CFLs.

Driver Losses
Fluorescent and high-intensity discharge (HID) light sources cannot function without a ballast, which provides a starting voltage and limits electrical current to the lamp. LEDs also require supplementary electronics, usually called drivers. The driver converts line power to the appropriate voltage (typically between 2 and 4 volts DC for high-brightness LEDs) and current (generally 200-1000 milliamps or mA), and may also include dimming and/or color correction controls.

Currently available LED drivers are typically about 85% efficient. So LED efficacy should be discounted by 15% to account for the driver. For a rough comparison, the range of luminous efficacies for traditional and LED sources, including ballast and driver losses as applicable, are shown below.

Light Source

Typical Luminous Efficacy Range in lm/W

(varies depending on wattage and lamp type)

Incandescent (no ballast)

10-18

Halogen (no ballast)

15-20

Compact fluorescent (CFL) (incl. ballast)

35-60

Linear fluorescent (incl. ballast)

50-100

Metal halide (incl. ballast)

50-90

Cool white LED 5000K (incl. driver)

47-64*

Warm white LED 3300K (incl. driver)

25-44*

* As of October 2007.


Thermal Effects
The luminous flux figures cited by LED manufacturers are based on an LED junction temperature (Tj) of 25°C. LEDs are tested during manufacturing under conditions that differ from actual operation in a fixture or system. In general, luminous flux is measured under instantaneous operation (perhaps a 20 millisecond pulse) in open air. Tj will always be higher when operated under constant current in a fixture or system. LEDs in a well-designed luminaire with adequate heat sinking will produce 10%-15% less light than indicated by the “typical luminous flux” rating.