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Bringing clean water to overlooked rural communities
CategoriesSustainable News

Bringing clean water to overlooked rural communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Today, around two billion people around the world lack reliable access to clean drinking water. And while there are a large number of programmes aimed at expanding access to water in urban areas, improving rural water supply can be more expensive and difficult to deliver, and so often takes a back seat. Now, however, Chilean startup Remote Waters is focusing precisely on this type of outlying region.

The company specialises in supplying small-scale modular water treatment and desalination systems made for remote, rural, and off-grid areas. The company sources water that is unfit for consumption (like brackish water or ocean water) and devises a bespoke, solar-powered membrane filtration system to render it potable.

Once purified, the water is transferred to a pressurised water system or an elevated water tank to facilitate delivery. The system can be operated and monitored remotely, which lowers maintenance costs and speeds problem detection. It is available for lease as well as sale.

The company is currently in partnership discussions with several large companies to explore possible funding streams. Remote Waters founder and CEO Pablo Cassorla told Springwise that the company hopes to “Franchise our brand in different countries of [Latin America], increasing our clean water availability capacity in communities.”

‘Availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’ is a key UN Sustainable Development Goal (Goal 6). Recent innovations helping to meet this goal include solar nanogrids to supply water and power and digital water treatment technology.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Amphibious Architecture: Designing Resilient Coastal Communities for the Future
CategoriesArchitecture

Amphibious Architecture: Designing Resilient Coastal Communities for the Future

By Zarkon Group,

Architizer’s 12th Annual A+Awards are officially underway! Sign up for key program updates and prepare your submission ahead of the Main Entry Deadline on  December 15th.  

As climate change unfolds, bringing about rising sea levels, increased occurrences of flooding and a surge in climatic events, the concept of living in a floating home — or houseboat — could potentially emerge as a pragmatic and innovative solution to face the environmental challenges associated with coastal living. Opting for a floating home is not just a practical choice but a visionary one. It signifies a departure from the vulnerabilities associated with traditional coastal housing and an embrace of a lifestyle that aligns with the dynamic and ever-changing character of coastal ecosystems. It is a bold step towards a future where adaptability and ingenuity are at the forefront of our response to the challenges posed by climate change along our coastlines.

Sustainably designed buildings that float on water could positively influence the preservation of at-risk waterside communities at a point where the evolution of coastal development stands at a critical juncture. This evolution demands a transformative shift to confront the adverse consequences of climate change, and the traditional paradigms governing coastal areas must undergo a profound reevaluation that calls for a departure from conventional practices. There is an imperative need for sustainable and adaptive approaches characterized by resilient infrastructure, eco-friendly design principles, and a profound understanding of the delicate balance between human settlements and the dynamic coastal environment.

Hope Floats: Embracing a Wetter Future

Floating Office Rotterdam

Floating Office Rotterdam by Powerhouse Company. Rotterdam, Netherlands. | Photo by Mark Seelen.

Coastal land areas have long endured the consequences of unchecked development. However, looking at the positive aspects amid the challenges of coastal development, there lies a realm of possibilities for innovative design solutions that address the complexities of proximity to water. Coastal development opens avenues beyond the construction of nature-based or man-made flood protection infrastructure, emphasizing adaptability and a symbiotic relationship with the dynamic forces of nature.

Within the realms of design and urban planning, attention turns to floating houses and amphibious architecture — some to float permanently, others built on special foundations allowing them to rest on solid ground or float when necessary. These creative solutions aim to mitigate environmental impacts and incorporate resilient design strategies in harmony with natural surroundings. Floating homes can integrate green infrastructure, sustainable building materials, and innovative water management systems, contributing to a reduced environmental footprint. This aligns with a broader ethos of harmonizing human habitation with nature, forging a symbiotic relationship between dwellings and the surrounding aquatic ecosystems. Ultimately, these solutions could make existing communities more resilient and allow them to keep living in the places they are closely connected to.

Tides of Change: The Integration of Floating Houses in Urban Spaces

Waterwoningen

Waterwoningen by Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer. Amsterdam, Netherlands | Photo by Marcel van der Burg.

Waterwoningen

Waterwoningen. Site plan.

Floating houses are integral to an urban design ethos. Financially categorized as immovable properties, they rival traditional land-based housing in both interior volume and comfort. The appeal of waterfront living lies in its practical response to climate considerations and its role in reshaping urban development paradigms. Additionally, there’s an aesthetic dimension, as living on the water fosters a sense of liberty and closeness to nature. This not only addresses environmental challenges but also contributes to the reinvigoration of urban areas and the sustainable utilization of available space.

Waterbuurt-est, within Amsterdam’s IJburg development, features a density akin to the central Jordaan district, with around 100 homes per hectare. The Netherlands has a history of living close to water. That means living on land protected by dykes, on mounds, ashore, or floating. Only recently have floating homes been eligible as a significant solution to Holland’s modern housing needs. The design challenge was highlighting water as a distinctive feature. Floating houses on jetties and the Quay building on a water-protruding platform solved this, providing an acoustic barrier and parking, considering the ban on vehicles on jetties. Jetties accommodate four to twenty-five houses each, creating a dynamic community. Three towering “pile dwellings” punctuate the landscape, aligning with bridges connecting jetties. This intentional arrangement ensures uninterrupted water views, blending architectural innovation with the natural setting.

Water Cabin: A Tranquil Oasis in Seattle’s Floating Home Legacy

Water Cabin

Water Cabin by Olson Kundig. Seattle, Washington, United States. | Photo by Aaron Leitz.

Water Cabin continues a long history of floating homes in Seattle. Located in a floating home community on Portage Bay, just south of the University of Washington, it establishes a cabin sensibility in an urban environment. Low to the water and small in stature, the home’s interior program is thoughtfully arranged across two levels to maximize connections to the surrounding marine environment. Water Cabin’s materiality draws inspiration from the weathered informality of a cabin. Lightly stained knotty western red cedar exterior siding will weather over time with minimal maintenance. Durable, low-maintenance metal elements like galvanized steel and flame-sprayed zinc nod to the demanding marine environment and will complement the color of the siding as it silvers.

Seascape Metropolis: Rethinking Urban Living with Vertical City

The visionary idea of residing on water transcends being solely an architectural marvel; it emerges as a comprehensive solution for coastal cities navigating the complexities of climate change. It is a testament to the possibility of redefining urban living to be not just sustainable but also regenerative, turning the threats of climate change into an opportunity for creating resilient, vibrant, and environmentally conscious urban spaces along our coastlines.

Vertical Cities

Vertical City by Luca Curci Architects. Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Vertical City presents a visionary project proposing a water-settled “city-building” designed for 25,000 residents. This innovative initiative fosters a lifestyle deeply connected with water, challenging traditional notions of community and society. Integrating various renewable energy sources — such as wind and water turbines, solar panels, energy storage solutions, water desalination, and inclusive food production and farming — the project is dedicated to promoting a healthier lifestyle and reimagining urban living by eliminating suburban sprawl. By seamlessly blending sustainability with elevated population density, Vertical City aims to establish a zero-energy “city-building.”

While the challenges of developing land in contact with water are significant, they also offer a compelling canvas for reimagining urban landscapes. By embracing a holistic and sustainable design approach, we have the opportunity to transform potential drawbacks into catalysts for positive change, fostering resilient, inclusive, and harmonious urban environments along coastlines.

Architizer’s 12th Annual A+Awards are officially underway! Sign up for key program updates and prepare your submission ahead of the Main Entry Deadline on  December 15th.  

Reference

Mesh-grids for electrifying remote communities
CategoriesSustainable News

Mesh-grids for electrifying remote communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Following an increase in the number of people worldwide without access to electricity in 2022, 2023 is seeing a decline, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighting local home solar systems as one of the main reasons for the improvement. That growth, however, is still deemed too slow to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 of affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. 

Determined to assist the 700 million people without electricity, Okra Solar uses mesh-grids to bring hyperlocal solar energy systems to the world’s most remote communities. Mesh grids use low-voltage connections to distribute power between homes that are in very close proximity to each other.  

Any other type of network requires far more infrastructure such as cables, poles, and materials capable of containing higher voltage currents, all of which are key reasons why most of the world’s isolated communities remain without electricity. Okra Solar’s solution allows last-mile energy delivery by providing either standalone home solar (SHS) systems or a small number of connections between neighbours.  

An Okra pod is installed in every home, and the Internet of Things (IoT) capability makes sure that energy flows where it is needed in the network, which allows residents to consume more than they would otherwise generate on their own. The IoT also provides remote monitoring of the system via cellular data or Wi-Fi, and the pods are powerful enough to support appliances like freezers, power tools, and a variety of lights. 

Homeowners can make payments via mobile, and the cloud connection means that the system’s always-on monitoring ensures that homes have the required minimum amount of energy. The Okra Solar team creates a least-cost-of-electrification plan for every location and includes detailed cost breakdowns along with a comparison to alternatives such as microgrids.  

Okra Solar’s mesh-grids are being used by more than 14,000 people across four different countries, and the company recently raised $12 million (around €11.4 million) to scale further the deployment of its panels and system.  

Other recent solar power innovations in Springwise’s archive include the repurposing of old EV batteries for off-grid solar energy and a rent-to-own solar panel programme that makes renewable energy far more accessible.

Written By: Keely Khoury 

Reference

A portable solar fridge for delivering vaccines to rural communities
CategoriesSustainable News

A portable solar fridge for delivering vaccines to rural communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million deaths are caused by vaccine-preventable diseases every year and one, if not the main, obstacle to improving essential vaccine distribution is a lack of refrigerated storage. Now, a portable, solar-powered cool box is helping healthcare workers across Kenya improve vaccination rates for some of the most common diseases. 

Engineer Norah Magero created the VacciBox as part of her work as co-founder and CEO of Drop Access, a Kenya-based organisation supporting off-grid communities in becoming sustainable via renewable energy solutions. Drop Access helps small communities access financing for solar energy projects, trains farmers to use new sustainable agricultural methods, and makes it possible for healthcare teams to safely store and transport vaccines and medicines. Having initially outsourced manufacturing to China, Magero and her VacciBox co-founder James Mulatya knew that the cost of the refrigerator was important to expand vaccine access, so decided to work with other local engineers to keep production in the country. 

Solar-powered and with a built-in battery backup, VacciBox uses the Internet of Things (IoT) feature to track temperatures, location, and maintenance needs for each refrigerator. Designed explicitly to be easy to transport on the back of a bicycle or moped, the fridge comes with a pop-up handle, rubber wheels, and a USB charging port as an additional service.  

Currently in use in two pilot locations, immunisation at one of the facilities has already increased by 45 per cent with the help of the VacciBox. The design won the 2022 Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge Grand Prize, and Magero plans to use the $250,000 (around €234,000) prize to expand production and expand into other countries.  

The challenges of keeping medicines appropriately cool are sizeable, and Springwise has spotted innovations seeking ways to tackle this problem by creating medicines that are stable at room temperature, such as immunisations that are administered via a patch, or vaccines encased and protected in silica.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

This Firm is Putting Amazing Architecture at the Service of Communities
CategoriesArchitecture

This Firm is Putting Amazing Architecture at the Service of Communities

By Zarkon Group,

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter. 

Questions abound when architecture firms choose to undertake a project intended for community use. How can a building fulfill multiple client purposes in ever-more diverse communities? How will architects respect and contribute to a sense of identity for the people intending to use the place? How will a building incorporate sustainable design and technology given budgetary limitations? These questions constantly challenge architects because they require a different answer for every new context. Moreover, such projects require teams of architects and designers who have a rigorous understanding of the multi-faceted needs of a community but who are still willing to make bold architectural statements.

KSS Architects is one of those firms that regularly handle a high level of coordination between design teams, client interests and the built environment. It’s why for this week’s jobs newsletter, we want to highlight KSS, the award-winning firm designing new and adaptive reuse community-oriented projects across the United States.

The award-winning full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm has offices in New York, Philadelphia, and Princeton. Founded in 1983, KSS has grown to a team of 80 design professionals, building a reputation for design projects that stimulate the intersections of learning, commerce, and community.

When completed, the Amy Gutmann Hall by KSS Architects will be Philadelphia’s tallest timber building; image by KSS Architects

KSS’s architects takes pride in the firm’s comprehensive design approach – a quality apparent in the dozens of projects the firm has developed over the past few years. Take for instance the Amy Gutmann Hall, the University of Pennsylvania’s future data science building. The university wanted a building that would bring the digital and natural worlds together but was unsure how this vision could materialize. After extensive consultation with the administration, members of faculty, students and other community groups, KSS developed a plan to achieve just that: their final design is not only the first mass timber project for UPenn, but also the first six-story mass timber building in the city of Philadelphia. The timber structure reduces the building’s carbon footprint by 52% relative to concrete and 41% relative to steel. The project, which is slated for completion in 2024, is bound to herald a new era for sustainable architecture at the university and beyond. It will also provide a new spacious, warm and tactile environment welcoming to students, instructors and visitors alike.

The Amy Gutmann Hall project illustrates well the design approach and work culture undertaken at KSS. The firm pairs extensive community research with deft consensus-building in which every member of the team has a voice — and a stake — in the collective success of the project. Thanks to its collaborative and transparent design process, KSS builds strong relationships of trust with clients, allowing the firm to make boldly imaginative designs to address the unique goals of clients and the environmental challenges of today.

The Foundation Collegiate Academy in Newark, NJ, is one of many renovation projects KSS Architects has undertaken on charter schools in underserved communities; photo by KSS Architects

Interested in working for one of the most dynamic architectural firms in the United States focusing on community and sustainability? Consider applying to KSS Architects through Architizer’s jobs board.

The firm is currently for eight new positions for their Philadelphia offices: including Project Architects with levels of experience ranging from 3 to 10 years for QA/QC and Industrial Markets, as well as Architectural Designers with 3-5 years’ experience.

Browse the Architizer Jobs Board and apply for architecture and design positions at some of the world’s best firms. Click here to sign up for our Jobs Newsletter. 

Reference

A power system brings reliable, affordable electricity to off-grid communities across Africa
CategoriesSustainable News

A power system brings reliable, affordable electricity to off-grid communities across Africa

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In sub-Saharan Africa, the electrification gap is one of the primary barriers to development. As many as 600 million people in the region live without reliable power. Many basic needs, from education and healthcare to economic opportunity, remain out of reach for millions of people as a result.

Zola Electric, a company originally founded in Tanzania, has developed a power system that promises to bring reliable, affordable electricity to off-grid communities across Africa.

The Zola ‘Infinity’ system is designed to be more reliable and cost-effective than traditional grid-based power and can be quickly deployed to rural areas where electrification is most needed.

The system draws on multiple energy inputs and a smart storage system to provide continuous power. With Infinity, African families will finally have access to the lights, refrigeration, pumps, and other appliances that they need to improve their quality of life. Importantly, Infinity is also designed to be scalable and adaptable, meaning that it can grow with communities as their needs change.

Zola has received backing from a number of prestigious investors including Tesla, Total, and EDF.

Mini-grids and smart storage solutions will be increasingly important as the world’s energy system becomes more decentralised. Springwise has recently spotted a software service that optimises decentralised energy projects and a plug-and-play solar energy system for swarm electrification.

Written By: Katrina Lane

24th June 2022

Website: zolaelectric.com

Contact: zolaelectric.com/contact

Reference

Muscle-powered emergency generators for vulnerable communities
CategoriesSustainable News

Muscle-powered emergency generators for vulnerable communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Today 940 million people—13 per cent of the world’s population—lack access to electricity. For ten years, grassroots NGO Deciwatt has been developing renewable energy innovations that help the world’s most energy-insecure communities have emergency access to lighting. Now, it has launched a new product to expand the impact of its activities.  

The organisation’s origins lie in a project to replace the dangerous, expensive, and polluting kerosene lamps that are still relied on by hundreds of millions of people around the world. This brief inspired designers Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves to take advantage of the vast improvements in LED technology to create a lighting solution that harnessed the power of gravity. Supported by crowdfunding, this insight formed the basis of the GravityLight – a design that required no batteries or sunlight but was powered instead by a user pulling on a weighted cord.

Supported by further crowdfunding campaigns, the GravityLight was put through its paces in a series of field trials and further tweaked to meet the needs of users. However, despite the incremental improvements, users indicated that they needed a longer-lasting, brighter light, and the ability to charge mobile devices. This prompted a pivot to a new product – the NowLight.

The refined design of the NowLight provides instant light and power. The device can provide over two hours of light from the user pulling on a cord for just one minute. And, crucially, the new design is over ten times brighter than the GravityLight and is efficient enough to charge devices through a USB port. Moreover, it provides versatility by supporting mains and solar charging.

Springwise has also recently spotted a sodium-ion battery system that provides power to vulnerable communities. And a university student has also developed a kinetic energy power source for remote areas. Another innovation that helps to tackle the immediate causes of insecurity of supply, is a smart energy device that helps to reduce the impact of electric hot water systems in South Africa.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

8th April 2022

Website: deciwatt.global

Contact: deciwatt.global/contact

Reference

Ground-breaking new batteries for remote communities
CategoriesSustainable News

Ground-breaking new batteries for remote communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: UK-based renewable energy and battery specialist AceOn has teamed up with battery pioneer AMTE Power to use next generation solar-powered energy storage units to bring electricity to remote sub-Saharan African communities. AceOn has developed the AceOnPES (portable energy storage) power unit which will run on sodium-ion battery cells produced by AMTE. 

While conventional lithium-ion batteries use raw materials—such as lithium and cobalt—that are in finite supply, sodium-based cells use sodium instead. This offers huge potential advantages, as sodium is plentiful almost everywhere and can be extracted using minimal energy. This could allow wider and cheaper battery manufacture.

Because they lack heavy metals, sodium batteries are also much easier to recycle, and their use would eliminate much of the risk of pollution from both mining and battery disposal. The two companies point out that sodium-ion batteries have huge potential for application in energy storage – where there is a need to vastly scale-up production of safe, stable battery technology to support the growth of renewable energy.

Mark Thompson, managing director of Telford-based AceOn, explains that the new battery chemistry can make global electrification more sustainable. “We’ve been championing sodium-based technology for years as a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion, and thanks to our partnership with AMTE, we can finally use it in our product… These batteries are the future.” 

Efficient and sustainable energy storage is vital for the large-scale use of renewable energy. At Springwise, we have recently covered innovations in this area such as a technology that yields almost pure graphite from used lithium-ion batteries, and an energy storage system located at the bottom of the sea. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

21st March 2022

Website: amtepower.com

Contact: amtepower.com/contact

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