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Is AI the secret ingredient for tastier alt meat?
CategoriesSustainable News

Is AI the secret ingredient for tastier alt meat?

By Zarkon Group,

Using AI for tastier plant-based meat

Spotted: Despite a well-publicised difficult year in 2023, plant-based meat is on the rise, with the global market forecast to reach revenues of $24.8 billion by 2030. But while the long-term drivers for plant-based meat look promising, many in the industry feel that the ‘mouthfeel’ of the products available today is holding the market back, as is the high cost of production.

Now, Israeli non-profit GreenProtein AI hopes to tackle both problems at once by consolidating the knowledge of alternative protein innovators to help companies find the perfect ‘extrusion’ settings for meat-like plant-based protein.

In the context of plant-based meat, extrusion is the process through which various protein sources are converted into an output that has the sinuous texture of meat. Today, the process is unpredictable due to the number of parameters involved, and optimising outcomes through trial and error is expensive, particularly for smaller companies. GreenProtein’s artificial intelligence (AI), could prove a game-changer in making the process more efficient and predictable.

Key to the organisation’s approach is the collation of a diverse dataset from across the entire industry through the pooling of insights from individual manufacturers and facilities. All this data feeds GreenProtein’s algorithm, enabling it to simulate the texture produced by different combinations of ingredients and parameters, identifying the optimal approach. The AI can also help minimise production waste and energy consumption, leading to more sustainable manufacturing and reduced production costs.

GreenProtein works through collaborations with plant-based meat manufacturers, laboratories, extrusion facilities, and manufacturers of extrusion equipment, all of whom stand to benefit from unique insights and the maturation of the market as a whole.

Plant-based proteins are an important part of the puzzle for providing sufficient protein to a growing world population, and Springwise’s library contains several examples of innovations seeking to make them more affordable and delicious. This includes a company that is ‘spinning’ protein fibres like textile threads, and a company eliminating inefficiencies in plant protein production.

Written By: Keely Khoury and Matthew Hempstead

The post Is AI the secret ingredient for tastier alt meat? appeared first on Springwise.

Reference

What’s So Luxurious About Luxury Vinyl Tile, Part I: The Dirty Secret Behind a DIYer’s Dream Material
CategoriesArchitecture

What’s So Luxurious About Luxury Vinyl Tile, Part I: The Dirty Secret Behind a DIYer’s Dream Material

By Zarkon Group,

This article was written by Burgess Brown. Healthy Materials Lab is a design research lab at Parsons School of Design with a mission to place health at the center of every design decision. HML is changing the future of the built environment by creating resources for designers, architects, teachers, and students to make healthier places for all people to live. Check out their podcast, Trace Material.

This is Part I of a three-part series on the hazards of vinyl flooring. In Part II we’ll explore the long history of worker endangerment by the vinyl industry and the ways that legacy continues in China today.

If you’ve stayed in a recently renovated AirBnB, stumbled upon quickly-flipped properties on Zillow, or tuned into the DIY corner of YouTube in the last couple of years, you’ll recognize a common interior design trend: imitation wood or stone floors branded as “Luxury Vinyl Tile.” These floors are everywhere and for good reason. LVT is affordable, durable, easy to maintain and quick to install — a DIYer’s dream! But it’s not just DIYers that have hopped on the LVT train —vast numbers of high-end hotels, schools, affordable housing units and office buildings have plasticized their floors.

Behind the slick rebrand and influencers’ stamp of approval, LVT manufacturers are hiding a “dirty climate secret,” according to a recent report from the Center for Environmental Health, Material Research L3C, and Autocase Economic Advisory.

What’s in a Name?

Image generated by Architizer using Midjourney

Vinyl flooring has been around in some form since the plastics revolution of the early 20th century. It became a residential interior staple during the postwar housing boom. Sheet vinyl was a quick and affordable option for developers racing to house a growing population. Today’s vinyl can look quite different, but at its core, it’s still a petrochemical product made with chemicals of serious health and climate concern. The addition of the luxury classification in vinyl branding is a recent marketing term, and it is hoodwinking hordes of purchasers. It typically designates vinyl tiles or panels (LVT or LVP) that are made to imitate the look of wood, stone or ceramic.

The popularity of these tiles and panels, particularly of the loose lay variety, have exploded thanks to another boom period: pandemic renovations. In 2021, LVT sales grew by a whopping 37.4%. By 2022, vinyl flooring made in China alone became the most common flooring sold in the United States, accounting for over one- quarter of all flooring sold in the U.S. According to the report from Center for Environmental Health, there are serious issues with lack of transparency and accuracy around the human and environmental toll of the LVT boom.

A Dirty Climate Secret

Image generated by Architizer using Midjourney

CEH’s report, titled “Flooring’s Dirty Climate Secret”, uncovers issues with the accuracy of reported carbon emissions by manufacturers of LVT and a lack of transparency around toxic chemicals used in production of vinyl flooring. Here are the four key findings from the report:

1. Carbon Emissions from producing PVC are underestimated by between 8% and 180% in Manufacturer Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

According to the report, manufacturer EPDs use outdated data and rely on carbon emission estimates from a single U.S. based production plant that doesn’t accurately reflect global emissions.

2. Workers all along the supply chain, along with frontline and fenceline communities in the U.S. and abroad are endangered by exposure to hazardous chemicals used to make LVT; Vinyl flooring manufacturers use significant quantities of highly toxic chemicals like PFAS and mercury to produce PVC.

PFAS, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances also known as “forever chemicals,” are toxic to humans at extremely low levels of exposure. The production of PFAS chemicals releases greenhouse gasses that degrade the ozone layer while mercury, also used in PVC production, produces climate warming greenhouse gas emissions. You may have seen recent coverage of a report from the U.S. Geological Survey that found PFAS in nearly half of the tap water in the U.S.

3. Asbestos is used to produce chlorine to make PVC flooring in the United States – importing asbestos for PVC production represents the last remaining legal use of this toxic mineral fiber.

Yes, you read that right: asbestos. The U.S. imports approximately 373 metric tons of asbestos from mines in Russia and Brazil each year specifically to fuel the production of PVC. There is risk of exposure and release into the environment at all stages of this global supply chain. The EPA, which has partially restricted asbestos use in the U.S., proposed a ban on asbestos in 2022 that has been met with fierce opposition from the chemical industry.

4. Increased use of coal has resulted in higher carbon dioxide emissions because US manufacturers have shifted the majority of vinyl flooring production to China.

U.S. vinyl flooring manufacturers have shifted the bulk of production to China where coal is used to produce PVC instead of natural gas, which is used in the U.S. The use of coal as a feedstock releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

So, according to the CEH report, the LVT boom is causing an enormous increase in carbon emissions and is exposing workers, fenceline communities and residents to extremely toxic chemicals. All of this is under or mis-reported by vinyl manufacturers. Where does this leave architects, designers, and DIYers choosing flooring? We have to ask what is the true cost of this “inexpensive” product and why would we ever want to use this product? Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful, healthy, and affordable alternatives to LVT.

Healthier, Affordable Alternatives

Image generated by Architizer using Midjourney

When choosing flooring materials, look for materials containing benign, regenerative ingredients and use non-toxic finishes. Here are some options to specify instead of vinyl:

  1. Linoleum (tiles, planks, and poured) is made primarily from plants—linseed oil from the flax plant and wood flour from trees. Other ingredients are added to ensure durability.
  2. Cork comes from the bark of the Cork Oak tree, which is harvested and regenerates without injuring the tree.
  3. Hempwood is a plant-based option that supports carbon sequestration through growing hemp. Its durability is equivalent to hardwood.
  4. Solid hardwood can be finished using products free of toxic solvents, allowing it to breathe and help regulate the interior climate and improve indoor air quality.
  5. Engineered hardwood made with soy-based binders is often more affordable than a solid wood option.
  6. Porcelain tile is benign and fully vitrified, making it highly durable and chemical-resistant.
  7. Reclaimed flooring, when made from healthy materials and found locally, saves materials that would end up in landfills and reduces carbon emissions and health impacts.

For more in-depth guidance on healthier flooring, check out the Healthy Materials Lab flooring materials collection. You’ll find detailed spec guidance and a list of rigorously vetted flooring products that have been holistically evaluated by our team for their content and performance.

This is Part I of a three-part series on the hazards of vinyl flooring. In Part II we’ll explore the long history of worker endangerment by the vinyl industry and the ways that legacy continues in China today.

Reference

Coil Coatings: Architects’ Secret to Brighter Metal Building Façades
CategoriesSustainable News

Coil Coatings: Architects’ Secret to Brighter Metal Building Façades

By Zarkon Group,

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

The best architecture is tied to community and local contexts. The products manufacturers create for a building bring ideas to life through shapes, colors and materials. As metal structures and product applications have become more commonplace, so too have the variety of ways to express design concepts. This is especially true for metal coatings, used in everything from curtain walls and metal wall panel systems to roofing, louvers and sunshades. Today, manufacturer Sherwin-Williams is reimagining color and expression through coil coatings.

As the manufacturer states when describing their approach to factory-applied coil coatings for architecture, they can “create nearly any color or effect you can dream up.” Coil coating, sometimes called pre-painted metal, is an efficient way to produce a uniform, high-quality, coated finish. The key is that the metal is painted before rather than after fabrication. The types of paint curing used in the coil industry include thermal, infrared, induction and UV cure. Exploring these coatings through color and specific products, the following projects showcase the range of applications created by Sherwin-Williams. Together, they represent a technology that is versatile and high quality, with a range of cost, environmental and performance benefits.

Edmonton Public Library

Designed by Patkau Architects, Edmonton, Canada

The Capilano Library connects its suburban community to nature. The library form is developed from its cross section, which is folded to form three peaks across the site, each with a different scale. Each of the three peaks responds to scale, function, natural light and view. The western peak reflects the scale of the neighborhood with a quiet edge of support spaces along the street. The eastern peak is intimately scaled, with varied seating along a serene window overlooking the nearby ravine. The design is enhanced by the mix of rectangular and polygonal ALPOLIC metal panels that were installed around the library’s exterior.

ALPOLIC metal composite materials deliver excellent flatness and exceptional formability to give the library a sophisticated exterior aesthetic. The metal panels are coated in a Valflon finish supplied by Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. The rich, vibrant and high-gloss color is a fluoropolymer FEVE resin-based coating that offers color consistency, protection against weathering, chalking and fading, and excellent overall adhesion. This finish also meets the highest performance standards, including AAMA 2605 specifications. In time, the Edmonton Public Library Capilano Branch has become a central space for the community.

Wolf Creek Library

Designed by Leo A Daly, Atlanta, GA, United States

The Wolf Creek Library design was made as a community destination and as a catalyst for growth. The exterior features an outdoor reading garden and terraced seating. The library houses 5,700 square feet of adult collections, 5,000 square feet of children’s collections, a computer/learning station room, teen area, music room, sub-dividable community meeting room for 125 people and two conference rooms with smart boards and projectors. Originally, copper was considered as cladding material for the building’s iconic wedge-shaped façade. But, ultimately, it was determined that ALPOLIC’s aluminium composite material (ACM) was a superior solution.

The custom MRT Prismatic Magma finish would evoke the original copper intent, but offer a more vibrant visual experience. Sherwin-Williams Valflon coating provides the shimmer and shifting colour the architects desired. The simple but geometric design is at once bold but refined and enhanced by the Valflon coil coating. Durable with excellent adhesion and flexibility properties, the FEVE resin allows each prismatic color to have an intense brightness of shade and a high-gloss quality. In the daytime, the Wolf Creek Library’s appearance shifts from copper to red to orange, depending on the time of day, weather conditions and viewing angle.

St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church

Designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, Springdale, AR, United States

The Saint Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church transformed a generic shop building into a place of worship and fellowship. The architects kept the interior simple but utilized box rib metal panels for the exterior. Metal Sales manufactured the T-10A metal walls panels, which are coated in Metallic Silver and Dark Bronze Fluropon colors from Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. A thin cross, lit up in red, is also visible on the western side of the church.

Marlon Blackwell created an addition on the western side of the 3,600 square-foot building in order to orient the structure toward the eastern axis, which is typical for Greek Orthodox churches. The skylit tower pours red light down into the transition between the narthex and the sanctuary, giving a moment of pause before entering to worship. A narrow cross is suspended on the western side of the tower, backlit by the morning sun to become a beacon for arriving parishioners. Once inside the sanctuary, a transom that spans the entire width of the space faces east and bathes the space in soft morning light during Sunday morning services.

Formosa1140

Designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects [LOHA], West Hollywood, CA, United States

Located in the heart of Los Angeles, this new eleven unit housing project emphasizes the central importance of shared open space for the residents and the community. Formosa takes what would be the internalized open space of the courtyard and moves it to the exterior of the building to create a park. This plan, O’Herlihy’s firm says, “simultaneously creates density and green space and models a replicable prototype for incremental community-driven city development.” Completed in 2008, the 16,000-square-foot building features a red corrugated metal exterior. Sherwin-Williams was chosen for its flagship Fluropon coating to be the product of choice for Formosa.

Using Sherwin-Williams 70% PVDF Fluropon coating, a custom red color — Coronado Red — was inspired by the iconic nearby Formosa Café, and not only highlighted the texture and pattern of the exterior, but also contrasted with the green shades of the park. The metal façade is made of 12,900 square feet of perforated T16-E panels from Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation, which conceal and shade outdoor walkways on the three-story building, giving residents a sense of privacy in spite of the structure’s openness to the park and street.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

By The Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, Davis Brody Bond LLP, Washington, DC, United States

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) holds a prominent place on the National Mall. As the team outlines, the primary architectural idea for the museum was derived from the classical tripartite column with its base, shaft and capital. In Yoruban art and architecture, the column or wooden post was usually crafted with a capital resembling a crown. This crown or corona form is the central idea which has driven the design of the museum.

Reaching toward the sky, the bronze clad corona expresses faith, hope and resiliency. Once the final color idea was identified, the new challenge of obtaining the perfect hue began. Three custom shades, African Sunset, African Sunrise and African Rose, and one standard shade of Black Sherwin-Williams Fluropon coating were used on these massive aluminum panels, each weighing around 200 pounds and stretching 4 by 5 feet. Each panel that was custom cast by Morel Industries was finished with five different coating layers, each a different color of the Fluropon coating, to achieve the exact bronze shade desired by the design team. Eventually, the final color was created, called “Artisan 3.5.”

Central Arizona College, Maricopa Campus

Designed by SmithGroup, Maricopa, AZ, United States

This new ground up campus was designed to create a unique and authentic identity for the growing Central Arizona College. The three building campus is conceptually rooted in its historic agricultural roots and Native American legacy. Structures are conceived as a series of honest, spare and no maintenance ‘academic sheds.’ Deep overhangs let interior academic spaces flow outdoors seamlessly. Corten steel and rammed earth create the primary exterior language eliminating the need for long term maintenance.

The diverse program includes teaching laboratories, classrooms, culinary arts, a café, bookstore, library, learning center, interactive distance learning classrooms, student services, administration and a multipurpose community room. To ensure the unique appearance, Sherwin-Williams Fluropon coating in Cor-Ten AZP was chosen to adorn the facility. This coating achieves the look of Cor-Ten Steel through a two-step process using a print effect Floropon coating. The coating, containing 70% PVDF resins, provides the strongest protection against weathering, aging and pollution for color retention to preserve the beautiful aesthetic of the facility for years to come.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

Reference

Hidden Secret: How Energy Usage Was Transformed in Marcel Breuer’s Iconic Hotel
CategoriesArchitecture

Hidden Secret: How Energy Usage Was Transformed in Marcel Breuer’s Iconic Hotel

By Zarkon Group,

With climate change now firmly at the forefront of every architects’ mind, new innovations that help reduce carbon emissions are more critical than ever. While flashy façades and green roofs often take the headlines, it’s actually the hidden components of buildings — those elements concealed behind walls, in roof spaces, or within maintenance floors — where the most groundbreaking energy-efficient systems can be found.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Heat2O® Heat Pump Water Heater is a prime example. Through energy-efficient operation and reduction of on-site carbon emissions, this cutting-edge system significantly reduces the environmental impact of producing large volumes of Domestic Hot Water (DHW), a key consideration for hospitality, commercial and multi-unit residential projects.

Thanks to its modular design, the Heat2O system can be harnessed for complex adaptive reuse and renovation projects as well as new constructions. Notably, the technology was put to use in the iconic Hotel Marcel, a $50 million adaptive reuse of the historic Pirelli building, designed by Marcel Breuer. With the goal of becoming the first net-zero hotel in the United States, the installation of Heat2O is helping the building secure its LEED® Platinum certification.

Hotel Marcel, formerly the Pirelli building, designed by Marcel Breuer

Architizer spoke with the bright minds behind Mitsubishi Electric’s latest systems to learn more about how the brand is innovating to meet the increasingly ambitious environmental goals of its clients.

Architizer Congratulations on winning a 2022 A+Product Award! What does winning this accolade mean to you and your brand? 

Mitsubishi Electric: As a company, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US works toward contributing to a more sustainable society by developing and promoting energy-saving all-electric products and systems that will reduce the use of fossil fuels in the heating and cooling industry. Being recognized for our efforts in this area is significant and means a great deal. Recognitions such as this confirm we’re on the right track and provide momentum in moving forward to reach our goals.

What inspired the design of your product?

Heat2O has been available overseas for several years. After witnessing its positive impact on a building’s energy efficiency and carbon footprint, we wanted to bring this technology to the U.S. market. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) required by multifamily buildings, hotels, hospitals, senior living facilities and other commercial spaces accounts for roughly 25% of these buildings’ annual energy usage. Until the introduction of Heat2O, the U.S. building industry lacked an energy-efficient solution to provide high-volume DHW for commercial buildings.

Tell us about the manufacturing process — What are the key stages involved and how do these help ensure a high quality end product?

To produce the Heat2O QAHV units, Mitsubishi Electric uses a “cell manufacturing process” whereby one person is responsible for each step of the assembly process. Each person is trained at a high level and has an electronic display to ensure they follow clear guidelines/instructions in the process.

Once the unit is assembled it goes through a full functionality test, including electrical safety and operational testing. All test data and unit information including the people who assembled the product are recorded and assigned to the serial number of the product. This ensures that an audit can be performed, and data retrieved post sale if required.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Heat2O® Heat Pump Water Heater

What detail of your product was most challenging to design, and why? How did you resolve it?

The most challenging aspect was the heat exchange between the CO2 refrigerant and water circuit. The heat exchanger is a unique and patented design and is called the “Twisted Spiral Gas Cooler.” The challenge was to provide the best possible efficiency while still maintaining a relatively small footprint. This was overcome by using a unique design and using a twisted coil approach, with six of the heat exchangers stacked above one another.

What makes your product unique and of great value to specifying architects?

The all-electric, cold-climate Heat2O Hot Water Heat Pump reduces the environmental impact of DHW through energy-efficient operation and using CO2 refrigerant. CO2, a natural and environmentally friendly refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) of one and an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero, helps commercial facilities qualify for rigorous sustainability certifications such as passive house status. Using Heat2O reduces on-site carbon emissions in the production of domestic hot water.

Bathroom in the new Hotel Marcel

What has the reception to your product been like from architects/clients/consumers?

We launched Heat2O in select markets. So far, the demand has been phenomenal. One of the most notable installations was in the $50 million adaptive reuse of the historic Pirelli building in New Haven, CT, into Hotel Marcel, which is projected to be the first net-zero hotel in the United States. Aiming for LEED® Platinum certification and a 60% increase in energy efficiency compared to code requirements, Heat2O was installed to achieve the project’s aggressive sustainability goals.

How do you see the product evolving in future?

Efficiency improvements will always be a driving factor and goal, together with evolving controls options. There are also many opportunities to combine QAHV with other future products in the Mitsubishi Electric portfolio.

To find out more about Mitsubishi Electric, visit MitsubishiComfort.com, and reach out to one of their experts to learn how to incorporate the Heat2O into your next project.

All photos courtesy of METUS

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