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Five ideas for 2010

12/1/2010

Building4change.com's pick of the innovations, from the roof membrane that can be recycled into paper products to ways of sharing your space.

Sustainable development calls for clever technologies and smart thinking. Here's a selection of the new ideas that could be taking centre stage in the future. 

Let us know what you think of them, and if you have your own example of clever new technology or some smart thinking, email us at building4change@bre.co.uk.

1. Organic LEDs

The Carbon Trust has faith in Welsh company Lomox's lighting technology, having just given them nearly half a million pounds in grant funding to take forward their organic LED (OLED) lighting. OLED technology has traditionally had problems with operational lifetime, efficiency, shelf life and production cost but Lomox has overcome such issues, making it feasible to create flat panel displays that: can be put onto flexible substrates, are less than 1 mm thick, are lightweight, and cost less than LCDs. The scale, flexibility, thinness and light weight of the technology has led to much talk about the potential to use it to create light emitting wallpaper.

Lomox was founded in 2007, and the following year filed patents for its technology. It says its new technology will reduce energy consumption by around 60 per cent and gives a more pleasing-looking light.

2. Roof renting and solar leasing

Why buy a solar panel? Renting out your warehouse roof to a solar panel specialist or leasing a panel for your home is becoming increasingly popular in the USA and continental Europe.  

Recession hit property companies and big businesses are turning to roof renting to generate revenue. For homeowners, leasing is promoted as a low cost and hassle-free route to renewables.

In December 2009 the Financial Times reported that US real estate investment trust Developers Diversified Realty had sold options on more than 200 of its retail locations to solar energy services company SunEdison.

The market for roof renting is still in its relative infancy and some questions are being reported about valuing roofs, implications of panel installation for the structure, and whether it delivers sufficient revenue. Nonetheless US companies like SunEdison are marketing the chance to "turn your rooftops into revenue" extensively to real estate investment trusts and other major property owners, and with a rental income of approx 10 cents per square foot on offer there are attractions for a major owner like warehouse company ProLogis, which has 450 million sq ft of roof area in the USA.

3. The solar battery

US company Ceramatec is working at reinventing the battery - it is developing a store for energy from household solar panels.

The battery runs on sodium and sulphur rather than conventional lead-acid. Sodium-sulphur batteries are already in use, but have not been suitable for domestic applications because they operate at very high temperatures. The introduction of a ceramic membrane between the sodium and the sulphur enables Ceramatec's product to run at lower temperatures.

The prototype is small, lightweight, and can store up to 20 kW hours of electricity for a short period of time, basically allowing daytime energy to be stored overnight. The prototype is now under development in the hope that it will be suitable for testing in the market next year.

4. From plant to roof membrane to paper

A roofing material that is made from a hibiscus plant and can be recycled into paper products typifies the innovation coming from manufacturers working with renewable building materials.

Kenafine, a fabric roofing membrane launched by Birdair in the US last year, is derived from kenaf, a type of hibiscus herb that absorbs high levels of carbon dioxide and grows exceptionally fast. Commonly used to make rope, coarse cloth and paper, kenaf makes a translucent and sustainable membrane, suitable for temporary tensioned membrane structures. At the end of the building's life, the membrane can be recycled into paper products.

Use of renewable building materials is generating growing interest, aided by projects such as the University of Bath and Modcell Balehaus project and the BRE Renewable House at the Innovation Park in Watford.

5. Build it or share it?

The sustainability debate is at long last raising questions about the unsustainability of consumerism, and that brings with it questions about our appetite for developing buildings that are used part of the time for a single purpose, such as shops, concert halls and schools. The idea of potentially developing fewer buildings may be anathema to many of our built environment professional readers, but it surely makes sense for clients to ensure that their expensively-constructed, resource-hungry buildings are put to maximum use.

In Spain, architect Dominique Perrault has designed a sports complex that is intended to be used every day of the year for major events and by the general public. In the US there is a growing interest in shared facilities, with police and fire stations sharing buildings and schools operating as community centres out of school hours. It's sustainable, but US providers of public services are actually being driven by concerns about cost rather than the environment.