can we create habitat for these local endangered species?

Endangered Feline Recovery Team: working toward the recovery of all endangered North American felines with the emphasis on the Texas ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens).

Interior Least Tern (Sterna antillarum anthalassos): helping monitor colonies of this endangered subspecies that has nested in southeast and northwest Dallas County since 1992 to determine what factors influence the breeding success of the colonies.

Texas Native Bird and Habitat Conservation Awareness Program: aimed at increasing the awareness of preserving native habitats in Texas. The green jay (Cyanocorax yncas) is the mascot for the program.

Texas Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri): study to evaluate population dynamics, moEndangered Feline Recovery Team: working toward the recovery of all endangered North American felines with the emphasis on the Texas ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens). 

http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Discover_GreenBuilding

check out the first (only?) leed certified building in Dallas

I find this venezuelan geotecture to be inspiring

concentrating PV & solarthermal combo...and pretty sexy...no?

hres an interesting one mclean found.





here's one ultra high efficiency... potential CHP idea...
70 panels powers about 65 low energy homes.
so looks like we would need a whole lot..but we're going to run some numbers...
looks like our true percentage of power from electricity is about 10-15%, typical dallas home, so may be able to offset alot with onsite power.



we're aiming to offset 50% of our power onsite...which would in theory offset the 50% of dallas power which doesn't come from renewables...?

does that seem like a logical goal?


http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2008/03/israeli-german-solar-technology-readies.html

Bigger is Better in Texas

http://earthcomegablock.com/

maybe bigger is cheaper...and up to our scale...

and um....

there in tejas...

EARTHCO BUILDING SYSTEMS
7906 Indiana Drive #119
Lubbock, Texas 79423
806-317-6306

Field I Paoli

Nevada State College Competition & Master Plan
Henderson, NV







This aesthetic...first reminded me of marishas drawing...then I realized they were also dealing with an existing organic canyon face and juxtaposing it with linear architecture. interesting thing to consider.

Dancing Apartments By Unsangdong Architects

Dancing Apartments By Unsangdong Architects

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sand / stone

Erosion / Accretion?
There are similarities in a sponge and limestone composition, maybe.

anyways heres an interesting article.
For an ambitious landscape design project, Magnus Larsson, a student at the Architectural Association in London, has proposed a 6,000km-long wall of artificially solidified sandstone architecture that would span the Sahara Desert, east to west, offering a combination of refugee housing and a "green wall" against the future spread of the desert.

a first atempt at a full building process diagram

its not exact...and probably missing alot...but heres most of the processes in one place.
this is a synthesis of a few different flow charts I've been reating wiht input form kerby and NIk.


Kerby;s going to look over the numbers..
but it looks like if we recycle greywater to drinking standards, looks like we can mostly close the loop on water, with some overflow to "nondrinking" water stream..
if we only used rainwater, we would need to import 4 million gallons of drinking water.


we had a heck of a time trying to annalyze whehter we could recycle greywater for drinkibng.

we realized blackwater and urine were the two main pathogen vectors as well as pharmacutical pathways...

so we isolated those out and created non-edible, non-potable-cycle, water system, which bioaccumulates these potential toxins, and keeps them out of drinking water and food.

urine is the one exception...we make, because it has low pathogen level, and high nutrient level...we plan to reuse it for farmingm despite some pharacuetical run off...
but we then send ag runoff to the non-potable water circute...

Santa Monica Project

This was a hotly contested project throughout the planning/design/construction phases...it now houses production companies and electronic company's design studios--but driving by it again today reminded me of what we shouldn't turn our project into...I think it is pretty hated by most people in the area...

Wednesdays sketches...for the record....

Wednesday sketches..
NIks..idea

Mikes sketches...
ground floor...
lower level..
then upper story..

Sketch

Based on Ryan's model, I approximated spacing of canyon and mini canyons so that each apartment would get natural light on at least one face. Bali terracing has been replaced in some areas by larger fields separated by steep cliffs. In the main canyon there are steps down to a lower level where light can reach the inside face of the underground storefronts. The outside walls of the lower 3 levels slope inward.

Some Solar Data

From....
http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/dallas-texas.html

ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE

more nittygritty from brent...
my eye candy isn't as nice as ryans.


I've been working with mclean to develop energy use estimates and onsite renewable integration.tomorrow we'll have some energy use calcs.

right now we're working with the 500 residential unit number.

after we lock down commercial program uses...
we can better hone the numbers...


heres our source data on national/tex averages:

Commercial Energy Use Source Data:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/

Residential Energy Use Source Data:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/contents.html



LEED energy efficiency spectrum:
if building is 12% more efficient than local baseline...you get..1-Point
if 48%...you get..19-Points
we are assuming for now, we'll be on the upper end of this...in order to get platnum..but it could swing based on other credit groups...


reference buildings...
LEED performance study....against standard.:
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=77

LEED 2009

LEED 2009 Rating System....http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=220#v3
We know it has to be Platinum....so now we need to breakdown responsibilities...of doing rough calcs and assessing our score:

here's a rough breakdown...change as you will...

Sustainable Site: Nik, Kerby, Ryan(transport)
Water: Kerby, Nik, Brent
Energy & Atmosphere: Mclean & Brent, Ryan(simple modeling help)
Materials & Resources: Marisha (Jeremy's help), Ryan
Indoor Environmental Quality: Nik?

We need to decide on someone to bring it all together....


I also recommend we reference Cascadia's Living Building Challenge:
www.livingbuilding.org/

and some of its criteria...