publication date: Aug 11, 2008
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author/source: Mike Essex
Housing Specification has noticed a few smart things to come:
MAKING DISHES LESS DISHY
We must welcome the news of efforts to disguise the unsightly satellite dish which despoils so many house facades. Called The Sqish, this is intended to be a discreet alternative to a satellite dish and can be used to receive Sky and Freesat in the UK. It’s rectangular which complements the linearity of building and so much better than being circular. The big idea is that it can be camouflaged to help blend into its surroundings with the addition of a bespoke sticker created from a digital photo of the building’s façade..
MAKING SOUND LESS NOISY
The science of sound-proofing homes has been given a boost by new technology outlined in the New Journal of Physics. It’s all to do with sonic crystals and the idea of acoustic cloaking which deviates sound waves; this is quite different to white sound. The researchers believe the key to a practical device are so-called "sonic crystals". These artificial composites, also known as "metamaterials", can be engineered to produce specific acoustical effects. Unlike ordinary materials, their acoustic properties are determined by their internal structure and can be used to channel any sound around an object, like water flowing around a rock in a stream. The idea now is to create a commercialised material so that walls of the material could be used, for example, to soundproof houses.
MAKING ENERGY BIGTIME
Dramatic new thinking which could have a huge impact on house design is the move to look beyond the mere odd solar panel here and there on a roof. Apparently the BRE has concluded that wind turbines in the big cities only generate about 5% of the energy to that produced by an identical one in Wick in north-east Scotland. It’s pretty obvious that the most effective method of generating renewable energy for Europe would be to install solar power plants en masse in North Africa which is three times richer in solar energy.
The interesting statistics say:-
- That just under 130sqk of solar power panels sited there would produce as much electricity as Europe is currently consuming;
- Using less that 1% of the world’s deserts could produce as much electricity to satisfy the world’s current usage;
- Or put another way, every year each square kilometre of desert receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of oil. Multiplying by the area of deserts worldwide, this is several hundred times as much energy as the world uses in a year.
This concentration of solar power is quite different from the better-known photovoltaics. It’s a simple but effective technique of concentrating sunlight with mirrors to create heat which in turn raises steam to drive conventional turbines and generators. You also have the added benefit of cultivating the shaded areas beneath the mirrors. www.desertec.org and www.trecuk.org.uk both give a lot of information, especially how some European countries are embracing this big wheeze.
