[GJM] Fw: Redesigning Our Habitats

Fri Nov 17 21:53:40 MST 2006

Marguerite -

Most of the problems you outline could be made much less severe by the kind 
of "new deal" issue of money by the state that was successfully used after 
World War II to refloat the economies of eg West Germany and Belgium.

If we adopt the idea that the banking system is the major source of our 
money supply, and new money can only be created with an equivalent amount of 
debt, we force ourselves into this distorted economy that makes rearmament 
and war the way in which we give jobs, and so incomes, to everyone. It 
really doesn't have to be so.

Martin Hattersley
5929 - 189 St.,
EDMONTON AB CANADA T6M 2J1

jmartinh at shaw.ca
e-mail: hattersleyjm at interbaun.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "marguerite hampton" <ecopilgrim at aabol.com>
To: <discussion at globaljusticemovement.net>; "ConsilienceP" 
<ConsilienceP at topica.com>; "GatherTheWomen" 
<GatherTheWomen at yahoogroups.com>; "Peace_ERA" 
<peace_era at yahoogroups.com.au>; "FixGov" <FixGov at yahoogroups.com>; 
"Centre4Change" <Centre4Change at yahoogroups.com.au>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 8:45 PM
Subject: [GJM] Fw: Redesigning Our Habitats

Hi Reinhold and thanks for your input here. My comment is
that while this type of building really sounds good, it is my
observation that it has been mainly in the industrialized
countries which heretofore have had high wages that people
and businesses were able to afford the price tag that goes
along with constructing this type of building you suggest.

And, the only way in which the G-7 countries were able to
keep wages and standard of living high was by participation
in the continued "colonialization" read "industrialization" of
the developing countries

I keep reading over and over that the cost of global climate
change is going to run into the trillions of dollars and I cannot
help but believe that forced migration of millions, if not billions
of people will occurr, as both ocean rise and climate change make
vast regions of the earth uninhabitable while new regions will
open up.  However, as I pointed out previously, those forced
to leave areas becoming uninhabitable will have no equity
from properties left behind with which to use as down payment
on new properties as these properties will be unsaleable.  That
is unless demolition of buildings is carried out en mass and the .
materials used to reconstruct in new locations.  However, the
transportation costs associated will be considerable as we
are also facing an energy crisis. The only hope to alleviate
this is the development of Zero Point Energy.

And, since wide areas of the earth are already experiencing
climate change, I do not believe that it can be stopped.  To
not believe that global climate change is already occurring,
one has to believe that the pictures taken of glacial ice melt
in Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" were all faked.
And that Gore was lying when he remarked that we would see
the 21 to  41 foot ocean rise "in his lifetime".  I don't know how
old Gore is, but feel that the next 10 -15 years is realistic.

What appears to me is that back at the time of World War I
and Il, the decision was already been made by the "power elite"
(GMS) to develop a war-based economy and consequently
they began to develop the military-industrial complex
concentrating on the production of weapons of destruction --
mass or otherwise.  And, it would do no good to build these
weapons without wars to fight and so wars have been fought
to keep this industry in business and to provide the ROI for
investors and as well those who depend upon dividends to
fund their retirement plans.

While I am for ending the wars, I am also conscious that this
move will severely impact the economy of the U.S.  And, as
well, I have previously pointed out that the job market is so
competitive due to advances in technology reducing the
need for human labor that manufacturers are continually
pressured to hire cheap labor from developing countries in
order to keep dividends high so as to keep investors happy
and the upper-middle class of retired people "in the money".

When one looks at this closely we are in a round robin from
which there seems to be no exit as each one turns out to be
a "catch 22" with never an escape route.

And, while we have known for a long time that the economy and
lifestyle here in the U.S. and other G-7 countries could not be
duplicated in the developing countries due to lack of resources,
here we are with China now outproducing the U.S. in terms of
automobiles.  Automobiles which are the number one  most
destructive force for the earth and a significant contributor to
global climate change according to the Union of Concerned
Scientists.  As well, the sale of beef has skyrocketed in
countries around the world due to the marketing practices of
McDonalds.  Yet beef is also the number 2 most damaging
product sold in terms of environmental impact.

While there have been great urgings for many years to begin
replacement of the present destructive economy with viablee
alternatives, this has not happened.  Now here we are at
five minutes to the witching hour, totally unprepared with our
bare asses swinging in the breeze, vulnerable as all get-out.

As shown previously, the ocean rise will effect the most populated
places in the world and create mass chaos as people try to get
out and relocate to higher elevations inland.  If we were to begin
today to plan for this almost certain eventuality, we might be
able to pull it off with little loss of life; however, the odds of being
able to do this are so high as to be almost unattainable.

I wish I could write a more positive scenario here, but there are
so many factors pointing to world economic collapse coinciding
with the mega impact of global climate change that realistically
speaking we seem to be looking at jumping out of the frying pan
into the fire.  Granted some will survive whatever type of
scenario that awaits us, but already I am reading articles by the
dozens saying that those already in poverty in the developing
countries will bear the brunt of this and be the hardest hit.

However, I cannot help but feel that these are the people who
are most prepared to survive the coming crises as they do not
need the style of living of the developed world and can survive
in grass huts, so my money is on people like Dr. Alam and his
vision to get as many as possible through this.

My hope is that I can be proven wrong.  However, while my heart
goes out to humanity, in the long run it is the planet itself that
must be of the utmost consideration -- it is the only life support
system we have and without it there will be no human family at all.

I am holding the field for the fullest potential to unfold in this event
in the best interests of all concerned.

marguerite aka eco

-------Original Message-------
From: Reinhold Ziegler
Date: 11/16/06 10:23:13
To: marguerite hampton
Subject: Redesigning Our Habitats

Hello Marguerite,

Here is a counter to your message about high-rises becoming obsolete.   It
is suburbia that has eaten all the farmland.  High density is the answer
along with a vibrant agricultural countryside.

Reinhold Ziegler, Director
Synergy International  www.synergyii.com

Tower of tomorrow
Buildings give life to the landscape, but they are not normally considered
alive. This one is: it breathes, it sleeps, it wakes up in the morning - and
it is not impossible.
By William McDonough, Fortune
November 9 2006: 10:21 AM EST

(Fortune Magazine) -- When Fortune invited my design firm, which specializes
in sustainable architecture, to share our vision of a building of the
future, we decided not to guess about conditions decades or centuries away.
Instead, we looked at the possibilities that exist now.

Buildings consume 40 percent of our energy and can have life spans longer
than humans. Because we live, work and associate with others in buildings,
they form part of the fabric of human life - and thus have an enormous
effect not only on the quality of individual lives but also on the state of
the earth.

            More from FORTUNE
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In the photographs that that follow, we have configured a structure that is
not just kind to nature; it actually imitates nature. Imagine a building
that makes oxygen, distills water, produces energy, changes with the
seasons - and is beautiful. In effect, that building is like a tree,
standing in a city that is like a forest.

William McDonough, founder and principal of William McDonough & Partners,
built the first solar-powered house in Ireland in 1977 and designed the
first "green office" in the U.S. in 1985.

The building of the future will not just sit on a lot. It will be
productive. From solar panels that produce power to tree-filled terraces
that recycle water, the building will work, quite literally, from the inside
out. How distant is this prospect? Hard to say. All the technologies
mentioned are "state of the shelf": That is, they already exist, although
not all are economically practical. But architecture and design are crafts
for the long term. This tower shows the way urban centers can get closer to
nature - and in the process keep neighborhoods and cities vibrant and
healthy.

Form and function
Curved forms increase structural stability and maximize enclosed space; this
reduces the amount of materials needed for construction. The shape is also
aerodynamic, diffusing the impact of wind.

Treetops
Traditional rooftops, covered in asphalt and tar, create heat-absorbing
surfaces that contribute to the "urban heat island" effect - higher
temperatures that can alter weather patterns and intensify smog. A layer of
ground cover on this building's roof helps to regulate temperature, protects
waterproof coatings, and absorbs and cleans storm water.

Soil and green
The western side of the building is a series of three-story atrium gardens.
The greenery brings the outdoors inside, providing a breath of nature.
Plants clean the interior air, and as leaf colors change, the building
reacts in step with natural cycles. The north façade (unseen) is clear glass
covered with positively-charged mosses that absorb particulates of the air.

Water, water
Water is recycled in the building several times over. Greenhouses treat
wastewater from sinks and bathtubs for reuse as irrigation in the building's
gardens, a process made possible when nontoxic cleaning products are used.
Cleansed by the gardens, the water can be used again as non-drinking water -
for example, in toilets.

Street smarts
After a close study of the sun and shadows, the shape and orientation of the
building are tailored to the site. This building faces south toward a park,
so it can capture maximum sunlight, and its irregular form allows more
daylight to reach the street. Gardens circle the base, contributing to the
quality of life at street level.

Solar power
The southern façade, made of about 100,000 square feet of photovoltaic
panels that convert sunlight into electricity, collects enough energy to
provide up to 40 percent of the building's needs. Costing at least 20 cents
per kilowatt-hour - several times as much as coal or natural gas - solar PV
is expensive today. But the trends are good: Solar is getting cheaper, and
the relative economics will improve as more states and countries regulate
the production of greenhouse gases.

Building skin
The structure is built up in layers of materials that perform different
functions, from weatherproofing to insulation to transparency. These
surfaces are becoming thinner, lighter, and smarter.

Productive workspaces
Under-floor air distribution improves air quality. Flexible communal spaces
replace fixed individual stations. Chairs and workstations are ergonomic.
Smart monitors detect the presence of people and adjust temperature, light,
air and sound as needed. This allows individuals to control their
environment. Our motto: "We don't heat or cool ghosts."

Waste equals food
In nature, nutrients are cycled and recycled endlessly. "Eco-effective
design" seeks to mimic those cycles. All products, from building materials
to furnishings, are designed to return safely to the earth or to be reused -
like office chairs that can be disassembled into components and sent back to
the manufacturer to become another product.

Heating and cooling
They account for almost 30 percent of a building's energy use. By
transferring heat between the building and the earth using a system that
circulates heat-absorbing liquid through underground wells, a building can
reduce energy usage. A combined heat-and-power plant, fueled by natural gas,
operates at up to 90 percent efficiency and supplies the power that the
solar panels cannot.

The new city beautiful
What is a tree?

Take away the poetry, and it is an exquisitely productive organism. That is
the model we keep in mind when we design. The building on the preceding
pages aspires to this: Not only can it be used for either business or
housing, it also works hard. Among other things, it is purifying the air,
making oxygen, sequestering carbon and drawing energy from the sun. Just as
a tree does, we want our structure to filter light down to the ground while
optimizing its surface area to the sun. This building, planted like a
poplar, reaches up to the sky. It honors the sky and what it means to scrape
it.

For a building like this, the context is probably that of a city. There is a
larger truth here: Structures and places need to work together, and
buildings need to be flexible for cities to endure. Look at SoHo in New York
City. The buildings in that neighborhood were designed as warehouses and
factories. Then they became artists' studios and galleries, and finally
offices and sought-after apartments. The transitions worked because the
buildings in SoHo have characteristics - tall windows, high ceilings - that
make them livable.

We also need to consider how cities evolve. For example, we're developing a
conceptual design for a new, 120,000-person city outside Liuzhou, in
southern China.

At its current rate of urbanization, China will lose 25 percent of its
farmland in the next 15 years. As designers, we want to respond to that
challenge. So we're proposing a 22-square-mile community that uses its roofs
as farmland. Instead of being hot and unsightly, the city's rooftops will
host productive gardens and farms that will also clean its air and water - a
huge plus considering China's dire environmental straits.

Looking ahead, we see new materials that will make buildings even more
productive, such as intelligent glass that is self-shading. We're looking at
carpets and fabrics that clean the air, and photovoltaic coatings that can
be applied to steel. We are intrigued by the lotus effect: If you take a
lotus leaf and put axle grease on it, the grease slides off. We are working
on coatings that mimic that, so that none of the dust and grime of urban
life sticks.

A self-cleaning building is a beautiful prospect, shimmering and bright.
Every time it rains, it gets washed. Just like a tree.

CONTRIBUTORS William McDonough & Partners: William McDonough, Kevin Burke,
Lance Hosey, Matthew Winkelstein, David Johnson, Andres Pacheco, Christopher
James, Emily McGlohn, Neal Harrod, Kyle Copas and FORTUNE: Eugenia Levenson
contributed to this article.

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