Super Paint

Designed by Bala Balaguru a Professor at Rutgers University, Ultimate paint is an amazing invention. Ultimate paint is graffiti resistant, can repair cracks in concrete, it is impervious to mold, is fire proof, and dries nearly as hard as a diamond. In theory, if you paint your house with it, you wouldn't need to paint your house for another 1,000 years. The formula is based on the Chinese Terra-Cotta Army, which is nearly 2,000 old, with the main base of it being Alumina Silicate. What makes it really amazing is that it has a unique ability to purify the atmosphere. The ingrediant, Titanium Oxide, makes it so that when the sunlight hits the paint, the UV energy essentially destroys the organic particles around it, pulling pollution out of the air. If painted on buildings around the world, nitrogen oxide, one of the pollutants in the air would land on the paint, and the titanium Oxide would act as a catylist and begin to break down the particles, turning them back into seperate particles, of Nitrogen, and Oxygen. Ultimate Paint is still in test phases, but initial tests have gotten rave reviews. I got this information from the Science Channel, on a show called Eco-Tech, original air date: 8-22-07. Unfortunately I have been unable to find more information on the internet at this time.

Earthship Biotecture

Earthships are an interesting concept in design, and the idea of green architecture. Based out of Taos, New Mexico, Mike Reynolds came up with the idea of an Earthship back in the late 1960's. He was working out in the desert, and he noticed an abundance of tires from vehicles that had been discarded , and the thought struck him to use these tires in the construction of a new home, or Earthship. The basis of it is that you take tires, pack them with land from your building site, and stack them on top of one another just as you would lay bricks, until you get the desired height of the wall. They are supposedly very good in earthquakes, can support very heavy loads, are resilliant, and in essance leave you with a "Steel belted, thermal based high compression brick." In the winter when the sun is low, the sun hits the tire wall, heating the tires themselves, and also the earth inside of them, creating a system of radiant heating that costs absolutely nothing. In the summer, the sun does not hit the tire wall, therefore keeping the tires and the earth inside of them cool, using the natural temperature of the earth to cool the structure. The buildings are currently a little funky looking, very hippie-esque, but the basis of the design is brilliant, and very cost effective. All the earthships that are built currently are nearly or all the way off the grid, and are completely sustainable. They use cisterns and water catchment, and use photovoltaic panels to harness the sun's energy. Check out this link for more information: http://www.earthship.net/

Site Analysis for my Apartment

This is the house site analysis that we did way back in the beginning of the semester, that I am just finally posting. I am still having a hard time doing the ellipse part for the sun path.