the buckminster fullerene cradle to cradle competition

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the buckminster fullerene cradle to cradle competition

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bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Wed Apr 12, 06 2:34 pm Post subject: the buckminster fullerene cradle to cradle competition

I have just seen this on https://www.boingboing.net

the winner of the buckminster fullerene institute cradle to cradle prize

https://bfi.org/node/828
The winning entry to the Cradle to Cradle C2C Home Competition is an incredible single family dwelling by Matthew Coates and Tim Meldrum that goes right to the core fundamentals of the Cradle to Cradle principles. Not only does the building run a photosynthetic and phototropic skin made with spinach protein, but it also produces more energy than a single family’s needs, allowing the excess to be distributed to neighbors. This radical shift, from centralized energy systems today, fosters community interdependence as neighbors benefit from the resources of others.

puffedpride

Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 300
Location: bristol

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 06 9:50 am Post subject:
That is wicked! Sci-fi stuff. On the downside, you wouldn't be able to have all that many dwellings like that in high density areas. If it ever caught on, how much spinach and soya would have to be grown for the building trade?

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 06 9:53 am Post subject:
Crumbs, this is just a design right? have they actually built it?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 06 10:27 am Post subject:

Quote:

...clad with a super-conductive photosynthetic plasma cell skin that is able to generate 200% more electrical voltage per area than contemporary photovoltaics. Building on current research involving extracted spinach protein, this living skin is photosynthetic and phototropic it grows and follows the path of the sun, generating electricity in excess of single family needs. excess power is distributed to neighboring homes and street lighting infrastructure.

Ummm.
It seems they are *envisaging* (ie dreaming about) a new technology.
Yes, that *is* sci-fi...

And can anyone spot the disconnect involved in using solar electricity for street lighting?
Is there much sunshine when you have the street lights on?
They have just glossed over (or not considered) the problem of energy storage! And electrical energy storage is particularly difficult (ie expensive, bulky, resource hungry batteries only store a fraction of the energy that is stored in a biofuel like biodiesel.)

Buckminster Fuller himself was capable of concentrating, quite dramatically, on the wrong aspect of a problem, leading to wildly impractical solutions.
His own, remarkable, "Dymaxion" house was designed with the ideas of factory to site portability being the essential primary thing to base the design around...

and that in turn led to concerns about weight, and hence design choices like the walls being made of Aluminium.
Anyone think Aluminium houses would be good to live in? Or a good use of resources?

My awe at Fuller's creativity is tempered by the realisation that much of it was seemingly achieved by simply not recognising a screaming absence of practicality...

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