Claire Cardwell - Architectural Designer (Blue Designs)

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Email :  bluedesigns5@gmail.com


Browsing Archive: December, 2016

Green buildings make you work smarter and sleep sounder, study reveals

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Sunday, December 18, 2016, In : Green Building 
Improved light, ventilation and heat control can boost workers’ productivity by thousands of dollars a year and reduce instances of sick building syndrome

People working in green buildings think better in the office and sleep better when they get home, a new study has revealed.

The research indicates that better ventilation, lighting and heat control improves workers’ performance and could boost their productivity by thousands of dollars a year. It also suggests that more subjective aspects...


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New recycled plastic sidewalk harvests energy from the sun

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Saturday, December 17, 2016, In : Renewable Energy 
New recycled plastic sidewalk harvests energy from the sun -Imagine a colorful modular paving system that snaps together “like LEGO bricks” replacing dull pavements currently populating today’s concrete jungles. Hungarian startup Platio designed that paving system to make our sidewalks do more for us. Their paving system, made with recycled plastic, offers firm ground while harvesting clean energy from the sun.
Platio’s paving system harvests power from the sun via monocrystalline sili...

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Google says it will run entirely on renewable energy by next year

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, In : Renewable Energy 
Google just announced that it will be fully powered by renewables before the end of 2017. The tech giant has been growing its solar and wind investments over the years, and is now making a final push to achieve 100 percent renewable energy through additional purchases. Google initially announced its 100-percent goal in 2012, and this week’s announcement confirms the company will hit the target next year. http://inhabitat.com/google-says-it-will-run-entirely-on-renewable-energy-by-next-year/

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Sweden’s new ICEHOTEL 365 uses solar cooling to stay open all year-round

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Monday, December 12, 2016, In : Green Building 
Sweden’s famed ICEHOTEL, perhaps the “coolest” hotel in the world, has just unveiled a permanent luxury lodge made entirely of ice. The newly-designed ICEHOTEL365 has all of the chilly charm of its sister hotel, but will be open 365 days a year thanks to state-of-the-art solar-powered cooling technology that will keep the structure frozen during summer months. http://inhabitat.com/swedens-new-icehotel-365-uses-solar-cooling-to-stay-open-all-year-round/


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Zaha Hadid - 'The Queen of the Curve'

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Saturday, December 10, 2016, In : Architect 
I have long been a fan of Zaha Hadid and was saddened by her untimely death earlier this year. Her eye catching, thought provoking futuristic designs inspired many debates.  The latest project completed in the UK since her death is a new permanent mathematics gallery at the Science Museum in London. It's the first permanent public exhibition space designed by the architect.  Mathematics also defined the design of the gallery.  Zaha Hadid Architects took inspiration from the historic 1929 Hand...
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Common Mistakes People make when Designing a House by Claire Cardwell

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, In : House Plans 

You are about to build your dream home - but have you thought everything through?  Poor design choices can make your home uncomfortable and sometimes unhealthy.  Good pre-planning can help you avoid these common mistakes  .https://www.bebee.com/producer/@claire-cardwell/common-mistakes-people-make-when-designing-a-house



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Scientists blend photosynthesis and quantum physics to improve solar cells.

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, In : Sustainability 
Scientists blend photosynthesis and quantum physics to improve solar cells. Four physicists at the University of California, Riverside decided to blend photosynthesis and quantum physics to work towards greener solar cells. Plants effectively regulate energy flow from the sun, but since current affordable man-made solar cells hover around just 20 percent efficiency, the scientists decided to take cues from vegetation.

Current solar cells require feedback controllers and voltage converters to m...
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Living Microalgae Lamp Absorbs CO2 from the Air

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Monday, December 5, 2016, In : Sustainability 
French biochemist Pierre Calleja has designed a fascinating eco-friendly lamp that could light up streets and parking garages while cutting CO2 emissions. It runs completely free of electricity, powered solely by a tube filled with glowing green algae. The lamp uses the energy created by the algae’s own photosynthesis process to power the light within, while the algae itself lives on CO2 in the air outside.

The lamp is designed so it can store the energy from photosynthesis for later use. Th...

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Furniture grown from bacteria and mushrooms is now available for purchase

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Saturday, December 3, 2016, In : Sustainability 
Mushrooms are good for so much more than just eating. Ecovative, the company behind Mushroom Packaging, has teamed up with cement-growing company bioMASON to create classy furniture grown entirely from microorganisms and mushrooms.   Living organisms are put to work to create the sustainable mushroom furniture in radically innovative processes. Ecovative and bioMASON’s furniture is grown – with mushrooms, microorganisms, and agricultural waste – and consumes far less energy than traditi...
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The Importance of Insulation by Claire Cardwell

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Friday, December 2, 2016, In : Sustainability 

Heating and cooling accounts for up to 50-70 percent of the energy used in an average home. Installing Insulation in your house is the most practical and cost effective way of making your home more energy efficient keeping it warmer in winter and cooler in summer and can save up to 50% on your energy bill. In addition Insulation can also reduce condensation in your home and some types of insulation can make your home more soundproof. A well insulated house is very energy efficient and will ne...
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How stone can help you create a more sustainable home

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Friday, December 2, 2016, In : Green Building 
How stone can help you create a more sustainable home

From the pyramids at Giza, to Stonehenge, to Machu Picchu, it is no coincidence that all of the longest lasting human structures are made from stone. Stone lasts forever, is natural, and is readily available in the environment. When it comes to outdoor landscaping or interior applications that see a lot of use and moisture (i.e. kitchens and bathrooms), natural stone is often the most durable and lowest-maintenance choice for surfaces. Unli...

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8 inexpensive earth homes almost anyone can afford

Posted by Blue Designs - Architectural Designers on Thursday, December 1, 2016, In : Green Building 
Many people dream of building their own home, but the financial cost and environmental toll of starting from scratch can often seem overwhelming. It doesn't have to be. By stepping outside the box and using natural methods, almost anyone can afford to build their own green home out of sustainable materials. "Earth homes" utilize surrounding terrain or other natural elements such as dirt, bamboo, wood, and clay to create a space with a negligible environmental impact. These homes are very well...
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