Plastic represents a bit of a nodus for the world: as useful as the material is, it can be take a toll on the environment when it isn’t disposed of correctly. Miniwiz, a company founded by architect and structural engineers Arthur Huang and JarvisLiu, is trying to find easier, more practical solutions for recycling and reusing materials like plastic that often times find their way into landfills or the environment.
Take the EcoArk Pavilion in Taipei, for example, which uses 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles throughout its design.
The nine-story structure represents the first fully functional, public building made of Polli-Brick, a building material made from 100% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate Polymer. It is translucent, naturally insulated, and durable and uses a 3D honeycomb self-interlocking structure that eliminates the need for chemical adhesives. Polli-Brick is extremely lightweight and is just 1/5 the weight of standard curtain wall systems.
The EcoArk Pavilion uses Polli-Brick throughout its public spaces, which cover an area the size of size basketball courts. These public spaces are kept cool thanks to a combination of natural ventilation, an exterior waterfall that bathes the structure in water collected during rainstorms, and Polli-Brick’s high insulation properties. The building also uses embedded solar power to run the LED lighting systems at night. All of these aspects mean the building operates with a zero-carbon footprint.
Despite weighing 50% less than a conventional building, the EcoArk Pavilion is fire-resistant and strong enough to withstand high winds.
Originally constructed in 2010 for the Taipei International Flora Exposition, the structure has since been converted into a public museum.
Courtesy Forgemind ArchiMedia, flickr Creative Commons
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2013
Report: HVAC occupancy sensors could slash building energy demand by 18%
Researchers at the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conclude that significant energy savings can be achieved by varying ventilation levels based on the number of people in a given space.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
| May 28, 2013
LED lighting's risks and rewards
LED lighting technology provides unique advantages, but it’s also important to understand its limitations for optimized application.
| May 9, 2013
Post-tornado Greensburg, Kan., leads world in LEED-certified buildings per capita
Six years after a tornado virtually wiped out the town, Greensburg, Kan., is the world's leading community in LEED-certified buildings per capita.
| May 3, 2013
'LEED for all GSA buildings,' says GSA Green Building Advisory Committee
The Green Building Advisory Committee established by the General Services Administration, officially recommended to GSA that the LEED green building certification system be used for all GSA buildings as the best measure of building efficiency.
| Apr 25, 2013
Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools
DLR Group and the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University have collaborated on a research project to evaluate the effect of green school design on occupants and long-term building performance.
| Apr 22, 2013
Top 10 green building projects for 2013 [slideshow]
The AIA's Committee on the Environment selected its top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
| Apr 16, 2013
5 projects that profited from insulated metal panels
From an orchid-shaped visitor center to California’s largest public works project, each of these projects benefited from IMP technology.
| Apr 12, 2013
Nation's first 'food forest' planned in Seattle
Seattle's Beacon Food Forest project is transforming a seven-acre lot in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood into a self-sustaining, edible public park.
