Friday, December 10, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Read about this on designboom

Armadilha Solar: Jee - eco efficient window

'jee' by armadilha solar
all images courtesy armadilha solar

portugal-based architecture and consultancy office armadilha solar has designed 'jee',
an eco-efficient window system that aims to naturally optimize building conditions by
taking advantage of solar energy, light, ventilation and acoustics as they occur between
the inside/outside environments. already in its prototyping and monitoring stage,
the product, when compared to a typical window, increases a building's energy performance
by 30% and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40%.

components

the design consists of two systems that work together to maximize the microclimate of the building:
the 'span system', which is essentially the exterior glass window/door, controls the amount of daylight,
ventilation and acoustics the interior experiences; the 'thermal system', placed along the vertical side
of the span, functions as a sun-space, solar radiation heat collector, and an electrical heat backup system
during the night.

winter
(left) day: greenhouse effect
(right) night: radiative heat and convection

on a regular sunny winter day, the isolation door over the thermal modules opens to collect solar energy.
a mirrored slide tracks the path of the sun throughout the day, maximizing on the solar heat gain. the sun space
also directly warms the interior room by taking advantage of the green house effect created in its cylinder.
solar heat can be stored in the energy accumulators and released during dawn when the temperature starts to fall.
the system can be closed and completely insulated during the night.

summer
(left) day: thermosiphon effect
(right) night: night cross ventilation

on a regular summer day, the isolation door is closed, blocking the thermal modules from gaining any solar heat.
the tubular sun space acts as a thermosiphon, sucking excessive heat gains from the inside to the exterior through
an opening near the room's ceiling. at night, the system remains open to allow for cross ventilation.

daylighting is optimized by polished aluminum venetian blinds which reflect the sun into the room.

Check out more great stuff here

Fennel, Apricot, Caramelized Onion Stuffing

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish and foil
1 large loaf Italian bread (about 1 pound), cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces (about 16 cups)
2 medium onions, chopped
6 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel (quartered, cored, and thinly sliced) plus 1/4 cup chopped fronds
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups dried apricots, cut in quarters
1 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Divide the bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 1 hour. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
Add the bread, broth, eggs, dried apricots, pecans, fennel fronds, and ½ teaspoon salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes more.