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GRASS CRETE

Grass Crete is used as an eco-friendly parking material. Grass Crete consists of concrete pavers with voids, which are filled with soil and grass. This parking material allows rain water to drain into the soil preventing rain water run-off (and reduces heat absorption). The Grass Crete material also supplies some green to the parking area, making it more visually pleasing.

BAMBOO FLOORING

Bamboo can grow 3 feet (ca. 1 meter) or more within 24 hours, making it an easily renewable material and therefore more eco-friendly than hardwoods that can take decades and centuries to grow. Bamboo flooring is just as strong, durable and in some cases even better in moisture resistance than hardwood floors.

GREEN ROOF

Green roofs or living roofs are roofs that have vegetation planted over a waterproofing membrane, which through its density and thickness improves the building’s energy efficiency. Besides insulating the building, the green roof also absorbs rainwater, provides a habitat for wildlife, and creates a pleasant and therapeutic environment.

GREEN SCREEN

The green screen is a vertical wall element layered with a growing mesh material allowing for vegetation growth, creating a green wall. The benefits of such a green screen are better insulation, cooler environment, wildlife habitat and a therapeutic atmosphere.

RAIN WATER HARVESTING

Rain water harvesting is the collection of rainwater from roofs and other elevated surfaces. The collected rainwater can be stored and reused as grey water for irrigation.

SKYLIGHTS

Skylights are glazing elements located in the roof, which allow daylight to enter deep into the space. Day lighting of a building allows for the reduction of artificial lighting, saving cost and energy.

SHADING PANELS

These shading panels are located above the skylights to prevent direct Southern sun from entering through the glazing and heating the space. The panels are slightly offset form the skylights, compensating for the diagonal sun angle, blocking the sun and reducing solar heat gain, saving on cost and energy.

PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS

Solar power is a renewable energy source without depending on fossil fuels. The photovoltaic panels convert the sun’s radiation into direct current electricity, generating usable power from a natural resource.

SHADING

The arching shading device fulfills two functions. First, it blocks the direct Southern sun from the storefront glazing, preventing solar heat gain in the interior of the space. Second, it creates an implied boundary to the space outside the store, toning down the contrast between exterior and interior, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

RAIN WATER STORAGE

The harvested rain water is stored in a large cistern, which also acts as a water feature for the shopping complex. The stored water is then used for irrigation, and grey water use in the building such as toilets. The rain water harvesting and storage on this site has 190’849 gallons of potential rainwater recovery annually.

GREEN SPACE

The public green space functions as a social space with vegetation for shading and steps as seating areas. This green space not only balances the amount of concrete on the site, it also provides the opportunity to use this shopping site for leisure and recreational activities, therefore connecting the community.