Energy efficiency is increasingly present in everyone's consciousness and there are many sectors that value energy saving and respect for the environment. Architecture and construction are two of the activities that are committed to sustainability by incorporating technology and solutions that allow them to be more efficient . Today, in the corner of real estate curiosities, we bring you four examples of sustainable buildings.
Bullitt Center, Seattle
Located in Seattle, United States, the Bullitt Center is considered one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. Its construction was promoted by the Bullitt Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting environmental protection and sustainability.
This six-storey, 50,000-square-metre building is used as an office building and stands out for being energy self-sufficient, a fact for which it has been recognised with the Living Building certification. Its energy comes from solar panels located on its roof and the use of natural light is a priority in the building since, according to its builders, those who work inside it use sunlight for 92% of their working day.
In addition, the building is able to store rainwater, its bathrooms operate with a composting system and the heating system has geothermal wells.
NuOffice, Munich
We travel to Germany to find another of the most sustainable office buildings in the world. This is the NuOffice, located in Munich and awarded a LEED Platinum in 2013, the highest distinction awarded by the organization Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.
Promoted by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and the Technical University of Munich, it stands out for its firm commitment to energy efficiency . To achieve this, it has thick walls on its exterior, which help energy to accumulate in winter and conserve cold in summer. In addition, the design of its windows is small so that on hot days less energy is used for air conditioning. Lastly, its roof has photovoltaic panels that provide energy to the building.
One World Trade Center, New York
One World Trade Center (1WTC) , formerly known as the Freedom Tower , is a 542-meter-high building that was built on the site of the Twin Towers.
1WTC is distinguished, in addition to its height - it is the tallest in New York and the seventh in the world - by the use of the latest technologies with a clear objective: maximizing energy efficiency .
Recycled materials were used in its construction. It also has solar panels and wind turbines and uses water from the Hudson River for air conditioning and toilet cisterns. It also has 3,000 sensors that monitor the level of carbon dioxide in the Manhattan area and, if the maximum levels are exceeded, a system is responsible for expelling clean air.
It also has a system for collecting 100% of rainwater, which is recovered to irrigate the gardens and swimming pools in the square. Its 71 elevators are the fastest in the Western Hemisphere and incorporate LED lights in the cabin ceilings that save more than 78,000 kWh per year.
CIRS, Vancouver
Located on the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, the Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability (CIRS) was, as expected, designed with the sustainability of the building in mind to demonstrate that it is possible to build under the premise of energy efficiency .
Its U-shaped design aims to make the most of sunlight and fresh air. In addition, the building is self-sufficient in energy through photovoltaic and solar systems, and also through the use of waste and, like the previous ones, it also reuses rainwater.