Top 5 Eco-Friendly Buildings In The World
Eco-friendly buildings are constructed from
materials that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. The goal
of eco-friendly buildings is to reduce the impact it has on the environment.
Eco-friendly building is currently very popular and has produced some great
architectural solutions and new innovative materials.
One great use of eco-friendly construction has come in the form of ETFE material. ETFE is very environmentally friendly and is a great option when you want to provide natural light to buildings. This transparency can help bring down costs and the environmental impact that would normally come from providing a lot of artificial light. Here are the top 5 Eco-friendly buildings in the world.
The
Eden Project
ETFE
is used as a building material in the Eden project in England. This great building is all
about the opportunities for researchers to look into the developments of plants
and to look into how the atmosphere works. The Eden project will greatly
benefit from the transparency of ETFE material and from the fact that it won’t
require as large a support structure around it as would glass for instance.
The Water Cube
In
the 2008 Olympics one of the most innovative buildings was the Water Cube that held the
aquatic competitions during the Games. The Water Cube looked a bit like it was
formed from small cells and bubbles. It was the look of these bubbles that the
use of ETFE material helped to create. They were also able to collect solar
energy and use it to heat the water in the swimming pools. The Water Cube has
now been opened to the public as a water park.
Allianz Arena
Another
sporting venue that has used ETFE is the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
This arena is home to the football team of Bayern Munich. These ETFE foils in
Allianz Arena can be lit with three different colours of red, blue and white
and it provides a great effect for the building. The material is so luminous
that the building in its full lightning can be seen from a distance of 50 miles .
The Khan
Shatyr Entertainment Centre
In
the Kazakhstani capital of Astana the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre also
uses ETFE material. This is the world’s largest tent, 150 meters high and was
opened in 2010. The tent is made from three ETFE layers that are pumped with air
and thus look like giant pillows. The building is able to take the extreme
weather conditions of Kazakhstan since the material is very strong and can even
support snow without damaging the structures.
Heathrow
Terminal 3
ETFE
pillows can also be found in the Heathrow Terminal 3 in London,
England. They are used to provide lighting as well as create a luminous effect
with the use of different color lights. As an outside roof these pillows are
very efficient and make great use of the material and the lightweight
structure.
ETFE is also very good way to save money in construction costs. If you are inspired by the above buildings you can look up more information about ETFE at the Vector Foiltec website. ETFE is also used and developed in regards of aeronautic industry and thus it will be the material of the future.
Author Bio:
Teo Alvin is an architect who is constantly on
the lookout for great buildings and environmentally friendly construction.
