The market
The global air conditioning market is estimated at $ 62 billion, the residential represents 39 billion for more than 45 million units installed annually. Temperature control is one of the main costs of building buildings and one of the main factors for climate change. The strongest growth in activity comes from developing countries, with China in mind. Heat exchangers and condensers used to recover part of the lost energy are evaluated at 2.5 billion dollars. Air filters, necessary to remove particles, pollen and germs, reach $ 2 billion.
Real estate promoters are increasingly investing in buildings management systems (SGB), a computer controlled control system that monitors light, water and air circulating in installations. The cost of the computer equipment of a ten -storey building for air checks could easily cost 3.5 to 5 million dollars, while operating and maintenance costs can represent up to 25 % of annual expenses common. Buildings are responsible for 45 % of all greenhouse gas emissions from the United Kingdom. In the United States, buildings represent 70 % of total energy consumption and 38 % of CO2 emissions.
The European Commission has published a report stressing that up to 90 % of all existing buildings have inappropriate energy consumption controls for heating and air conditioning of water and air, and require complete revision existing systems installed. This could lead to a reduction in energy consumption of existing installations that can go up to 30 %.
Innovation
Bengt Warne, the deceased Swedish architect and his team studied in the 1950s the natural control of air and the humidity of termites nests in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. These nests use the laws of physics to regulate air flows, temperature and humidity without any external energy source. Warne concluded that these colonies have the capacity to cultivate underground mushrooms thanks to a meticulous design of the building which maintains the temperature at 81ºF and the humidity at 61 %. Thanks to a detailed observation, it appeared clearly that the height of the mounds, the length and width of the ventilation channels as well as the position in relation to the sun and the choice of building materials all contribute to air management .
There is a vast history of naturally ventilated ventilated buildings worldwide, as the hospital built in Las Gaviotas in Colombia or the Shosoin warehouse at the Todaiji temple in Nara, Japan, both offering comfort in a very hot climate and humid. It is another Swedish architect, Anders Nyquist, who motivated a team to design a mathematical model that relies on this exhibition to Termites, but which could offer predictable results to building designers. He applied the model of modeling for the construction of the Laggarberg school in Timrå by Sundsvall and demonstrated that this approach brings tangible advantages beyond energy savings, not only for the hot and humid climate but also for the Dry and cold climate. When the air is refreshed every 30 minutes, the children's attention capacity and their health is improving.
The air is refreshed every hour without imposing additional heating or air conditioning costs, while the additional advantage is that dust particles and germs are continuously channeled outside the building, thus promoting the health of the occupants. Then Nyquist and his team added the interaction between black and white to external design, imitating the discrepancies of darkness and light as the zebra does. Another simple application of the laws of physics, where the hot air is thinner and rises, while the cold air is denser and is deposited at the bottom. The Ford dealer in Umeå, Sweden, and Daiwa House office buildings in Japan have provided concrete case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
The first cash flow
While many are looking for energy savings by using existing equipment more effectively, Nyquist and Warne have identified building conceptions that simply eliminate the existing standard in terms of energy intensity and capital with building conceptions which incorporate the intelligence of ecosystems. These architects introduce the law of physics applied by zebras and termites into a new remarkable type of building design. The application of these observations in the wild creates multiple advantages, ranging from capital savings and the reduction of operating expenses to improving indoor air quality. Children at school are exposed to simple applications of physics theory while considerably reducing the carbon footprint of a building. Although the buildings are well insulated, air circulates in the premises without the need for heating or additional air conditioning.
The opportunity
Although this approach does not stimulate the affairs of CVC suppliers, it offers an interesting new business model for real estate development companies. If there is no CVC system in the building, there is no need for Airducs in the ceiling. This eliminates around 40 to 50 centimeters of space between two floors. This means that for each five floors, there is an additional floor in the same volume of building space. Thus, the money economy is now supplemented by an increase in income and a risk reduction. When a 10 -storey type building reaches the profitability threshold - when 55 % of apartments and offices are sold, construction which saves capital and reducing operating expenses generally reaches the profitability threshold to 46 %.
The design of these energy efficient buildings reduces the risk of investment. A lower risk due to a lower profitability threshold makes it possible to obtain cheaper funding, further reduce costs and further reduce the risk. The Eastgate Shopping Center in Harare, Zimbabwe, is a first surprising example of such an innovative application of the design of buildings. Even when people from the outside hesitate to engage in a large real estate project in a high-risk country like Zimbabwe, it has proven that it has exceeded all expectations. This offices and shops complex has proven itself. It has become the most popular Harare building, first and foremost because its operating expenses are the lowest and the attraction for the general public is the highest. Who could have expected that the Zimbabwe's most ecological office and shop complex stands high?
The most interesting application is for schools. Governments seek to save money and install insulation while recirculating air to reduce heating and air conditioning bills. However, as Nyquist has shown, when children are happier and better healthy and parents take note of statistics, some parents are ready to move to the region where public school offers such learning possibilities. And when the parents decide to settle in distant regions, the request for real estate will increase, which will give them the opportunity to imagine a new funding scheme: to speculate on the rise in the value of the land thanks to children healthy and intelligent. It is the blue economy in practice.
