What most people don’t realize is that aluminum is practically the perfect recyclable material. Out of the most common recyclable materials that clutter up our landfills—glass, paper, metals, cardboard, plastics—aluminum is the only material that’s endlessly recyclable, 100% recyclable, and that pays for itself. Here are some other interesting facts we bet you don’t know about aluminum recycling:

• It takes energy to make aluminum from scratch. The energy you save by recycling a single aluminum can will run a TV for three hours.
• In fact, it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from bauxite ore than to recycle old aluminum into new.
• Aluminum can be recycled over and over without breaking down. In theory, we have an inexhaustible supply of it in circulation right now. If we recycled all our aluminum, we’d never have to make more.
• Most people don’t realize how strong a metal aluminum is. Four six packs can support the weight of a 4,000-lb. aluminum car.
• Aluminum has a phenomenally high melting point—1,220ºF
• Four pounds of raw bauxite ore is saved for every pound of aluminum that is reclaimed in the recycling process.
• Aluminum is valuable. It’s still very much in demand, and recycled aluminum is just as useful and desirable as new. In fact, aluminum is the only recyclable material that depots can recoup their recycling costs with.
• Making aluminum from bauxite ore is a dirty process—and burning it is even worse. By doubling our aluminum recycling rate, we could cut a million tons of pollutants per year out of the atmosphere.

References:

DLR London City Airport Extension

http://www.professorshouse.com/Your-Home/Environment/Recycling/Articles/Recycling-Aluminum-Cans—Fun-Facts/

BIPV

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with BIPV modules as well. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. These advantages make BIPV one of the fastest growing segments of the photovoltaic industry.

*info from http://www.arbolit.ufab.ru/, http://www.mediaterra.ru/materials/ and Wikipedia

This special concrete tile allows light to pass through. The tile contains optical fibers that make up about 5% of its surface area. The fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the surface to allow an outline to be clearly visible on the other side. The tiles have the unique combination of being nearly unbreakable and translucent.
The material is made with a combination of optical fibers and fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks. Due to the small size of the fibers, they blend into concrete and become a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. The result is a new material, which is homogeneous in both its inner structure and its surfaces.
The material is manufactured by alternating layers of concrete and fibers. The concrete sets and the material is cut into tiles. The pattern of the fibers can be uniform, or can be designed to a specification such as artificial wood grain.

The idea for Flexicomb grew out of a research project on structural honeycombs at the Yale School of Architecture. Thousands of closely packed polypropylene tubes form the flexible honeycomb matrix, which bends in the convex direction while remaining rigid in the concave. This translucent material is a re-valuation of a disposable everyday product—plastic drinking straws. Flexicomb can be bent, sprung, and compressed to form sculptural installations.

IceStone is the world’s safest and most sustainable durable surface. Each slab is made of three ingredients: 100% recycled glass, Portland cement, and non-toxic pigments.over 10 million pounds of glass have been diverted from landfills since 2003 for the manufacture of Icestone.

In addition to producing stunning, Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certified surfaces  (Cradle to Cradle is a certification system that rates a product’s safety, recycled content, recyclability, and manufacturing processes,IceStone is the first and only surface to achieve the Gold level of Cradle to Cradle certification.)made from 100 percent post- and pre-consumer glass, IceStone commits to the environment in other notable ways.

The company operates in a day-lit factory in which grey water is recycled, the manufacturing process is low emission and even the once-petroleum-based machine lubricants have been replaced with soy-based ones.

Material proposal:
Metamaterials are engineered materials having properties that may not be found in nature. They usually gain their properties from structure rather than composition. It allows us to work between basic and applied science, and experiment a wide area and explore unlimited capabilities. Those materials have negative index of refraction which does not exist in nature which allows us to explore the other half of optical field that has not been studied. The negative refractive index can be used to efficiently bring light to a complete standstill.

Consequently, I went through some research material that explains the original scientific concept of bringing light speed to zero, in order to comprehend how it works in the scale of atoms, so that I would be able to employ it in the metamaterial properties I need.

RAZZMATAZZ ANALYSIS

Ventilation:

Works 100% on artificial ventilation since all the windows are sealed in order to keep the sound inside to avoid sound pollution.                                                                    Strategy: Reduce the usage of artificial ventilation

MISTING SYSTEM 

Consist on introducing ultra-fine water droplets into the atmosphere so they can quickly absorb the energy present in the environment and boil off (evaporate). The energy (heat) that is used to produce this state, change from liquid to gas, is eliminated from the atmosphere, hence the air is called by the process called evaporative cooling.

Energy Generation:

The concentration of people dancing creates an energy that should be considered.                                                                                                                                                   Strategy: Generate energy with the dance floor.

Material Cycle:

One night with full attendance will use 3750 plastic glasses that are thrown to the garbage.                                                                                                                                    Strategy: Alternative materials for glasses.

Lighting:

The current incandescent-lighting system produces more heat than lighting. Creating more energy consumption on ventilation system.                                                       Strategy: Alternative ways for lighting.

The new proposal for the Razzmatazz promotes the creation of opened holes at the roof of the “salas”. By doing so air keeps moving from the bottom to the top, the water drops with the heat turn into vapor and then go out with the air. This system will work in a big space like razzmatazz’s dancing room because the air can moves quickly inside.

Lots of factories in China are using this system in the interior instead of A/C systems, it is cheap and effective. It was also used at Shanghai expo 2010.

The A/C system is a filter for vapor, it inhales the vapor and disposes of the water sending filtrated dry air out. That is why people feel dry in small rooms with the A/C system on.

source: grimshaw architects, eden project, England

ETFE foil is fast becoming one of the most exciting materials in today´s design industry and has set the construction world alight with the potential it offers. Originally invented by DuPont as an insulation material for the aeronautics industry, ETFE was not initially considered as a mainstream building material. Its principal use was as an upgrade for the polythene sheet commonly used for greenhouse polytunnels. The advantages of its extraordinary tear resistance, long life, and transparency to ultraviolet light offset the higher initial costs, and over 20 years later, it is still working well. 

The Eden Project in the UK and the Beijing Olympic Aquatics Centre has brought the material into public discussion. ETFE is increasingly being specified on a wide range of new projects, from schools and offices, to government buildings and sports facilities. ETFE is under the spotlight and intends to shine.

ETFE foil is essentially a plastic polymer related to Teflon and is created by taking the polymer resin and extruding it into a thin film. It is largely used as a replacement for glazing, due to its high light transmission properties. Transparent windows are created either by inflating to or more layers of foil to form cushions or tensioning into a single-skin membrane. 

Weighing approximately 1% the weight of glass, simple-ply ETFE membranes and ETFE cushions are both extremely light-weight. This enables a reduction of structural framework and imposes significantly less dead load on the supporting structure.

Another major benefit of ETFE is its high translucency. Transmitting up to 95% of light, it is easy to see why it was chosen to construct Eden Project. When high levels of light and UV transmission are not required, ETFE also has the ability to be printed or fritted with a range of patterns. This fritting can be used to reduce solar gain while retaining transparency or it can incorporate a white body tint to render the foil translucent. ETFE cushions can be lit internally with LED lightning to make them glow or may be projected onto externally like a giant cinema screen, creating dramatic results.

Unaffected by UV light, atmospheric pollution and other forms of environmental weathering, ETFE foil is an extremely durable material. While no ETFE structure has been in place for longer than 25 years, extensive laboratory and field research have suggested that the material has a lifespan in excess of 40 years.

The benefits of this material are extensive and have yet to be put to use in many areas.

Bibliography:

WILSON Amy, 2009, ETFE: The new Fabric Roof  

Cork:

Cork is a natural, organic, sustainable product that is soft to the touch, feather light yet durable, fire resistant and waterproof. It is used for a variety of products such as flooring, architectural cladding panels and designers are now creating eco-friendly cork handbags and other cork fashion and home accessories that are stylish as well as functional it’s becoming the new alternative for eco-friendly fashion and decorating. On the other hand cork can be a padding material for other architectural material like flooring tiles or elevation panels and can be the thermal and water insulation material.

Harvesting Cork oak is one of the best examples of a sustainable agro-forestry system where people use the natural resources, without disturbing or destroying nature. Cork oak trees are unique in their ability to regenerate after their bark has been harvested. This means that cork forests undergo fewer disturbances than conventional commercial forests, creating a unique and valuable eco-system. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification is considered the best way to protect this environment for the long-term benefit of communities living and working in these regions, as well as the indigenous wildlife. The attached link is an interesting clip for cork harvesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cpIfVT7BA6g

ETFE:

Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, ETFE, a fluorine based plastic was designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. It can be used for insulation, as well as temperature and light regulation. ETFE is a growing trend in architecture these days because it enables new design options.

ETFE foil is a perfect covering for a greenhouse because it is strong, transparent and lightweight. A piece of ETFE weighs less than 1 percent of a piece of glass with the same volume. It is also a better insulator than glass, and it is much more resistant to the weathering effects of sunlight. The material is self cleaning because of its chemical composition (very similar to teflon). In most architectural applications the material is used in ETFE Pillows. This configuration is a composite of two layers of ETFE that are pressurized to form a more rigid unit. Typically, aluminum strips are sandwiched along the edges to seal the pillows with just a small pressurization hose penetration left open. The  amount of light that passes through membranes can be regulated, because membrane cushions with an inner coating of tungsten trioxide turn blue when they come into contact with hydrogen and lose their color if the cushions are filled with oxygen You could use a foil such as this to cover the entire facade of a house and have light pass depending upon sunlight conditions.

EMPURIES SELF-SUFFICIENCY

We have selected, based on the developed analysis some strategies to achieve a level of self-sufficiency in terms of energy in the hostal.

We start the energy production research from the fact that there are some important energy sources to consider in the site, taking advantage of the obvious position of the hotel in front of the sea.

There exist a series of considerations to take in mind before choosing any ocean, sun or wind energy production method, such as the possible impacts on the shape and aesthetics of the beach, very important because the main attractor of the hostel is its beautiful environment, and its alteration might bring with it a serious economic impact, so any method that permanently alters its context should be avoided.

The development of the research can be found in the research document by clicking here.