CH2 in Melbourne / Sustainable Architecture 1st hand.
When in Melbourne decided to build an office building in line with the development that is currently exhibiting emerging city of Oceania, not just think about doing a good building, but also decided to set an example for the rest of the buildings in Australia ( and perhaps the world). The Merlbourne Council House 2, better known as CH2, the first building in Australia with the distinction of 6 stars awarded by the corporation Green Building Council of Australia. A case of maximum energy savings in mind the problem of sustainable architecture that will come in the following decades.
This office building was developed by the office DesignInc in conjunction with the City of Melbourne and is located in the Little Collin Street. The CH2 earned 6 stars due to its innovation and use technology such as photovoltaic cells, covered temperature regulating system, auto recycling of contaminated water, this with a budget of 50 million Australian dollars. Something like 40 million or USD 20 billion pesos. Considerable amount, which in this case viewed as a long term investment.
The most striking features of CH2 relate to the lattices of recycled wood, controlled through photovoltaic cells. A photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that can transform light energy (photons) into electrical energy (electrons) through the photoelectric effect.
It also presents in its cover 5 major water towers or showers of 1.5 meters in diameter and 13 meters high. The objective of these mechanisms is to regulate the temperature of the building through the continuous evaporation of water droplets, which allows reducing the temperature inside the building at 21 ° C (from an initial temperature of 35 ° C), and can also lower the water temperature to 12 ° C. Another interesting aspect of the building is wind turbines, which allow to cool the building during the noche.equilibrar the temperature of the inner mass of the building and recycling the excessive energy expenditure for reutililzarlo in HVAC cold / hot.
Great Investment, great result?
It is expected that the investment in technology to be recovered over a period of 10 years. It is thus clear that the internal rate of return IRR, this building is designed as an investment in the future, with a logic of sustainability that go beyond the simple (or rather the complex) use of technology. Sustainability is seen in architectural projects such as a solution to global energy, to the extent that prices of fuel and water resources are increasingly important, such examples will become increasingly valuable. It is hoped that the good practice of these technologies is masifiquen and not exclusive of the more developed countries, as well as more low-income countries to access such systems.
On the other hand is very important that the initiative for building this type of building is common agreement between the public and private sector since, as can be seen in this particular case of CH2, a private company associated with the community of Melbourne. As the awareness of sustainable development is included in our local authorities, it will be easier to begin thinking about these kinds of buildings in Chile. Otherwise, we still have a long way.
Here is a brief summary of the characteristics of CH2.