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Win a copy of "Behind the Green Door - A Critical Look at Sustainable Architecture through 600 Objects", published by Rotor and the 2013 Oslo Architectural Triennale
Protective clothing, breathing mask, and spray gun used when applying polyurethane insulation foam. Courtesy of ISOwit; Belgium, 2013. Behind the Green Door - A Critical Look at Sustainable Architecture through 600 Objects. Image courtesy of Oslo Architecture Triennale. A balanced ecosystem in a sealed glass sphere. Composed of a few shrimp, a sea fan, algae, decorative shells, and gravel in water, the Ecosphere is a spin-off from NASA’s research on self-contained communities for human space exploration. According to its makers, it can maintain a living environment for up to 20 years without the need for maintenance. EcoSphere®, by EcoSphere Associates; USA, 1982. A waste incinerator plant with an integrated ski slope, designed to exude a smoke ring of 30m in diameter for every ton of CO2 released. In 2011, Copenhagen refused a loan guarantee of four billion dollars for the project because it increased the incinerator’s capacity by 30% to 560,000 tons of waste annually, expanding annual CO2 emissions from 140,000 to 200,000 tons. “Instead of burning more trash, the city would like to focus on technologies and policies that more efficiently manage... Photo of a LEED-certified BP petrol station. Its sustainability features include green roofs, solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, and the reuse of the kiosk from the previous petrol station.The newly-built canopy consists of 1,653 stainless steel panels. Project: Helios House Petrol Station, by Office dA and Johnston Marklee; Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2007. Photo: Eric Staudenmaier Rendering of solar panels being installed on the rooftop of a 1980s office building, as part of the changes made to convert it into a ‘powerhouse’, a building that produces more energy than its occupants consume. “As far as we know, no one has previously renovated an existing office building to this energy standard. This is unique, yet it is something anyone can do”, says Kjetil Thorsen, director and partner in the architectural firm. Project: Powerhouse Kjørbo in Sandvika by... Founded in 1979, the French firm Photowatt was one of the first companies to produce photovoltaic panels for private power production. Prior to this, PV panels were mainly used in space exploration. Sample of an early model, dated 1979. Product: Photovoltaic panels, by Photowatt; France, 1979. Photo © Istvan Virag & OAT Pictures of the construction and setup of Biosphere 2, a compound intended to function as a self-sustaining ark for human life.This privately funded scale model of planet earth (Biosphere 1) was an ecological experiment, but it also explored the possibility of human colonies in outer space.The pictures were taken before the first closed mission began in 1991, when 4 women and 4 men walked through the airlocks and sealed themselves off for two years.The inhabitants were soon plagued by food... In the 1990s, the Flemish government distributed millions of plastic boxes for storing toxic house- hold waste (batteries, paints, chemicals, ...) and facilitated central waste collection points.The childproof lock was extremely hard to open, even for adults.The campaign failed miserably, leaving behind what has become an iconic object in Flem- ish households. Project: Milieubox by OVAM, Flanders (Belgium), 1991. Photo © Istvan Virag & OAT A policeman telling Earth Day protesters to leave the premises at Logan Airport. In protest against the airport’s air pollution, its expansion, and the arrival of supersonic jets, demonstrators staged a mock funeral in the lobby, with coffins. Project: Earth Day; Boston, MA, USA, 22 April 1970. Photo: Spencer Grant Poster featuring Spanish prime minister Rajoy, used at a protest against a new law proposal that would make off-grid solar energy consumption illegal in Spain. From 2007 onwards, the Spanish government provided financial incentives for people to install PV panels on homes and businesses.These measures proved so successful that the PV capacity is now far bigger than power companies can handle, while the subsidies cause huge public budget deficits. In response, the government reversed the... Ted Kaczynski led a self-sufficient life in the Montana forests, without electricity or running water and with limited use of technology. After seeing the landscape around his cabin being destroyed for the construction of a highway, he started sending self-made bombs to different targets, including computer store owners, airline companies, and university professors. His letter bombs, sent between 1978 and 1995, killed 3 people and injured 23. Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, in an image... Founded in 1991,TerraMai conducts large-scale operations in the repurposing of wood reclaimed in Asia and sold in the US, “to help offset the demand for new lumber”. Controversy followed an article in the New York Times that suggested the American demand for such reclaimed wood was becoming a market force that encouraged the dismantling of existing Asian houses. Above: A house in Thailand being inspected by a wood trader. Project: Reclaimed Teak, by TerraMai; Oregon, USA, 2007. Photos...

Founded in 1979, the French firm Photowatt was one of the first companies to produce photovoltaic panels for private power production. Prior to this, PV panels were mainly used in space exploration. Sample of an early model, dated 1979. Product: Photovoltaic panels, by Photowatt; France, 1979. Photo © Istvan Virag & OAT
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Founded in 1979, the French firm Photowatt was one of the first companies to produce photovoltaic panels for private power production. Prior to this, PV panels were mainly used in space exploration. Sample of an early model, dated 1979. Product: Photovoltaic panels, by Photowatt; France, 1979. Photo © Istvan Virag & OAT