Bioclimatic Architecture II

This project is going pretty well. We have found a lot of information and all really interesting and it is difficult work for us to choose which is useful and which not. There is a lot of information that we would like to add to the essay but we can’t because we don’t have enough time in our presentation, so I am going to post here some links of interesting information so that you visitors can see what I am talking about and you can enjoy it as much as I do.

Here is one link, a Youtube video which shows how our life could be in some years if we start using this philosophy at the time we build:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnjBieAQ424

Bioclimatic Architecture I

This post is going to be a little different, two of my friends and I have been assigned a paper about Bioclimatic Architecture, for which I will make the presentation. This project is actually really interesting because we are going to discuss different ways of improving the performance of different home systems with the objective of reducing the consumption of commodities at home in order to reduce the generated pollution and have a greener planet. We are going to do a constructive project to teach us and all the people who sees it that this one is an important issue for the world and our society. I’m absolutely convinced that we can change things in the world by doing little things. I hope you enjoy it!

Ceramics

Ceramics is an inorganic and nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat with a clay and kaolin mixing. Ceramics are usually classified into three kinds. One of them is the one that’s used for drinking jugs, pots and casseroles. Another one is the one used as construction material or dinner service, toilets and floor tiles. And the last one is the one used for porcelain and expensive sets.

But it’s used for more things, for example, when a rocket is launched it gives off such a high level of heat that its base needs to be resistant to that, and ceramics is one of the few materials that can be used.

Wild Cherry

Prunus Avium, commonly called Wild Cherry, Sweet Cherry, Bird Cherry or Gean, is native to Europe and around Europe, with a few populations in the western Himalaya. The hard cherry wood is valued as hardwood, so it’s used for woodturning, and making cabinets and musical instruments such as drums or guitars.

Here I attach a link that will show you a gallery full of Prunus avium’s photos:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Prunus_avium

European Beech

Fagus Sylvatica or European Beech is a natural tree that needs to be in a humid habitat, but it doesn’t need a particular climate or temperature. European Beech is a very popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, not only in Europe but also in North America and New Zealand. Its fine texture makes it easy wood to work with and it makes it easier to work with it in machines too. It has an excellent finish and it is resistant to compression and splitting. It’s mainly used for furniture making, from chairs to floor, and its hardness makes it ideal for mallets and workbench tops.

Bakelite (PF)

Bakelite is a thermosetting plastic, it’s made of resin and it was developed in 1907 by a Belgian chemist. Its main properties are hardness, rigidity and resistance to chemical products. Bakelite is electrically nonconductive and heat-resistant and this is why it’s used in radios, telephones (photo) and electrical insulators, and also in a wide variety of products as kitchenware, jewellery, pipe stems and children’s toys. Apart from this applications Bakelite is used for insulators in the electrical industry, motherboards and adhesives for plywood and so many more applications.

Here I attach a simple but clear video about the origin of Bakelite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hF4XZxD37g

Teflon (PTFE)

Teflon is a synthetic material. Being exact it’s a thermoplastic polymer, made mainly of carbon and fluorine. This material is incombustible, resistant to chemical products and heat, with a low friction rate and it’s nonstick. It’s a white solid at room temperature but its mechanical properties degrade above 260°C.

It’s mainly used to nonstick surface of cooking utensils and laboratory apparatus, antifriction pieces of bearings and sheathings of high heats.  It can also be used in all these applications: planes and rockets covering because of its resistance to temperature changes. In the medicine sector it’s used for prosthesis because it doesn’t react with other substances or muscles and it’s also used for lining of pipes, as you can see in the photo. More applications are paints and varnishes.

Here I attach a video showing how to apply a Teflon tape:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zkh1IgBWvg&feature=related