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Robots Built a House That Generates More Energy Than It Needs (dwell.com)
MikeChino writes: The world's first home designed, planned, and built with mainly digital processes just opened its doors in Switzerland. Developed by eight ETH Zurich professors, DFAB House is a pilot project showcasing futuristic building technologies that may someday work their way into our homes. It's topped with a solar array that generates, on average, 1.5 times more energy than the unit needs (an intelligent control system eliminates the risk of load peaks), [and there are waste heat recovery systems to recycle heat from shower trays back into the boiler.] Some of the pioneering ETH-developed construction processes include: "Mesh Mould technology, in which an autonomous 'In Situ Fabricator' robot builds a 3D mesh formwork for concrete load-bearing walls; Smart Slab, a lightweight concrete slab with 3D-printed sand formwork that's less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab; Smart Dynamic Casting, an automatic robotic slip-forming process; and Spatial Timber Assemblies, a digital prefabrication process that uses a dual robot system to create timber frame modules," reports Dwell, adding that people "manually filled in formwork, bolted CNC-milled and 3D-printed pieces into place, and tweaked the digital design process."
So, could I use the excess energy the house generates to mine cryptocurrency so it will pay for itself?
To be honest, I get the feeling it might be exhausting to live in a house that's working harder than I am.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Smart Slab, a lightweight concrete slab with 3D-printed sand formwork that's less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab
Typically cutting corners like that ends like this.
But... but... they're 3D printing it this time!!!1
"Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen!"
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Roc...
2KW Gas Generator from Walmart 370 bucks.
You are confusing presentation of technological capabilities (a display of what certain technique and technology can do) with architectural design (the "comfortable, convenient and not an eysore" bit).
Also, with science and research.
I'm sorry... but there is no award for that.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Robots Built a House That Generates More Energy Than It Needs
*Robot stares you straight in the eye*
"Maybe more than YOU need HUMAN"
*Robot sucks on power cord, eyes glow brighter and brighter as it leans back and shudders with delight*
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Not only that, but opinions aren't exactly universal. While some of the design would not be my first choice, it definitely is not ugly in my eyes. I would even bet some people truly like the way it looks.
Prefab.
It means a new spin on a prefab home.
They're basically saying that portions of the building structure were 3D printed or CNC'ed, then assembled on site.
We've had net-positive buildings for years.
We've had prefab net-positive buidlings for years.
We've had 3D printed buildings and buildings with CNC'ed parts.
They're just trying to claim that nobody's ever done it at this level before.
And, possibly, they're right.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Depends on the concrete formulation and the type of steel used.
It also depends on how soon the structure is used and the the climate it's situated in.
Look at Roman aqueducts. Unlike modern concrete water diversion, aqueducts could sometimes sit for YEARS before water would be put through them (as it took so long to build).
Also, you have two millennium old concrete structures still standing.
Note that many of them have no steel in them. And most of the surviving examples are in relatively mild climates.
There are things one can do to a concrete mix to make them last longer.
And proper preparation of rebar, or even using non-metallic rebar (basalt/fiberglass) can make a HUGE difference.
Also, your grandma's brick house has had a hell of a lot of maintenance done to it over the last 220 years (you'd probably be shocked by exactly how much).
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
"Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen!"
Fetchez la vache!
"Brick walls from literally Roman times are still standing in my city."
That's just because these walls have bricks only on the outside, inside they are all roman concrete, which is much better than ours.
" The house was so well insulated that he wasn't able to use his kitchen oven, since the room temperature became too high."
If he was Finnish, he could have used it as a sauna.
BTW, I had a Scandinavian girlfriend once, not sure exactly which nationality, but during sex she always yelled: I'm not Finnish!
It would probably be more cost effective to create a grow room for umm "hydroponic vegetables" or something, depending on the local laws regarding growing things which can vary by county and state.
(Note: Though Switzerland is also federal, it is divided into cantons and comunes, not states and counties).
Regarding the legality of growing the specific specie of "hydroponic vegetables" that you had in mind, the law is quite clear: you can go full commercial as long as your producing low... "vitamin" vegetable, and people are allowed to carry their snack (= small quantity for consumption) regardless of content of "vitamins".
In practice, based on what I've heard from friends (sorry only anecdotes, no first-hand experience: I'm more a beer type of person), growing your own "high-vitamin" "hydroponic vegetables" for your own consumption is more or less tolerated, as long as it's not exploited commercially.
So to go back to your proposition :
- To recoup costs, they could grow nearly any other vegetables commercially and sell them, but not the "high-vitamin hydroponic vegetables" you had in mind (the commercial exploitation being the big practical "nono", the "high vitamin" content being the legal pretext to prevent it).
But in practice, the canton (=state)-owned utility companies will pay you when buying back energy.
It is common practice here around for anyone with local production (such as solar panels) to have special meters that can sell back electricity into the network.
So most probably, they are going to earn the easiest money simply by injecting the extra electricity into the network.
(No need to fuss with any agricultural work).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
In all seriousness, you could indeed make money with the extra energy:
Most state-owned utility company (including the one in canton Zurich where this is situated) will buy back electricity production.
It's pretty common installation for anyone with local electricity production (such as the TFA's solar pannels) to have special electricity meters that can inject any exceeding electricity back into the network.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
They're basically saying that portions of the building structure were 3D printed or CNC'ed, then assembled on site.
Look at the photos. Here the portions where 3D printed on site.
They're just trying to claim that nobody's ever done it at this level before.
And, possibly, they're right.
Yup, their claim to novelty is to directly have the machine built the house on site, instead of merely assembling pre-fab. /. over the last year).
(Like the couple of other 3d printed house project that got mentionned on
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
That's has got to be one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. But "whimsical" architecture is all the rage right now. I guess I'm becoming an old fart, but this style seems like something that won't be remembered 50 years from now, except by other architects. Many of whom will pontificate about the wonderful daring steps these pioneers took, only to ignore it when it comes to their own commissions.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."