FLEXLAB, short for the Facility for Low Energy Experiments, opened this summer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Scientists, architects, and engineers can use these four buildings to mimic the conditions inside and outside just about any building on Earth to test different elements for energy efficiency.
The buildings can simulate temperature, sun exposure—even the body heat of people sitting inside them. One of the test beds rotates 270 degrees to track the movement of the sun so that it can emulate the light exposure a building would get at different latitudes or in different seasons.
The new $16 million facility’s biggest value will come from validating models that can predict how a certain window or a shade will perform in a particular location. The facility lets researchers swap out cladding, shades, and windows to test different configurations.
About 1,000 sensors monitor multiple building dynamics such as power, airflow, and lighting. Portable “occupant thermal generators” mimic the body heat of people sitting in a space. Large cooling and heating systems can make up for the lack of temperature and humidity variation in the Bay Area.
(http://gizmodo.com/the-rotating-building-where-the-offices-of-the-future-w-1602471614)
Related Stories
| Mar 30, 2012
Forest Stewardship Council critical of proposed LEED 2012 changes
According to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the third draft of LEED 2012, if approved as written, would represent a step backward from the current Certified Wood Credit.
| Mar 22, 2012
Symposium on water efficiency: How much more water can be saved?
The Third International Emerging Technology Symposium by IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council features a session on water efficiency.
| Mar 22, 2012
Broker doesn’t have to inform contractor that insurer went broke, California court rules
A California appellate court ruled that an insurance broker did not have a duty to inform a subcontractor that a project’s insurer had gone bankrupt.
| Mar 22, 2012
Public agencies shouldn’t negotiate project labor agreements, says AGC official
When a public agency rather than the contractor negotiates a PLA with unions, it interferes with the right of employers and workers to reach their own agreements on working conditions and benefits, says Steve Isenhart, president of the Associated General Contractors of Washington.
| Mar 22, 2012
Proposed rule would let crane operators get licenses without prior city experience
The Bloomberg administration is considering letting operators of giant tower cranes get their license without requiring that they first run cranes as apprentices in the city for three years.
| Mar 22, 2012
Bill would reintroduce “opt-out” provision in lead paint law
The Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012 (S2148) would restore the "Opt-Out" provision removed from the Environmental Protection Agency's Lead Renovate, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule in April 2010.
| Mar 15, 2012
New Florida building code establishes flood and storm surge provisions
The new 2010 code establishes minimum design and construction requirements to protect buildings from wind, rain, floods, and storm surges.
| Mar 15, 2012
Illinois city rejects international code due to home sprinkler requirement
Macomb, Illinois aldermen voted to recommend that the city not adopt 2012 international building and residential code standards requiring the installation of overhead sprinkler systems in newly constructed one-family and two-family homes.
