Biostruct – High-Performance Building Materials for Energy Efficient, Sustainable, Passive Solar and LEED Construction

Congratulations are in order to scientists from the University of Alberta who have succeeded in creating a graphene-like nanomaterial out of industrial hemp bast fiber. We first wrote about the potential for using hemp for carbon nanomaterials, last year in our viral blog “Can Industrial Hemp Compete with Carbon Fiber Technologies?”. As reported in Chemical & Engineering News, May 15th:

“With high surface area and conductivity, graphene is ideal for use as electrodes in batteries and supercapacitors, which are energy storage devices that excel at providing quick bursts of power. Supercapacitors charge and discharge faster than batteries can because they store energy in the form of fast-moving charges on the surfaces of their electrodes. Currently, supercapacitors are used in braking systems for buses and fast-charging flashlights.

Commercial supercapacitors use activated carbon electrodes, but experimental devices made with graphene can store more energy. Unfortunately, graphene’s production costs can’t come close to competing with the price for activated carbon, about $40 per kilogram, says University of Alberta chemical engineer David Mitlin.

Part of Mitlin’s research is finding ways to use plant waste as feedstocks for commercial materials. He thought he could transform waste from the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa) into a carbon nanomaterial that had similar properties to graphene and with a much smaller price tag. The cannabis plant’s notorious use is for producing marijuana, but people also grow the plant to use its fibrous parts for products such as rope, clothing, oil, and plastics. The plants used for these industrial applications are referred to as hemp, and have lower levels of psychoactive compounds. Hemp is relatively inexpensive, since the plant grows rapidly in a variety of climates without the need for fertilizer and pesticides.”

You can read more about the University of Alberta’s research here.

Carbon nanomaterials, also have great potential to replace platinum in fuel cells. The platinum industry, has had a couple of bad years, which threatens its viability long-term. Meanwhile, the fuel cell industry, continues to grow, especially in Europe where there is agreement that hydrogen fuel cell units are one of the most efficient heat and power supply technologies of the future.

All in all, it looks like the hemp industry is going to continue to show impressive growth in the coming years..

The annual conference of the BC Building Envelope Council, one of the more active building envelope associations in North America, was held last Wednesday in Vancouver, drawing over 200 people. Billed as an exploration of “current elements in building enclosures design,” the conference focused on integrated energy efficient wall solutions, window systems and related regulatory issues.

Entering the door of the Fairmont Waterfront, we immediately noticed—lining the corridor leading into the conference–various work project displays provided by students from BCIT.

The first one to catch our eye was: “Field Investigation on Moisture Buffering effect of Materials on Indoor Environment & Energy Efficiency”. (See our hemp-lime wall system, here)

Wow! we thought to ourselves: very progressive!

Many other impressive projects were effectively showcased as well—ranging from the testing of phase change materials to the effects of thermal bridging on a building envelope.

Windows were a big theme at the conference. Brittany Hanam from RDH Engineering kicked off the morning speeches, discussing the balancing of window choices in the context of such factors as U-value, SHGC, comfort factors and energy performance.

Later, when Guido Wimmers from the Canadian Passive House Institute spoke about PassivHaus in B.C.—including various projects throughout the Lower Mainland, the subject of windows came up once again. This time the discussion was a lot more heated, as the PassivHaus standard is a rigorous one, and most local window companies don’t come close to meeting its performance requirements.

Later, to bring everything into perspective, David Ramslie from the City of Vancouver talked about the new code coming into effect. As part of the Greenest City 2020 initiative, the original idea was to have the greenest building code of any city in North America.

No word yet on whether that will indeed be the case, as the code has yet to be fully approved by council. However, key updates in regard to the proposed changes include the mandating of:

(1) a maximum air exchange rate of 3.5 ACH;

(2) R22 effective insulation for walls, and R50 for attics; and

(3) at least R4 for windows (Energy Star rated).

The proposal still comes nowhere near meeting the codes in Europe and is far from what is achievable in energy performance in a building. But it’s a good start, and we are happy to see the progression from older standards.

Hopefully other jurisdictions will follow Vancouver’s lead.

In these interesting economic times we have to ask ourselves: ‘What are real assets? And how do we get real returns on our investments?”

Recently I came across a rather provocatively titled book that addressed some of my own questions about where our real estate and investment markets might be headed. Entitled “Survival Investing: How to Prosper Amid Thieving Banks and Corrupt Governments,” the volume is described by Publishers Weekly as “a shrewd discussion of money and politics–and the deleterious effect the latter has on the former.” The author is a former investment banker who turned his back on Wall Street and committed himself, after the 2008 economic crisis, to helping struggling families get back on their feet. Referred to by Bloomberg News as “an oracle with a track record,” John Talbott currently runs a website called “StopTheLying.com” and has also written articles for various news publications.

Like many of our customers, we at Biostruct are concerned about possible future economic developments and trends. So, while it’s not our intention to offer advice on money matters (we’ll leave that up to financial gurus like Talbott!), we’re always interested in the perspective of a genuine “insider.” –Especially one who happens to have correctly predicted both the housing market crash in the U.S. and the ensuing global slowdown!

You’ll have to read the book for yourself if you want “the full meal deal.” However, I would like to share a few of the author’s insights, particularly those relating to real estate.

It’s clear, in the wake of the 2008 financial upheaval, that governments of the world have been left “holding the bag.” As Talbott points out, they’re faced with enormous annual operating deficits at a time when the banking system continues to require additional “state” guarantees and bailouts, due to its ongoing struggle with bad debts. When you add in the fact that growth is constrained because the first wave of the baby boom is hitting 65 (and citizens are still loaded with unsustainable levels of debt), the stage is set for another economic catastrophe.

Among the global dynamics covered in Survival Investing are:

*the low-wage threat of China and India;

*the legitimacy of investing in gold;

*the false security of diversification; (and)

*the risks of sovereign debt.

Individuals and institutions usually hold the majority of their financial assets in common stocks, corporate bonds, mutual funds, index funds, municipal bonds, money markets, bank CDs, and Treasury securities. But these conventional investments will not do well, Talbott advises, in a world dominated by corrupt, debt-laden governments and thieving investment bankers, brokers and middlemen. “Traditional investments are no longer secure in today’s indebted and double dealing world,” he insists. And that’s precisely where many economists are missing the boat!

In a recent blog on the Huffington Post, the author discussed the difference between “nominal” and “real” returns:

“In speaking with my financial advisory clients, I find the most misunderstood concept is the difference between nominal returns and real returns. And Wall Street brokers and bankers are very quick to take advantage of this situation. Simply stated, a nominal return is the annual percentage return a security or asset earns each year in total. It is the annual return you see stated in the newspapers or online for any particular asset. The real return from holding that asset or security is this nominal return less the current inflation rate. People speak of what an asset’s “real” return is after adjusting for inflation.”

While real estate is a “real” asset, Talbott doesn’t believe it’s going to appreciate much, in “real” terms, anytime soon. But even when their real value is not appreciating, houses have historically done a good job, he notes, of appreciating–with inflation–in nominal terms. So even if interest rates were to suddenly rise (putting a damper on the housing industry, the auto industry, and–in fact–the whole economy), homeowners would still retain their purchasing power, due to the increasing nominal value of their residences. Most stocks, on the other hand, will lose value in an inflationary situation. Thus, according to Talbott, real estate can be seen as a reliable hedge against rising interest rates. Moreover, a “real estate portfolio” is far easier to manage, during a period of upheaval, than a stock portfolio!

So, for the person who is considering buying or investing in the built environment, what sort of investment makes the most sense? As we consider this question, it’s important to realize that the economic crisis is just one aspect of a greater systemic failure: a demonstration, in fact, that our mechanized way of looking at the world is running out of gas. Many believe that in order to rise above this failure, we need to begin by changing our overarching framing metaphor from “the universe as a machine” to “the universe as an organism”. Through the updated lens, the economy can be viewed as a biocentric, holistic system in which machines, while still used, are operated within the limits of natural systems. This new perspective is necessary, advocates say, because our past mechanized systems developed as an abstraction–apart from a broader understanding of ecology, evolutionary biology, and (quantum) physics.

“To emulate nature, our first challenge is to describe her in her terms. The day the metaphors start flowing the right way, I think the machine-based models will begin to lose their grip” – Janine Beynus, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

While the science underlying them has evolved, many of our institutions and behaviors have not. In a landmark work entitled “Ecological Design”, authors Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan observed: “Our present forms of agriculture, architecture, engineering, and industry are derived from design epistemologies incompatible with nature’s own.” Moreover (as also noted by Van der Ryn and Cowan), “design manifests culture, and culture rests firmly on the foundations of what we believe to be true about the world.” Clearly, the creation of a restorative built environment–one that is not only compatible with natural systems, but sustainable, as well, for future generations–will require a major shift in both architectural and mainstream real estate practices.

“The Economics of Change: Catalyzing the Investment Shift Toward a Restorative Built Environment” is one recent report that provides effective alternatives to the current financial model and policy framework that drive investment decisions in real estate. These alternatives will hopefully help move limited investment capital towards a restorative built environment by integrating social and environmental benefits into investment models, appraiser methodologies, and supporting policies.

According to the report “When considering how to build a more sustainable,

prosperous and fair economy, investments in green buildings and infrastructure that generate ecosystem services within the urban core promises us greater prosperity and resiliency in the decades ahead. This work provides monetized environmental and social benefits not currently considered in a conventional real estate investment model. By enhancing the underlying real estate investment model, which includes appraisal, risk assessment, finance, and lending, the full transition to a high performing built environment appropriate for the 21st century can be achieved.”

Nowadays it’s almost as hard to avoid talking about energy as it is to avoid using it….! Whether it’s a call to end oil subsidies or a report about pipeline routes and/or spills, our daily “news menu” usually features at least one story that involves energy. At Biostruct, we’re obviously very passionate about the non-toxic hemp wall system we’re developing; it adds one more piece to the puzzle of energy efficiency; moreover, efficient and clean use of energy constitutes a (hidden) fuel of the future. That said, it’s hard not to get excited about new technologies coming down the pipe, especially newer designs for solar and wind power products, many of which are based on biomimetic, i.e. nature inspired, approaches. Since these sources will enable people to be producers as well as consumers of energy, the result will be a “democratization” of energy use and distribution that will, in turn, reshape both the way we think and the paradigms we use to organize our societies. The top-down, centralized hierarchies of the twentieth century will be displaced, in the age of the internet, by more decentralized, laterally structured models: models that many feel better reflect the fractal nature of our world.

One innovation that is progressing very quickly is a biomimetic dye solar (DSE) technology, based on the principles of photosynthesis. An Australian company called Dyesol has developed a process using an electrolyte, a layer of titania (a pigment used in everything from toothpaste to paint), and ruthenium dye deposited on glass, metal, or polymer substrates. Light striking the the dye excites electrons, which are then absorbed by the titania to become an electric current. In comparison to current silicon-based solar PV, Dyesol’s technology has lower cost and embodied energy to manufacture; it also produces electricity more efficiently– even in lower light conditions.

This month, Dyesol announced that laboratory testing of its next-generation ‘strip-cell’ active area has confirmed a 7.48% efficiency at one-third Sun (typical lower-light, real-world light conditions). “Dyesol scientists have been achieving very high low-light conversion efficiency performance for some time now, but getting third-party, external validation that our DSC ‘strip cells’ are achieving performance levels nearing seven and a half per cent in low light reinforces the extraordinary commercial potential of DSC as a green value-add technology,” Dyesol Executive Chairman Mr. Richard Caldwell stated.

What’s wrong with current silicon-based PV you may be wondering? There’s no good reason for us to stop using the technology that’s currently available;

however, if we are truly going to embrace solar as an energy source (and follow through by putting panels on every suitable building), we will need raw materials that are both non-toxic and abundant. Dye Sensitized Solar Cell technology does indeed rely on non-toxic, widely-available resources that have lower embodied energy and require less costly manufacturing processes than silicon panels. In addition to providing excellent performance in real-world, lower-light solar conditions, i.e. cloudy days, hazy/polluted days, dappled light, shade, dawn, and dusk, DSC panels also offer a wide range of aesthetic options. Included are variations in colouration and transparency that offer beautiful solutions for power generating glass in the building integrated photovoltaics sector.

In Germany, the formation of citizen-owned energy cooperatives has started a cultural shift that is driving the country away from the “elite” energies. The transition, known as “Energiewende”, is not happening overnight, but already over 20% of Germany’s energy is coming from renewable resources, and most of the new energy coming online is being “generated” by the citizens of Germany–rather than by “too big to fail” energy companies. As noted by Jason McLennan in the Summer edition of Trim Tab Magazine: “Properly presented, a national “Energy for the People” campaign has the ability to unite disparate political realities. For the Libertarians, there is the argument of self-sufficiency, and reduced need for government or large corporate interventions into everyday life. For the true conservatives, there are long-term fiscal benefits that should lead to smaller government including smaller military expenditures, lower taxes and more jobs for Americans. For the liberal community, there are significant environmental and social benefits to be realized, including a fairer distribution of wealth and significantly reduced externalized impacts to the poor and disadvantaged. For everyone — and just about everyone cares about this – there is more money in everyone’s pocket in a way that we can literally see. In other words, the story can unify us because we all use energy, we all need and want energy, and we all pay for energy.”

It seems to be the bipartisan support of Germany’s citizens that has been the key to the success of its Energiewende shift. But the German people also understand that the financial problems of the EU (and of the global banking system in general) are not going to be solved anytime soon. They view local communities and civil societies as a deliberate and badly needed counterpoint to the international financial markets. Moreover, it is mainly cooperative banks or credit unions that are funding and financing these energy cooperatives, rather than the global banks. The latter, of course, are much more interested in colluding with the other multi-national companies to support the “elite” energies, like coal and nuclear.

Here in Canada, where stricter controls on banking gave us some protection from the 2008 financial crisis, our economy has weathered the recession better than most. Of course, it has also benefitted from the sale of our natural resources, including oil and gas. Due to their associated carbon emissions, however, these sources of energy have clearly fallen out of favour in many parts of the world. Fortunately, our resource wealth isn’t limited to what’s in the ground; we also have an abundance of renewable energy at our disposal. Even though our country (with a relatively small population in comparison to its landmass) is in a much different situation than Germany, there’s really nothing stopping us from initiating our own energy shift. –Assuming, that is, we have the collective will to do it! Maybe it could start in B.C….? Wind, tidal, geothermal, micro-hydro, biomass, etc. are all part of the solution. We know global energy prices are only going to go higher. Meanwhile, if we do nothing, climate change will continue to get worse. Let’s start our own Energiewende! Shall we call it Eh-nergy?

More on Energiewende in this video featuring Arne Jungjohann with the Heinrich Böll Foundation who recently spoke on the Dylan Ratigan Show about what’s driving the shift:

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Are you a lumper or a splitter? An “analyzer” who enjoys taking gadgets apart to view their inner workings, or a “pattern-maker” with a knack for fitting jigsaw pieces together to reveal the big picture? Over in Geneva, Switzerland, the hunt for the Higgs boson—the so-called “God particle” that gives mass to everything in the universe—might well be viewed as the ultimate splitting project of all time. Now that research has confirmed, beyond a reasonable doubt, this elusive particle’s existence, some are referring to the achievement at CERN (the headquarters of the European Organization for Nuclear Research) as the 21st century equivalent of the moon landing!

Ironically, insights obtained from this historic discovery may eventually give rise to a new “big picture” of the universe. Many are hoping the information now coming online will help us integrate the world of ordinary things (the classical or Newtonian world) with the strange, unpredictable domain of quantum phenomena. Curiously, these two worlds seem to act independently. The classical realm we experience through our senses operates, in many ways, like a well-behaved “machine”; its quantum underpinnings, on the other hand, are annoyingly difficult to pin down! They hint, oddly enough, at an underlying order that is better symbolized by the metaphor of an organism than that of a machine, and more easily defined by the “how” of relationship than the “stuff” in relationship. Ultimately, of course, both worlds consist of energy, and both exist in the same “space.” There’s no getting around the fact that somehow they operate together as a system—the system that generates our everyday reality.

As every builder knows, there’s a time and a place for taking a structure apart, and another time and place for putting its components back together. Today, overwhelmed with the ever-increasing complexity of our modern lives, we tend to get lost in the details, often becoming highly specialized in our fields even as our focus grows narrower and narrower. Meanwhile, all around us we see evidence of systemic breakdown: accelerated climate change, economic meltdown, species endangerment, loss of biodiversity etc. Much of the disharmony and unhealthiness we see is undoubtedly a result of our own interference in natural patterns. Now, as never before, we need to put on the “systems thinking” caps that will allow us to comprehend our planet—along with its animate and inanimate features—as an integrated whole.

The term “system” comes from a Greek word that means “to bring together or combine.” A system is thus an interconnected, interdependent set of elements that forms a whole and creates its own patterns of behaviour. “Systems thinking” is a discipline that allows us to glimpse these patterns “in motion,” so that what we are viewing appears more like a film than a static snapshot. When we look through the lens of the “movie camera,” we can see how a change in one part of the system affects the rest of it. (Some people refer to this as the “butterfly effect.”) Interestingly, the general principles that govern this mode of thinking span diverse fields, and apply to all properly functioning systems, whether living or nonliving. Nature, of course, is the resident expert on governing principles. With experience in design and engineering that goes back to the dawn of time, the original Systems Thinker has obviously figured out a lot—through countless adventures in trial and error—about which combinations work well together, which don’t, and what needs to happen if a system is to thrive!

Such a system, it turns out, has several defining characteristics:

1. Each element or subsystem has its own purpose within the larger system.

2. The proper arrangement of these elements is key to the accomplishment of the whole system’s purpose.

3. The system constantly makes adjustments, based on feedback from information exchanged both internally and with the broader environment, to maintain its stability.

4. A well-functioning system is resilient (tending to return to its original condition after an external disturbance), self-organizing (capable of adapting to its surrounding environment) and hierarchical (structured so that its uppermost layers serve the purpose of its lower layers).

The concept of systems thinking is particularly relevant to green building and sustainability. That’s because—underlying the increasing demand for healthier indoor environments is a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of our bodies, the buildings we inhabit, and the world beyond our windows. All three of these living spaces consist of energy, and “outside energy” eventually becomes “inside energy.” In northern climates, where we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, it’s particularly important that we avoid sealing ourselves inside poisonous “gas chambers.” Just as an ailing world promotes a toxic indoor environment, that unhealthy indoor environment promotes sickness in our bodies.

On the other hand, a building that functions well as a system will support, and perhaps even nurture its human inhabitants. Whole building or integrated design is a holistic process that considers site, energy, materials, indoor air quality, acoustics and natural resources, as well as their interrelationships. A team of collaborating professionals that has committed to this approach will apply systems thinking techniques to discover how the building’s components and subsystems can best work together to save energy and reduce environmental impact. They may decide to incorporate breathable walls with good thermal mass (e.g. a hemp-lime wall system), high quality windows, and/or passive solar strategies that reduce the seasonal loads on both heating and cooling equipment. Often the systems approach results in cost savings that allow additional capital to be invested in new building technology. An advanced daylighting strategy, for example, which reduces the use of lighting fixtures during daylight (thereby reducing daytime cooling loads) can justify a significant reduction in the size of the mechanical cooling system. This in turn can result in reduced capital expenditure and lower energy costs over the building’s life cycle.

As we work together to improve the health of our world, analysis will always have a role to play. The contributions of both splitters and lumpers are needed if we are going to solve the complex problems we face. Moreover, as individuals, we need to be able to draw on both these skills, remembering—when it seems our “butterfly wings” are doing little to change the system—that every action we take impacts something (or someone) else, and even the splash of a tiny pebble can ripple outward into something quite significant. Just as we all share some responsibility for the problems around us, we all have the potential to contribute to positive change. What the world needs now, more than anything, is for all of us to do what we can to make a difference.