6
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
I live in Chennai, a place which has only three seasons, hot-hotter & hottest. I had tried this coolroof solution, where a white so called chemical solution is painted on the concrete roof. We did ...
- 61
4
votes
Accepted
What techniques or solutions are available for reducing heat absorption by walls?
A solution is to grow vegetation along your wall. Here in Europe we see some mansions with huge vines or ivy.
It can be beautiful. Not sure what kind of vines you can grow in your place, but it's ...
- 1,407
3
votes
Accepted
Is residential water pumping common?
Available data indicates that; 1) electricity usage for water pumping at homes is minimal; and 2) most municipal water systems provide more pressure than required for residential uses
Is it common for ...
- 11.8k
3
votes
How can an architect design a building to reduce landfill usage by occupants?
This question needs to consider waste management for two phases: construction/renovation and occupation.
During the construction phase the design should consider the materials used and how they are ...
- 3,517
3
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
It is fairly common to add a layer of gravel on top of a slab roof in many commercial buildings around the world (I guess 20-30cm). A friend (engineer) explained to me that the slab would then absorb ...
- 271
3
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
I have the same issue over 2 flats under the same roof top. However 1 unit has concrete pavers laid approx. 50mm above the roof top. It's unbelievable the difference in temperature by having the ...
- 31
3
votes
What are some ways to affordably furnish a temporary apartment?
I have been building bed frames, tables, chairs, wine racks, and many other different things out of old pallets. I look for companies that are giving them away and collect as many as I can store. I ...
3
votes
What is an energy efficient way to get fresh air indoors during winter?
Simple Answer
There is a simple answer that does not require significant modification to an existing residential or commercial building. This is the standard high efficiency HVAC answer to the ...
- 276
3
votes
Is there a business model to do carpentry without a vehicle?
No affiliation, but I have proof-ridden an Urban Arrow Tender at a large bicycle trade fair in Germany, and it would seem to fit a lot of stuff:
Urban Arrow Tender. Source: Greenbike Shop
...
- 2,579
2
votes
Accepted
Meta-campaigns for sustainable building management?
There are several active organizations which provide guidelines, ratings, and certification of sustainable buildings, focusing variously on energy, water, waste, and embodied carbon. Several standards ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
Is residential water pumping common?
Depending on where the houses are located; in the Mid-West USA, flat ground and raised water towers means most of the water is gravity fed (with only the initial pumping to get the water into the tank)...
- 41
2
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
I had a new roof put on my house that is metal and coated with a white material (sort of a plastic/rubber coating). They installed it on a support system so it's a bit raised off the old roof. This ...
- 176
2
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
A very nice and eco-friendly way to keep our cement roof cool, is by planting grass or any green small plants on it. Just make a square block with bricks and cover it with a plastic sheet to avoid ...
2
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
Simple , cheap , safe and effective solution , please try and share with others :Paint the roof top ( exterior surface facing sunlight)
You can simply use any lime powder available in 10 kg bags at Rs....
- 21
2
votes
How can an architect design a building to reduce landfill usage by occupants?
These are just simple means:
Place water dispensers that replace the usage of canned and bottled beverages
place recycling bins near the front entrance, nudging occupants into using them
provide ...
- 393
2
votes
How much coil do I need to heat a given length of pipe (as a function of x,y,z)?
I've used them. I've never been happy with them. If you do use them you need to follow these rules:
If you wrap them you must have the wraps evenly spaced. You can't have 3 turns per foot at one ...
- 7,207
1
vote
How can an architect design a building to reduce landfill usage by occupants?
Place built-in bins for different waste streams
A lot of office kitchens/lunch rooms I've seen have only had one available bin (i.e only landfill). The designs of these kitchens did not account for ...
- 1,318
1
vote
What techniques or solutions are available for reducing heat absorption by walls?
Use some thermodynamics
Using the basic thermodynamics principle of black-bodies, your goal should be to change the emissivity of the surfaces of your house. Each surface has a measure of its ability ...
- 1,067
1
vote
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
We have the same problem for our house in India. For the roof, we are considering a combination of greenhouse rooftop, solar panels and heat reflective coating. There's a green-colored tarp type ...
- 111
1
vote
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
I am thinking the option of laying plastic tubes at regular intervals along the length of building roof (after the concrete slab is casted) and a common header pipe at the ends of all tubes. The tubes ...
- 11
1
vote
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
A plastic rubber coating will help you to not loose as much heat during the evening. Painting the roof white will not help during the evening after the sun goes down. The way I see it you have 2 ...
- 11
1
vote
Want to build a portable solar refrigerator
I believe they are called zeerpots. terracotta "or other porous ceramic" pot with another identical but smaller pot inside, fill gap between pots with sand pour just enough water into sand to dampen ...
- 11
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible