
28.02.2012 / World Bulletin
Sustainable architecture
A virtuous example of a low-impact home as well as a pleasant meeting place. That’s Amekaze, an experimental architectural project conceived in Japan in 2011.
Situated in Koganei city, Tokyo, the small building maintains constant temperature inside the room, taking advantage of different atmospheric conditions. Big tanks of rainwater lay beneath the floor; in Winter, the water is warmed up through solar panels , whilst in Summer it is cooled by the fresh breeze conveyed through specially designed cracks.
The entire surface of the floor goes after rainwater temperature, as rain (ame) and wind (kaze) flow in. The water flowing on the ceiling in micro tubes works as a humidity regulator.
Rough thermostats fixed on the walls record all temperature variations, accurately registered by a team of researchers from Tokyo University. Everything is measured and weighed, even waste.The cozy Cafe hosted inside the house is a zero-waste business. In other words, heap gets composted, no plastic crockery is admitted, beverages are sold exclusively in glass, soap is homemade and the remaining waste gets meticulously separated for recycling.
Abolishing waste is a principle, more than a consequent result, so that it’s decisive for the staff to make the right choices in the shopping phase at the beginning.
Large windows give the eating room light and warmth, although they can be blocked by natural curtains (climbing plants on bambù) if the sun is too hot.
The lunch menu obviously offers vegetables from the garden – most of the recipes are ok for vegs.
(Sara Francesca, infocre.wordpress.com)
Links
http://www.amekaze.jp/cafe.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtjxRZT093Y&feature=player_embedded




