[Press Release]

DRAGONFLY, A METABOLIC FARM FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE

2009 : 800 MILLION OF URBAN FARMERS FOR RESPONSIBLE ECO-CITIES

The world of fast-food and frozen food is over! The urban keen interest of the beginning of our Century turns toward the garden flat bringing back the countryside in our overcrowded cities fighting from now on for a community urban agriculture able to contribute to the durability of the city and to rethink the food production.

On the roofs, terraces, balconies, in the hollow of the non-built public spaces, in the interior yards and the suspended greenhouses, the eco-warrior aspires to escape from its competitive and consumeristic universe imposed by the laws of the market. He desires to cultivate its immediate landscape so as to better take root in the ground by creating his own ecologic and alimentary biodiversity. The consumer becomes from then on producer and the garden inhabitant !

From the Parisian « worker gardens » to the « community gardens » of New York going though Muscovite « vegetable squares », eight hundred million of urban farmers, i.e. more than one human being out of ten, consume nowadays chlorophyllous products from these cosmopolitan kitchen gardens. These new gardens, aware of the emergency to reduce our fuel consumption and the necessity to modify our behaviour facing the climatic changes, decrease thus their environmental impact and build eco-responsible cities on a community way.

2025 : 5.5 BILLION OF CITY SLICKERS FACING THE FOOD CHALLENGE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

According to the PNUD (Programme of the United Nations for the Development), the worldwide urban population will go from 3.1 billion of inhabitants in 2009 up to 5.5 billion of inhabitants within 2025. Looking for a positive energetic assessment, the contemporary city aims within fifteen years at producing cleanly and intensively more energy than it consumes so as to pack this urban exodus! It develops therefore the urban agriculture to become food self-sufficient by recycling at the same time its liquid waste by phyto-purification, its solid waste in fertilizers by composting and by producing energy by biomass, photovoltaic cells and other renewable energies (thermic solar, photovoltaic solar, wind, tide-turbine energies…).

In order to avoid the asphixiation of the planet and the feeding of its 9 billion of inhabitants within 2050, it deals thus with reinventing the traditional energetic pattern between the city and the countryside between western countries, emerging countries and developing countries. This sums up as following: on the one hand import of natural and food resources, and on the other hand export of waste and pollution. The ecologic city aims at reintegrating the farming function on the urban scale by emphasizing the role of the urban agriculture in the use and the reuse of natural resources and biodegradable waste so as to close the loop of ecologic flows.

The urban agriculture can feed the city without any pesticide or chemical fungicide (whose toxicity is proved on the human being : cancer, sterility…), and make it less food dependant of its backcountry or other regions of the world. Organising the distribution of fresh products in short circuits, that means linked directly with the consumer, the urban agriculture complete thus the traditional agriculture. In addition to the nutritive quality of the produced and consumed food, the urban agriculture is also a growth lever of the urban unemployment market and the local economy. It is used directly as a social link in the conciliation of the primary needs of the newcomers with the challenge of their integration in the life of the city, fighting thus against poverty and exclusion. On the sanitary level, this farm approach presents also an interesting potential for the decontamination of polluted grounds and undergrounds as well as for he purification of the polluted atmosphere in CO2.

Due to the fuel crisis and climatical change, the rural agriculture of the western countries must answer to the worldwide food crisis of the developing countries and mainly Africa. Its role is from now on to produce (with an increase estimated of 60% within 2050) all the foodstuffs transportable by boat such as cereals or corn. This is based on the evolution of the science and the most advanced biotechnologies. In addition to this nutritious role, the rural agriculture is newly challenged to recycle its own culture rebus for the green chemistry in order to produce the bio fuel called “second generation fuel” using the energy of non-consumable materials from the plants, that means fibres such as celluloses.

DRAGONFLY, A NOURISHING VERTICALY CULTIVATED CENTRAL PARK

The architecture has to be in the service of this new agriculture and to design this new social desire in this context of ecologic mutation and food autonomy! The Dragonfly project suggests therefore building a prototype of urban farm offering around a mixed programme of housing, offices and laboratories in ecological engineering, farming spaces which are vertically laid out in several floors and partly cultivated by its own inhabitants. This vertical farm sets up all the sustainable applications in organic agriculture based on the intensive production varied according to the rhythm of the seasons. This nourishing agriculture is furthermore in favour of the reuse of biodegradable waste and the keeping of energy and renewable resources for a planning of ecosystemic densification.

Floor by floor, the tower superposes not only stock farming ensuring the production of meat, milk, poultry and eggs but also farming grounds, true biological reactors continuously regenerated with organic humus. It diversifies the cultivated varieties to avoid the washing of stratums of soft substratum. Thus, the cultures succeed one another vertically according to their agronomical ability to provide some elements of the ground between the essences that are sowed and harvested. The tower, true living organism, becomes thus metabolic and self-sufficient in water, energy, and bio-fertilizing. Nothing is lost; everything is recyclable to a continuous auto-feeding!

A BIONIC AND ENERGETICALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT ARCHITECTURE
The architecture of Dragonfly prototype suggests reinventing the vertical building (that outlined the urbanistic booming of New York City since the 19th Century) as structurally and functionally as ecologically and energetically.

To ensure the social diversity and a permanent life cycle (24h/24) in the tower, the mixed programmation is mainly laid out around two poles of housing and work places. Around housings, offices and research laboratories as well as the most private to the most public agricultural and leisure spaces are designed in gardens, kitchen gardens, orchards, meadows, rice fields, farms and suspended fields. The distribution of flows is made around a true safe spine spreading in loop the numerous elevators, the goods elevators and stair wells serving all the levels by separating simultaneously the inputs and the outputs recycled from plants, animals and human beings.

Architecturally, the functional organisation is represented by two oblong towers symetrically arranged in pair around a huge climatic greenhouse that links them and deploys itself between two crystalline wings. These very light wings in glass and steel retake the loads of the building and are directly inspired from the structure of the dragonfly wings coming from the family of “Odonata Anisoptera” whose transparent membrane is very finely nervured. Two inhabited rings buttress around these wings. Their organically chiselled exo-structure accommodates the inter-climatic spaces that receive the agrarian cultures. They buttress.

The whole set forms «double layer» architecture in bee nest mesh that exploits the solar passive energy at its maximum level, by accumulating the warm air in the winter in the thickness of the exo-structure, and by cooling the atmosphere by natural ventilation and by evapo-perpiration of the plants in the summer. Protecting thus the cultures from climatic changes in New York (from -25.5°C in the winter to +41°C in the summer), these plug spaces are useful to reflect on the agriculture not anymore in terms of surface area but really in terms of volume. Actually, whereas grounds nourish orchards, each wall and each ceiling are metamorphosed into three-dimensional kitchen gardens. The interior frontages of the housing and offices throw towards the skyline of New York the cantilever of their hydrophonic balconies with hexagonal section thanks to what it multiplies the culture layers by floors. The vegetation abounds, the earth is swarming of insects and animals are freely brought up in holding tanks by urban consumers with low income. The architecture becomes eatable!

Designer : Vincent Callebaut Architect

JK Shin (Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division of Samsung Electronics) says:
“Samsung’s ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ demonstrates our small but meaningful commitments for the future and our environment. We are committed to achieving the highest eco-status with our customers and business partners by providing the best eco-products and promoting eco-activities.”

Designer : Samsung

Text from David:
Transportation is a key factor in our urban environments and most of our cities are now developed to match the scale and needs of cars, and car users. This reality raises issues regarding sustainability and environment, energy consumption and quality of life.

So, “How can public and personal transports be redefined in a sustainable way, delivering a sense of personal space and independence to its users?” This was the title of my Master of Science in Design and Transport Thesis, concluded in Coventry University, UK, with Distinction, in September 2008.

In other words, the aim of this project was to develop guidelines and a holistic solution for a new system of urban transport, composed of vehicle and infrastructure, in a sustainable way and adaptable to various urban environments.

To develop the project I needed information about: user’s behaviors and explanations for them; main trends; analysis of existing solutions and identification of their problems; definition of applicable technologies in a sustainable manner in a near future. This information was gathered through an online questionnaire, statistical data from several sources, literary research, internet articles, pictures, video and expert interviews and then compiled in my final report.

Preliminary research indicated that several attempts to tackle the issue of mass transportation are being tested and implemented throughout the biggest cities on Earth. Several solutions exist already, but people always seem to give preference to a personal vehicle of some kind to move, commute or make quick trips. Only when there is no other choice, people seem to engage in public transportation. Personal transport is the preferred mode of use and this is a trend that keeps increasing.

The conclusion of the thesis report was composed of guidelines and design specifications that served as basis for the development of a new type of transportation that is truly sustainable and that meets people’s requirements. This generic solution was exemplified through a typical design project that will act as future reference and that goes by the name of “SCARAB”.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
VEHICLE:
- The vehicle allows users to have freedom of use much like a motorcycle but with the convenience of having an enclosed private space and luggage compartments.
- The vehicle can be operated in several different positions depending on speed. It is parked vertically for easy ingress and egress and optimization of public space. When in speed position, the vehicle also tilts when curving or changing direction.
- When circulating in dedicated pathways, the SCARAB is controlled by a centralized computer or by a traffic management centre. Outside of the dedicated pathways the SCARAB is controlled by the user just like any other vehicle.

VEHICLE SPECS:
-The vehicle is composed of interchangeable modules that can be customized by the potential buyer/user.
-Powerpack module composed of a permanent battery plus 3 options for the main energy pack (battery, biofuel ICE or a fuel cell).
-4 wheel drive through electric brushless in-wheel motors with directdrive.
-Wheels with regenerative braking through EW Brakes.
-Drive by wire and tactile HUD embedded in the Lexan canopy.
-Structural elements in Carbon-Aramid composite.
-Embedded sensors, Lidar, radar, transponders, GPS. These serve to exchange information with the system, with other drivers and to have precise location data.

INFRASTRUCTURE:
-Communication nodes spread through roadways and traffic management centres in major conurbations.
-Dedicated paths with electromagnetic transponders embedded in the road.
-Parking facilities with solar/wind power generators.
-High speed/long distance travel provided through a railroad interface (not yet developed).

SYSTEM:
-Renting of the vehicle or modules that allows for a private/public/mixed utilization and transport access for people with less financial resources.
-Doesn’t need new infrastructures (uses the existing roads).
-Is backward compatible with current transport systems and uses current day technologies.

Designer : David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves

Designer : Solar Sailor via IGreenSpot

[Press Release]
ONDELIOS: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY LONG-HAUL JOURNEY

The Paris Motor Show sees the wraps come off Renault’s top-of-the-range concept car Ondelios designed for lovers of long-haul travel who set store by comfort and refinement. Ondelios epitomizes Renault’s vision of the high-end crossover, combining a comfortable ride with respect for the environment. Clear illustrations of that vision are the vehicle’s ethereal design, its interior layout, and an original hybrid powertrain.

A sleek design that answers the call of the open road
The 4.8-metre-long, 1.6-metre high Ondelios has drawn inspiration from the world of aviation design to deliver high drag efficiency and a Cd of just 0.29. This long-distance voyager boasts sleek, smooth, amazingly fluid lines that make it appear as though it glides over the ground. It embodies Renault’s vision of high-end car. “Ondelios is inspired by motion rather than speed and is a whole new response to the call of the open road,” enthuses Patrick Le Quément, Renault’s Design Director.

The aluminium-finish grille is flanked by headlamp units that also suggest flowing motion, while its high-performance LED headlights are both longer lasting and more efficient. Another feature of Ondelios’ aerodynamic styling is the boomerang-shaped tail lights. They are built into the bodywork and ringed with air extractors to control the flow of air from the wheel arches. The glazed roof further emphasises the vehicle’s airy look and feel, bathing the interior in natural light. The steeply raked windscreen, which extends well down the bonnet, further accentuates this ethereal feel.

“We think of it as made from a single material, where the body and glazed areas merge into one. Ondelios is a glimpse of what the automobile might be in the medium term future,” adds Patrick Le Quément. The butterfly-type side doors, which also feature an extensive glazed area, add a further touch of elegance to the car’s overall styling. They swing out and upwards as the sills slide down to facilitate ingress.

The dark blue anthracite of the bodywork blends perfectly with the tinted glazed area, making the car look as if it were all of a piece and a single colour. The tailgate’s upper section rounds off the sleek, aerodynamic lines with a profiled glareshield that slides inwards to air and cool the cabin.

Ondelios sits on seven-spoke, 23-inch aluminium alloy wheels which contribute to its profiled styling. The propeller-like hubs draw airflow from the sides of the car to prevent turbulence. They operate in conjunction with the rim-side brake discs to ensure they suck in air effectively.

The sleek sidewalls of the large diameter 255/40 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres deliver outstanding drag performance. Their tread pattern is designed to minimise deformation of the contact patch while on the move to help curb rolling resistance. The tread has efficient, active flow channels which, together with the wide circumferential
groove that helps clear water, strengthen the image of a high-end, high-tech tyre.

Business-class comfort for a long-haul journey
The elegance of the Ondelios interior is in harmony with the call of the open road suggested by its exterior. To begin with, its layout is designed to profit from all the available space. There are three rows of seats that offer individual seating for six. With their cantilever mounts they give the impression of floating, while their kinematics are redolent of airplane seats. The electrically adjustable backs fold into comfortable, business-class positions, while occupants can deploy and retract their footrests at will. Although their slim lines speak of lightness, they are
designed, like giant leaves, to hug their occupants who can curl up in them to enjoy the comfort and support they afford. The height of the seats is carefully designed to ensure occupants are perfectly at ease when they talk to each other.

Unlike conventional door opening systems, the doors are hinged to the roof, which makes getting into the car extremely easy. The second row of seats slide forward and folds down to facilitate access to the third row.

In addition to seating comfort, the cabin exudes a highly refined ambience. The materials used are drawn from contemporary interior design and give the impression of sitting in a lounge on wheels. They blend soft, supple textures like light grey leather and fabric, as seen on the dashboard, seats and door panels. The colour of the seatbacks blends gradually from ochre to purple, further enhancing the sense of security and comfort.

Interior features and fittings are both modern and intuitive. The ergonomically designed controls, in keeping with Renault’s touch design approach, afford users efficient, comfortable ease of use.

The ample, flowing yet sober design of the broad dashboard echoes the car’s aerodynamic exterior. It is further highlighted by a roomy, suspended stowage compartment which is protected by a lit shell, while all the dashboard’s functional components are particularly user-friendly:
- active display skins show driver aid and ride information;
- a monitor at the base of the windscreen displays the different menus and pictures from the
door mirror cameras;
- three large strip displays provide driving-related information, revs and how the hybridized
drivetrain is operating;
- a digital speedometer.

The technologies with which Ondelios is equipped enhance the collective and individual well-being of all occupants. All the passengers, including those in the back row, have their own Samsung interactive portable multimedia devices which they can use for sharing data or multiplayer gaming. Speakers are also incorporated into the headrests and a multizone HVAC system enables each passenger to set the temperature to his or her own liking.

The smart technologies that have gone into designing Ondelios help drivers to settle in at the wheel, include a Samsung cell phone which also acts as a hands-free door lock recognizes the driver and loads all his or her personal settings, e.g. seat-adjustment settings and favourite music. The vehicle adds a final, friendly touch in the form of the back-lit logo which lights up to show that it has recognized the driver.

An environmentally friendly voyager
To complement the extensive work that has gone into Ondelios’s aerodynamics, some of the car’s structural parts are made from natural flax fibre for greater recyclability. In keeping with the commitment to make the car as light as possible, its body is made from carbon and the glazed areas from polycarbonate.

Ondelios is powered by a hybrid powerplant which combines a more powerful 205hp (150kW) version of the 2.0 dCi engine, with two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear. They operate in mild hybrid mode, giving the engine extra boost as required. They use a brake and boost system, recovering energy during braking then delivering it to the engine to boost acceleration. The front motor also uses fuel-saving stop-start technology.

The electric motor mounted on the rear axle drives the rear wheels when the ESP sensors detect a loss of traction, thus giving Ondelios the capability of a 4WD vehicle. The car is equipped with a lithium-ion battery that can deliver power of up to 4kW/h. With torque of 450Nm between 1,700 and 3800rpm, the diesel engine provides comfort and flexibility at all engine speeds for long-distance driving pleasure. The 2.0 dCi unit takes Ondelios from a standing start to 100kph in just 7.8 seconds. Driving through a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox, it affords outstanding driving pleasure, while keeping fuel consumption at a frugal 4.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions at a lowly 120g/km – very impressive for a top-of-the-range vehicle. Similarly, the body, chassis design and hybrid powertrain contribute decisively to protecting the environment.

Ondelios is a long-distance travel-loving aerodynamic crossover born for the open road. It is proof that caring for occupants and the environment is entirely compatible. Ondelios is a concept car that illustrates Renault’s vision of the high-end car of the near future.

Weights, dimensions, capacities
Length (mm) 4,805
Width (mm) 1,998
Height (mm) 1,605
Height with doors open (mm) 2,230
Wheel base (mm) 2,895
Front track (mm) 1,690
Rear track (mm) 1,720
Unladen weight (kg) 1,452
Boot (dm3) 530

Technical data
Internal combustion engine 2.0 dCi
Power in hp (kW) 205 (150)
Maximum torque (Nm) 450, from 1,700 to 3,800rpm
Electric motors Two 20kW electric motors: one at the front and one at the rear
Power supply 4kWh lithium-ion battery.
Size: 40dm3.
Weight: 50kg

Acceleration from 0 to 100kph (s) 7.8
CO2 emissions, combined cycle fuel consumption 120g/km, 4.5 litres/100 km
Transmission Double-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission
Internal combustion engine drive and electric motor drive
Tyres 255/40 ZR23

Wheels
Diameter: 23″.
Width: 9″

Partners
G Studio Bodywork
Michelin Tyres
Samsung Telephone for communication with vehicle
Mgs par Matérialise Sintered parts

[Images via AutoBlog]

[Press Release]
Mazda Kazamai Concept to Premiere at Moscow International Automobile Salon 2008

HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda will unveil a sporty, compact crossover concept vehicle, Mazda Kazamai, at the Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS) on August 26. Kazamai, which means “swirling crosswinds” in Japanese, expresses the powerful yet nimble image of a stylish and compact crossover. The concept is based on Mazda’s long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, which aims to provide a unique balance between sporty driving fun and superior environmental and safety performance. Kazamai will be joined at MIAS by the Russian debut of Mazda’s CX-9 SUV, which was crowned 2008 North American Truck of the Year in February.

The Kazamai concept further evolves Mazda’s ‘Nagare’ design language by fusing Nagare’s ‘flow’ design cues with aerodynamic proportions. The design features panel lines inspired by crosswinds in nature which evoke visual lightness. Its bold five-point grille, accentuated front wheel arches and sleek roof line, combined with large 22-inch wheels, lend it high emotional appeal.

Sporty to look at, Kazamai is meant to be spirited and fun to drive, with compact dimensions. Kazamai’s four-wheel drive powertrain will consist of a next-generation direct injection engine and a newly developed transmission. It is also aerodynamic, with an evolved lightweight body structure and enhanced the vehicle safety attributes. Were it to be built, Mazda’s latest show car would deliver exciting driving dynamics, frugal fuel consumption and greatly reduced CO2 emissions.

The Mazda Kazamai promises to be another ground-breaking show car from Mazda Design, winner of this year’s Grand Prix du Design in Paris. Created especially for the Moscow International Automobile Salon, it gives a good indication of where Mazda is going with a possible future compact crossover. And in Russia’s growing automotive market, compact SUVs are the second-largest segment, representing about 13 percent of all new car sales.

Complete information will be made available immediately after Mazda’s press conference at 10:15 a.m. local time, on August 26 at the Mazda stand.

This motorcycle was developed in conjunction with British Intelligent Energy, which make this a great collaboration since British Intelligent has its own hydrogen generation plants. Energy has a portfolio that includes a range of world-class fuel cell, fuel processing, desulphurization and hydrogen generation technologies. The company�s existing home hydrogen generation system means you�ll be able to make your own hydrogen at home. So I guess this news means you will find this motorcycle in the nearest showroom somewhere near the future.

From : Suzuki

Designer : Austroflam via Trendir

Some fact of this combustion chambers :
- Small fuel consumption (approx. 500 ml per 1 hr.)
- Even Fleming formation, also with low level
- Are enough burning duration (2.5 litres capacity)
- Small heat development of the combustion chamber
- Ignition ability also with lowest level