Hi Prefab Skyscrapers Reach for the Heavens Reshaping HVAC! Da Vinci Tower! Dubai!.

Hi Prefab Skyscrapers Reach for the Heavens Reshaping HVAC! Da Vinci Tower! Dubai!.

Keeping an eye on the future is an important part of being successful in one's industry; in our case, the HVAC industry where the building industry is a primary driver of air-conditioning system design, technologies and materials.

Most recently we have been following the China Sky City project to build the world's tallest building, 220 stories with prefabricated modules built in advance in factories and assembled in record time and at significant cost savings. 

The project has run into a number of delays including a quality issue with concrete, a "hold" put on the project due to concern over "ugliness" and re-evaluation of construction plans which have caused revision of the construction phase to go from 90 days to a current build cycle estimate of 4 months.

As Sky City struggles in China a new project in Dubai, the Da Vinci Tower, has been proposed that goes beyond in many ways.

First, it is not taller at "only" 78 floors, but it uses unique factory built modules and employs a fourth dimension of movement with time; each floor rotates independent from other floors (voice activated control on each floor, or controlled centrally according to a specific schedule, or the building can be stationary for a period of time then "redesigned" for a new look).

The Da Vinci Tower is part of the Dynamic Architecture movement which has been evolving over the last few decades. The earliest known high-rise was built in Brazil at the turn of the century.

The Tower's circular core will be site-poured concrete with the pie shaped factory built modules of offices, air-conditioning equipment, plumbing and domestic water, utilities, etc. that will be lifted/guided into place as each floor is "built". A 30 percent reduction in building cost is projected by designers as well as shorter build cycles.

The Da Vinci Tower is totally energy self sustaining and will actually generate additional energy to power four additional buildings nearby using solar panels and a unique system of 77 turbines placed horizontally between each floor. Building controls will be using the latest SMART Technologies in the building industry.

How might this affect HVAC system design and operation (and operating costs?). How do you design a system when the conditioned space can have an infinite number of locations affecting solar load. What control freedom would there be between occupants on the same floor?... on different floors?...some of the questions being discussed right now.

From an OEM standpoint how will this affect the systems and components required to meet a wider range of loads and operating conditions? Will new requirements in sound, vibration, weight, size... require new technologies or cause a shift in the use of current technologies and materials? How will maintenance need to change? Does system reliability need to move to a higher level?

'Watch the four and a half minute Dynamic Architecture Video for more about the trend and the Da Vinci Tower project.

Video 1: David Fisher - Dynamic Architecture - The Vision.

Hi Industry Accesses Of Cross Section Of Engineering Event Resource Sites! Our Hi Recommendation!!.

Hi Industry Accesses Of Cross Section Of Engineering Event Resource Sites! 

Our Hi Recommendation Visit!!.

2014!.

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Hi It# Modern Engineered Warfare Centuries Beyond The Rise & Fall Of Empires!!!.

Hi It# Modern Engineered Warfare Centuries Beyond The Rise & Fall Of Empires!!!. 

Commemorating engineers' role in WW1!.

News Feed!!; In the centenary year of the 20th Century’s devastating conflict, the spotlight falls on how British engineers supported the military effort while themselves making great sacrifices.

Today marks the centenary of Austria and Hungary declaring war on Serbia, an act of aggression that saw between eight and 10 million combatants lose their lives in the name of the Great War.

To honour the occasion, the Institution of Civil Engineers has released ‘ICE compendium WW1’, a free on line resource detailing how engineers ‘designed and adapted the tunnels, bridges, dockyards, water networks, shelters, communications infrastructure and transport networks that supported British military efforts in the trenches.’

ICE inform us that the resource includes details of the design of the Nile water supply to Palestine for Egyptian expeditionary work, plus information on the design of water infrastructure in the trenches.

Biographies and photos are also available of all ICE members who lost their lives during the four-year conflict.

The First World War led to a myriad of military innovations including the birth of modern air warfare, an arena that continues to evolve, occasionally leaving controversy in its wake when the discussion focuses on unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

‘ICE members helped deliver the critical infrastructure and shelter that supported British military operations during the First World War,’ said Geoff French, ICE president. 

‘It is right that we recognise their engineering expertise but more importantly, the sacrifice they made for the British people.’

These very tools of warfare are to be highlighted tomorrow when the Defence Committee publishes government responses to three reports, including one on Afghanistan, military intervention and UAS.

In March this year the Defence Select Committee reported acknowledged the role of UAS and their contribution to the effectiveness of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the time, the committee reported that it ‘is satisfied that a robust system is in place to review every remotely piloted aircraft weapons discharge by a UK aircraft, whilst acknowledging ‘the desire of some interested organisations and the public to see a greater degree of disclosure from the MoD.’

Issues similar to these will be open to discussion at Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) 2014, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday this week in London.

According to the organisers, the event will examine the critical capabilities of UCAV and will focus specifically on challenges brought by autonomy protocols, integration with manned systems, and the development of UCAVs for operations in contested airspace with stealth and counter measures.

On July 16, 2014 The Engineer reported on how BAE Systems had conducted its second phase of test flights on the Taranis UCAV, a platform that can now maintain communications and gather a full set of fligh data without giving away its position.

Delegates at this week’s conference will ask – despite such advances – whether UCAVs are a real replacement for manned systems with discussions focussing on: 

- Which operations will UCAVs be able to conduct? Will they eventually replace manned fighters?

- Lessons learned from fighter operations and how these can be incorporated into UCAV design considerations

- The utility of UCAVs for ‘dull and dangerous’ missions as a key benefit in minimising human risk

- Will UCAVs ever reach air superiority capability, or is this even an ambition?

It won’t have escaped too many people’s notice that companies are being encouraged to apply for licenses that will let them explore for onshore oil and gas locked in shale formations.

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the granting of a license will not provide an absolute agreement to drill. Rather, ‘on top of a licence, any further drilling application will then require planning permission, as well as permits from the Environment Agency and sign-off from the Health and Safety Executive.’

And forget about a drilling free-for-all in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Sites, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, or National parks as these places are to be given added layers of protection that will require detailed Statements of Environmental Awareness to be submitted with license applications.

DECC itself will decide if the Statement is satisfactorily stringent.  

In a statement, Matthew Hancock, business and energy minister said: ‘As one of the cleanest fossil fuels, shale gas can be a key part of the UK’s answer to climate change and a bridge to a much greener future.

‘The new guidance published today will protect Britain’s great national parks and outstanding landscapes…Ultimately, done right, speeding up shale will mean more jobs and opportunities for people and help ensure long-term economic and energy security for our country.’