Today's theme is "tall buildings"

[memnus]

OMG I want one. (Link via BBC News.) A thirty-story greenhouse in the middle of a city. And they want to make this commercially viable - they claim that by becoming New York City's premium local lettuce supplier, a single farm could turn a $10 million annual profit. And they look cool. Now, if only I could find that $80 million I'd set aside for risky investments...

Also via BBC News, the Vatican has now declared road rage a sin.

Meanwhile, as I was in the apartment office today turning in my NOTICE OF INTENT TO VACATE, there were two old ladies also there complaining to the manager about the repainting project the complex has embarked upon. However, these two were not residents of my humble little Equal Housing Opportunity complex. No, they seemed to live in the high-rise condo building just down the hill, and apparently had some very strong opinions about the "impact" of such a drastic change. Now, feel as I may about the new paint - it's a rather ugly yellow/marigold/orange - I'm firmly of the opinion that, especially in cities, you have no right to complain when your view changes. Cities are living, growing organisms, and if you want them to be static you're defeating the purpose. I noticed it first in Colorado, when some people on the east side of Denver managed to block some construction (downtown, of course, where there are already buildings of similar height) because it would have changed their view of the mountains. Not blocked, as I recall... changed.

And now, back to looking for ways to stay entertained for a few hours. Do they really need to keep the hallway colder than the server room?

click

Comments

[derakon.livejournal.com]

Forgive me for being skeptical that they can generate more energy than the energy they use + the energy input from solar panels. After all, the entire point to this exercise is to minimize surface area while maximizing volume. At the very least I don't think they'll be able to get enough natural sunlight to all of the crops; thus, they'll need artificial lighting for crop growth. Could you break even, energy-wise, by growing a plant with artificial light and then burning the methane that you generate from the plant? Disregarding all other work involved?

Certainly there are ways to reduce the electrical footprint of the building, but my unsubstantiated gut feeling is that the footprint will still be immense. Has anyone actually run the numbers on this yet?

[memnus.livejournal.com]

Hm. Reading a little further it seems like they want to get some extra methane input by doubling as a blackwater-processing plant for the area; also they're not just processing their own compost, but compost gathered from nearby restaurants.

Though yes, the thermodynamics of the project may leave something to be desired.

[derakon.livejournal.com]

Which of course doesn't mean that the project is doomed. I still think it's a fantastic idea; it's just that I'm concerned it will get stymied because of a lack of sufficient available energy. This is particularly frustrating because of the potential of nuclear power plants, which aren't being exploited nearly enough.