1000xARCHITECTURE OF THE AMERICAS

PARAVANT ARCHITEKTUR has been published in the new “1000xARCHITECTURE OF THE AMERICAS” book. The project featured is the Center for Communities of Faith (CCFaith) - A new Interfaith-Center for the greater Los Angeles area:

The design of The Center for Communities of Faith is based on a vacant property located in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. This 15.5 acre parcel sits high upon the hill and affords panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley. The Center is designed in such a fashion as to allow most every faith tradition to comfortably use the facilities and the visitors of every faith to feel welcome. The chapel, amphitheater, conference center and surrounding gardens were designed by incorporating the most advanced active and passive technologies of sustainable design available:

• Photovoltaic panel stretching over the amphitheater roof area and are shading at the same time the plaza 
• The chapel roof with the sky-eye-light is assembled consisting of multiple glazing layers with laminated glass photovoltaic panel; Photovoltaic panel cover the roof of the conference center;
• Vertical Louver protecting the exterior layer of the chapel
• Thermal buffer spaces around chapel and conference center to reduce temperature swing
• Deep roof overhangs are shading the  conference center facade
• Cross ventilation is provided in all building portions of the complex
• Natural day lighting for all offices and assembly rooms, exterior adjustable shades
• Vacuum glazing systems for increase insulation value
• Increase roof insulation and cool roof finishes
• Green roof at some portions of buildings
• Geothermal Heat exchanger to reduce cooling loads
• Cooling walls and ceiling cooling panel in conference center
• Grey water collection for irrigation & restrooms
• High efficient water use fixtures
• LED illumination

The layout of the chapel, with its attached amphitheater, is based on the vesica piscis, which commonly symbolizes a sense of unity or common ground. Not only religious unity shall be achieved with this new center but also harmony between man and nature.

KLIMA_STADT_HAUS SYMPOSIUM HAMBURG 2010

Architects Symposium on the Opportunities of Renewable Energy

An event sponsored by the German Chamber of Architects BDA & Stiebel Eltron, the largest manufacturer of water heaters in Germany, stimulates the discussion on the possibilities that enormous, renewable energy resources provide and how they can be can be used. Various topics have been included in the day-long event at the Empire Riverside Hotel in Hamburg, Germany.

Guest speaker Halil Dolan, a German Architect from Los Angeles, California presented the provocative question: “Today, in the age of population explosion and shortage of resources, professionals in architecture have to ask themselves what they have contributed in the last four decades toward protecting the environment. Apart from the introduction of world-wide energy saving standards, the development of the architecture industry has been merely reduced to going through various architectural styles. The roots for environmental concern have been marginalized, and therefore opportunities for environmental protection have been missed.”

Tajo Friedemann from international real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle illustrated the building situation from the perspective of the real estate industry, Dr. Kai Schiefelbein, Managing Director of the Technology Department of Stiebel Eltron, inspired the approximately 150 present architects with a practical presentation on the Integration of renewable energy in today's architecture and informed about the different products that use renewable energy in current buildings.

The event ended with a visit of the Plus Energy House which was built and designed by the internationally renowned architect Prof. Manfred Hegger and his students from the TU Darmstadt for the Solar Decathlon 2007 competition in the U.S. The project has won the first prize and is an ideal example of sustainable architecture with efficient building services from Stiebel Eltron.

Also Andreas Denk, chief editor of the magazine "the architect" led the event as a moderator and predicted a fundamental change in architecture and compared these developments with other historic upheavals in the architectural history. Dr. Reiner presented two urban development projects in Duesseldorf and Aachen which are equipped with the heat pump system and demonstrated the connection of social and economic sustainability.


Below: Image of First Prize Project Entry of the TU Darmstadt for the Solar Decathlon 2009.