A Town Framework as a Building Opportunity to Optimize Every Energy Effective System

L. Gene Zellmer, Architecture/Planning/Research/Development

Keywords

Abstract

Every energy efficient concept, system and material presented at this conference has an opportunity to achieve greater efficiency only if we invent better towns. Typical towns are like parts of a building spread across the land.

An ultimate Energy Efficient Economy will remain out of reach as long as we cling to two-dimensional, street-based, separate-building, wasteful short-term town concepts. The purpose of this paper is to encourage each of you to imagine how a town would need to be different in order to optimize your system.

To encourage your out-of-the-box thinking an alternative new town concept will be the basis for comparisons. It will reveal that typical towns limit us in more ways than has been appreciated or published. Its home-site lots are in permanent 3D subdivisions. It is compact, it offers minimum weather exposure, and surrounding open space is an integral part of its recycling eco-systems. Technologies as efficient as those found in nature will someday be developed; this town offers an efficient framework for their application.

Continual-Use is a new aspiration added to recycling and reuse. Long-term continual-use will greatly enhance your opportunities to develop ultimate energy efficient solutions. It makes higher quality research, design and material investments easier to justify.