Quoted from: “European Urbanization 1500-1800“, Jan de Vries, 1984.
European Urbanization 1500 – 1800
June 13, 2011 by Filed Under: Human population
Appropriate Technology Sourcebook
June 6, 2011 by Filed Under: Books & Reference, DIY
“Welcome to the online edition of the Appropriate Technology Sourcebook which reviews over 1,150 of the best books on appropriate technology.
This is the online version of the latest edition guide to practical books on village and small community technology. Over 50,000 print copies of the previous editions have been used in more than 130 countries to find a wide range of published technical information that can be used by individuals and small groups.
In the new edition, 1150 publications are reviewed, covering small water supply systems, renewable energy devices such as water mills and improved cook stoves, agricultural tools and implements, intensive gardening, nonformal education, small business management, transportation, small industries and other topics.”
All previous entries in ‘Books & Reference‘.
Low-tech Vertical Garden in Ibiza, Spain
June 1, 2011 by Filed Under: Architecture, Gardening, Random, Roofs, Walls
“Jardín vertical low-tech en Ibiza” by Spanish architects Urbanarbolismo. The garden acts as a sound barrier between a club’s outdoor central courtyard and nearby appartments. The ceramic elements – used as a planting medium – are placed so that irrigation water can easily enter from above. No automated irrigation systems are required. Urbanarbolismo makes use of local plant varieties.
Solar Heating System with Water Battery
May 30, 2011 by Filed Under: DIY, Heating appliances, Pools, Solar
Dutch inventor Kees van der Geer sends us this paper and wants to know what we think of it. Comments are open.
“Heating with a sun collector costs nothing and contaminates nothing. In this article I propose a solar heating system consisting of a large solar collector, suitable for the heating of a house and a heat store, capable to bridge a week of cloudy weather. Both are made from simple materials.”
“Maybe a practical solution to make a heat store is to buy a inflatable swimming pool of 17m3 and construct an insulating box around it. ”
Large area solar heating system (pdf), Kees van der Geer, 2011. (Artículo en Español).
Human Power Empirically Explored
May 30, 2011 by Filed Under: Human power
“Harvesting energy from the users’ muscular power to convert this into electricity is a relatively unknown way to power consumer products. It nevertheless offers surprising opportunities for product designers; human-powered products function independently from regular power infrastructure, are convenient and can be environmentally and economically beneficial.”
“This work provides insight into the knowledge required to design human-powered energy systems in consumer products from a scientific perspective. It shows the developments of human-powered products from the first introduction of the BayGen Freeplay radio in 1995 till current products and provides an overview and analysis of 211 human-powered products currently on the market.”
“Although human power is generally perceived as beneficial for the environment, this thesis shows that achieving environmental benefit is only feasible when the environmental impact of additional materials in the energy conversion system is well balanced with the energy demands of the products functionality.”
“Human Power Empirically Explored” (PDF, 12MB), Arjen Jansen, 2011.
Pedal Powered Machines
May 30, 2011 by Filed Under: Bicycles, Bikes, Human power, Pedal power, Pedal powered machines, Random
