| Introducing Georg Reichard: How Lego Blocks Can Help Save Energy |
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bridges vol. 6, July 2005 / News from the Network by Jutta Kern
Georg Reichard is enthusiastic as he
explains the bottom line of his crossover work between construction
science and architecture, which he conducts at Virginia Tech.
“Currently, developers and architects have to pay a lot of money to a
specialist to conduct energy efficiency simulations for new housing
projects. However, these simulations are not mandatory like code
compliance is and thus are only rarely conducted in the early planning
stage. As a consequence, problems aren’t being averted, and it costs a
lot more to fix them later—if it is not too late at all, like it is
sometimes the case for the overheating of buildings. And my work is
dedicated to changing that!” Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
How is he going to do this? Inspired
by his seven-year-old son’s Lego toys, Reichard focuses his next
project on user-friendly simulation software, which allows developers
and architects to move single modules within a project from one place
to another. The exciting thing about it is that when, say, the living
room is moved from the first to the second floor and the kitchen is
placed next to the garage, this tool will tell you exactly what you win
or lose in terms of energy efficiency, ventilation, and noise levels –
and ultimately, costs. “If you can visualize energy-efficiency, it is
much easier to understand – for the developer and for the customer,”
Reichard points out. “The US society is much more open to pay for
comfort and efficiency should be established as an aspect of comfort in
order to improve the over-all performance of buildings. But in the long
run it always comes down to energy – energy used for operation, for
construction, or for fabrication of material.”
