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Hydroponicum |
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Nature's World
has been involved in the exciting Millennium project of building a model of sustainability for the 21st Century.
It is a futuristic, state-of-the-art earth sheltered 'Eco-structure' incorporating a hydroponicum.
The 'Eco-structure' houses demonstrations of the latest technology for the environment.
 ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF ECOSTRUCTURE & HYDROPONICUM The pioneering technologies.
The project combines space age design with pioneering technologies. The earth-sheltered construction is novel and it has the added benefit of keeping the building cooler in summer and warmer in winter due to the insulation effect of the heavy structure and the blanket of earth.
A literally ground breaking geothermal system consisting of twenty 60 metre deep boreholes is at the heart of the project's heating and cooling systems. Efficient heat pumps and heat exchangers are part of this novel demonstration of renewable energy. We anticipate that the system will return more heat to the earth in the summer than it removes during the winter cycle - this is a great example of a sustainable energy system and one which produces no wastes and no emissions and which has exceptionally low running costs. This is the largest geothermal installation in the North - however the technology is widely used in the USA and in other parts of Europe.
The air pillow solar roof which clads the 'Hydroponicum' roof consists of the same material and innovative technology as that used on the huge Biomes at the Eden Project in Cornwall. We first heard of this material being used in Germany.
The material is ETFE and is a derivative of Teflon - so it shouldn't need cleaning. It weighs only 1/100th of the weight of glass but is amazingly strong. It is also very transparent and is as efficient at heat retention as triple glazing.
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