Elithis Tower, The First Positive Energy Office Structure, Is Now Open

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30th September 2009, 01:20pm - Views: 902






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MEDIA RELEASE PR36325


Elithis Tower, the First Positive Energy Office Structure, is Now Open


DIJON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --


    - Designed and Constructed at Equal Cost to a Traditional

Building, the 54,000 Square Foot Structure Produces Six Times Fewer

Greenhouse Gas Emissions


    The Elithis Tower, designed and constructed as the world's

most environmentally sound building, has just been unveiled. Touted as the

first positive energy office structure, the tower creates more power than it

uses. From design to material and user behaviour, the Elithis Tower applies

the latest sustainable development techniques and is now open to journalists,

academics and architects interested in studying or replicating this model.


    Built in Dijon, France, the Elithis Tower was initially a theoretical

challenge Thierry Bièvre, General Director of the group Elithis Engineering,

put forth to his team. Specialised in technical fluid installation and

environmental efficiency, Bièvre wanted to know whether it was possible to

create an environmentally sound building at equal cost to a traditional

structure.


    Supported by the City of Dijon, France, and ADEME Bourgogne, France,

Elithis Engineers called upon renowned architect Jean-Marie Charpentier (Arte

Charpentier Architects, Paris, France) for close collaboration. Together, the

group rose to the challenge to create the 54,000 square foot, ten story

building which marries aesthetics, urban integration, comfort, energy and

environmental performance.


    To achieve this impressive combination, a complete environmental ideology

was designed. Positive energy buildings produce more power than they consume

and the Elithis Tower team strategically minimised energy consumption and

maximised renewable energy use.


   

The Elithis Tower


    The Elithis teams committed to eliminating space waste. Materials for

this project were chosen according to their global environmental impact. The

exterior of the building is made of wood and recycled insulation, while

aluminum, which strongly impacts the environmental, was used sparingly.


    Bay windows were selected to bring in natural light. To complement this,

a special nomad was designed by the Elithis team to guarantee a comfortable

level of light is available without excess artificial illumination.


    To take advantage of solar energy (warmth and natural light) without the

associated inconveniences (excess heat and blinding brightness) a solar

shield was designed by the Elithis engineers. Thanks to the unique design of

this shield, natural light enters the building while excess heat and blinding

light are filtered out.


    In addition, a triple flow system has been patented by Elithis, which

harmonises energy in the building. Office energy emissions (from computers,

photocopiers, lights, people...) are recovered, saved, harnessed and reused

within the Elithis Tower.


Industry Engineering Elithis Engineering 3 image

    Behavioural impact


    To match the engineering and architectural commitment to energy

efficiency, everyone in the Elithis Tower, from owners, tenants, leaders and

academics, to administrators, employees and visitors, is empowered to

participate in the environmental efficiency of the project.


    An increased level of consciousness is encouraged, meaning that people

within the building are aware of their responsibility in energy consumption.

Individuals will be inspired to make positive choices to minimise energy use

(in terms of paper, water, transportation...) and reduce the environmental

impact users have on their environment.


    Evaluation and understanding


    Because the Elithis Tower is such an innovative experience, the building

is designed to facilitate evaluation and understanding. More than 1,600

sensors have been installed to meticulously examine and analyse energy and

emissions. Daily energy consumption will be posted and displayed on a special

public sign, in full transparency for building greenhouse gas emissions and

environmental impact.


    The Elithis Tower is the first active environmental laboratory of its

kind and scientists, researchers and universities are invited to visit the

Elithis Tower and evaluate the information collected in this project.


    Technical details:


    Building size -       54,000 square feet

    Building details -    Ten stories of office space

                          Main floor of retail and restaurant space

    Building height -     110 feet

    Total building cost - 7 million euros (6.3 million GBP)

    R & D timeline -      Six months

    Start date -          December 14th 2007

    Completion date-      March 31st 2009


    About Elithis Engineering:


    Elithis Engineering is specialised in the design and installation of

technical fluids (energy, comfort, technology, energy efficiency...) into

buildings. Their expertise plays an essential role in how to use, save and

optimise energy resources to better serve the people of today and tomorrow,

while minimising or eliminating the negative impact on the environment or the

population.


    Elithis Engineering works at the heart of sustainable development. They

lead by example with the implications, research, experimentation and

application of their initiatives.


    Press contact:


    Johanna Toiviainen - Open2Europe

    +33-1-55-02-14-58

    j.toiviainen@open2europe.com


    SOURCE: Elithis Engineering








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