First Carbon Neutral Building

An Australian development and construction company, is about to build the world's first carbon neutral office building. They call it the Pixel Building.

Inventorspot.com reports:

Here are some of the Pixel building's exciting green features planned:

Supply of 100% fresh outside air at a rate three times the minimum Building Code requirements. This air will be distributed through the floor with an individual control at each work station, in much the same way as vents work on a car dashboard.

An absorption heat pump chiller, to be used to heat and cool the building. The chiller uses ammonia as refrigerant and has no harmful ozone, global warming or legionella emissions. (See Legionnaire's Disease)

Rainwater providing most of the water supply. In an Australian first, grey water (non-industrial, non-waste water) will be recycled through a unique reed bed system that also acts to shade the windows.

The building will include exposed concrete ceiling slabs to be cooled via pipes embedded in the concrete and carrying cooled water.

Metering will be installed on every floor, -- if an analysis shows any irregularities, the energy and water use will be fine tuned.

More than 75 per cent of the building’s roof will be covered with native grasses in the form of a green roof. The grasses filter the rainwater and insulate the structure. See full article.