Tilting at...

The Peel Group writ doesn't ride entirely untrammelled over the north-west. Plans for a 20-turbine wind farm on Green Belt land near Frodsham have to got to go to a public inquiry, after objections from Cheshire West & Chester City Council.  The site is just north of the M56, below Helsby Hill.  Found via Place North West.

© Copyright Mike Harris and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 

Wind trouble

On the night the UK elected its first Green MP, news of a "greenwash" at the Olympic park in Stratford.

Seven 7m-tall wind turbines are planned for the site, but engineers Atkins have had to produce the energy stats - and they are estimated to save 23 tonnes of CO2 over a year; and at peak they could produce 0.28% of the site's total energy requirement - or enough to power 310 computers for a year in working hours. There's not enough wind for them to work at night; and in certain conditions during the day, they may have to be locked down to cut noise.

Here's a grand piece of PR speak, sought out by Building Design: An Olympic Delivery Authority spokesman said: “The turbines have been designed to offer further architectural interest at a key focal point of the Olympic Park landscape and will be a prominent symbol to spectators of the sustainability principles behind the games.”

Who lives in a house like this ?

Good question, Loyd.

Tinky Winky ? La La ? Po ? Dipsy ? Gary ?

Gary would like to. It's Manchester United's Gary Neville, who's commissioned Make Architects to design this semi-submerged carbon-neutral eco-home (pic from Building Design). He's asking Bolton Council to let him build on a piece of green belt, because the scheme is "truly outstanding and ground-breaking". Gary's previous piece of ground-breaking architecture is below - a 12-bedroom mansion on the same piece of land (he demolished the Top O'th Knotts farmstead, on the moors between Bolton and Bury). Architects AEW Manchester.

Blogs at dawn

Excellent swipe at Matt Frei by Damian Thompson, Telegraph blogger. Found via Biased BBC.

Drying out

Fans of the 1974 classic film Chinatown will enjoy this article in the New York Times about groundwater rights in California.






Photo: Gary Kazanjian for The New York Times

Changing landscapes

The grow-your-own agenda of West Coast architects looks like it's hit Camden. The Borough is debating whether or not to make fruit orchards or community allotments part of conditions on new developments or refurbishment projects, according to Building Design. Planning permission might also be conditional on delivery of "green roofs" or "food-growing spaces".

Many hands make light work

Free energy from visitors, in this revolving door from Boon Edam. Well, at least enough to run the lights inside the door. Which is better than nothing. Via Gizmodo.

Moving north

The LA Times reports on an interesting economic consequence of global warming - the Alaskan Pollock may soon have to be re-defined as the Russian Pollock. The fish are moving north to find cooler waters - and US fishermen are following, finding themselves amongst Russian trawlers chasing a catch that is largely destined for processing and reappearance as crab sticks, or Filet-o-Fish.

The Alaskan Pollock is a distant cousin of the European Pollock - largely spurned by British fishmongers, but enjoyed in France as lieu jaune. Too much information ?