Bio-inspired Smart Green Building
PIs: Un-Shu Wang and Yu Zhou
All life on Earth is driven by the power of green, as in the green chlorophylls Nature's photosynthetic-cell engines. From this globally based ground, an upward energy-flow through the foodchains maintains the solar-economy of Nature. BSG buildings, the man-made photo-voltaic "engines," will manage energy like a cell. The project envisions a bottom-up approach to solar energy/economy and aims to construct, for research-and-education purpose, a demonstrating building that is not only energy independent but also energy surplus; that is thermally, light & shade wise and environmentally managed by selfreconfigurable, "dynamic data driven" control-system; that serves as a field-demonstration-site for the ongoing photovoltaic cell research at SBU Energy Center; that serves as a field-demonstration-site for the ongoing battery, fuel cell, lighting technoiogies and conservation research at SBU Energy Center; that is an architectural show-case of the 21 st century; and that serves as an education-and-training facility. Ultimateiy the project represents a vision of taking the first step toward the "bottom-up energychains" self-maintaining solar economy.