Kiel Moe's lecture was quite educational in terms of energy efficiency. There are 3 facts concerning this topic: energy will be conserved, matter is captured energy, and there is no energy shortage. The energy conservation is supported by the Laws of Thermodynamics. His concept of energy conversion can be applied in universal situations. Energy is the composition of exergy and entropy, which the two factors are inversely proportional.
Moe's Stackhouse Project was also interesting. Besides the fact that a bathroom was not installed in the building, it was built in a remote area in Colorado. His building facade is mostly timber wood. The roof was slightly angled to allow snow to slide off to prevent burden on the structure. There is no artificial heating system (air condition system) but relied solely on the natural elements and the placement of structure on a terrain. The glasses are positioned to allow maximum light in the family area (there is 300+ sunny days a year in Colorado). The Stackhouse was not directly on the frozen ground to prevent heat loss. The heat air accumulates in a higher area than where the cold air accumulates.
There are other small information I've learned from the lecture. Water can capture more energy than air (I believe it was 8 times) because of the density of the substance. I did not know that the energy efficiency ratio of solar panel is 0.43 which is why Kiel Moe does not recommend using it. The energy it takes to build a solar panel is greater than the energy it produces over time. If the energy efficiency ratio was higher than 1, then it would be ideal for usage. These tips will greatly help in the future.
Guest speakers visiting from different places coming together and lecturing about their projects, groups, and firms at the University of Hawaii Manoa: School of Architecture.