We wanted to share the good news about our progress at Sea Glass of Sanibel!  

 

In the spirit of innovation, we continue to develop new ideas to improve the sustainability of Sea Glass of Sanibel.  With our partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University's team of engineers these ideas are becoming a reality.  The team met recently to brainstorm ways to make the air conditioning system even more 'green' by using cistern rainwater in combination with geothermal air conditioning that will benefit our residents as well as the environment. 

 

Besides sustainability, what is foremost in our minds is making sure the thirteen homes at Seaglass of Sanibel save energy and work effectively.  We have been conducting field tests at the Benchmark General Contractors office and the Seaglass of Sanibel site.  Both sites have in place all of the components and strategies; wells, rainwater harvesting, geothermal heatpumps and cistern storage.  Along with all of this, Florida Gulf Coast University has created a laboratory model.  The model will use all of the same principals and materials that Seaglass of Sanibel does, but in a controlled environment. In this way, we can test for a number of variables or potential outcomes.  The laboratory model will also allow us to test a number of hypotheses and determine which method will work best.  All research teams are ready and all systems are up and running, so look for pictures and more information soon!

 

Happy Holidays from your friends at Benchmark and Seaglass!

 

 

Christian Bokrand, Dr. Sim Komisar and Mark Anderson beside our geothermal flow center and cistern

Christian Bokrand, Dr. Sim Komisar and Mark Anderson inspect the ground water recharge system

Mark Anderson and Dr. Sim Komisar discuss geothermal possibilities