Environmental Design & Construction articles from August 2006

Environmental Design & Construction archives from August 2006

Everybody's doing it ... at home and at work!(green design)(sustainable development)(Editorial)
August 1, 2006... "Be green--everybody's doing it" announced a headline in Fortune magazine this summer: "Politicians, big business, moms and pops--the national conversation is picking up steam." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Is everybody really doing it?...

LEED-NC AGR accepting projects for pilot program.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Washington, D.C. -- Developed to specifically address the unique challenges and opportunities of implementing green building strategies into retail projects by providing tailored credit language and alternative compliance paths as needed, the...

First Midwest building recognized under GBI Green Globes.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Madison, Wis. -- The 37,000-squarefoot corporate headquarters of RenewAire, LLC, Madison, Wis., is the first building in the Midwest to be recognized under the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globes environmental assessment and rating...

AIA announces the 2006 Top 10 Green Projects.(NEWSLINE)(American Institute of Architects)
August 1, 2006... Washington, D.C. -- In recognition of Earth Day 2006, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect...

World's first LEED-certified airport facility.(NEWSLINE)(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Boston -- Designed by HOK (Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum) to be a national model for passenger-friendly and environmentally responsible airport facilities, the new Delta Air Lines' Terminal 'A' at Boston's Logan International Airport is the...

Recipients recognized for innovative pollution, waste reduction.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Washington, D.C. -- EPA's Green Chemistry Challenge promotes research to develop less-toxic alternatives to existing technologies, and to reduce or eliminate waste generation in industrial production, with awards given in five categories:...

Precast wall panels enable efficient construction of new retail facilities.(NEWSLINE)(Tangers Mall)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Savage, Minn. -- Four new retail facilities in Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota will feature precast concrete wall panels manufactured by Fabcon, a precast concrete wall producer. Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City, Kan.; Tangers Mall, Lake...

National conference series explores costs and benefits of building green schools.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Haverford, Pa. -- Opening with video from the Clinton Global Initiative Inaugural Meeting in 2005, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Turner Construction Company and Haverford College's one-day conference, "Investing in the Future:...

ISH North America in Chicago: education, products, networking.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Chicago -- ISH North America, the only North American trade show that addresses the complete supply chain for the kitchen and bath, plumbing, PVF, HVAC and hydronics industries, will hold its fourth trade show, Sept. 28-30, 2006, at McCormick...

Erratas.(Correction notice)
August 1, 2006... * In the May 2006 issue of ED+C, the article "High-Performance Building Envelopes: Optimizing Building Envelopes" featured two photos that ran with the wrong captions: The lead photo on p.56 was incorrectly identified as Clackamas High School,...

Wood flooring applies to LEED.(NEWSLINE)
August 1, 2006... Lewis Erick Buchner, CEO, EcoTimber, pointed out that ED+C inadvertently omitted information in the June article, "How Flooring Can Apply To LEED." The article mentioned several opportunities for flooring products to contribute to LEED...

Sustainable rebuild New Orleans Design Competition finalists announced.(NEWSLINE at home)
August 1, 2006... New Orleans and Santa Monica, Calif. -- Global Green USA and actor Brad Pitt have announced six finalists for the Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans--"Advancing the Sustainable Rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast." Each...

New program aims to raise awareness about the importance of water efficiency.(NEWSLINE at home)(WaterSense, Rain Bird Corp.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... San Antonio -- WaterSense, a new water efficiency program launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards...

Headquarters garner ENERGY STAR designation.(NEWSLINE at home)(National Housing Center)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Washington, D.C. -- The National Housing Center, headquarters building of the 225,000-member National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), has earned a 2006 ENERGY STAR designation for its focus on conserving natural resources while providing a...

Awards honor creative achievement in architectural design, land use.(NEWSLINE at home)
August 1, 2006... San Francisco -- The 2006 Gold Nugget Awards program, which honors creative achievement in architectural design and land use, drew 677 entries in categories that included residential, commercial, land planning and green and sustainable...

Green Buildings Open House part of ASES National Solar Tour.(NEWSLINE at home)
August 1, 2006... Boulder, Colo. -- The American Solar Energy Society's (ASES) National Solar Tour opens thousands of homes and buildings throughout the country to educate the public on renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) technologies and practices...

Online design tool provides concrete green building resources.(NEW + NOTABLE)
August 1, 2006... 1 Los Angeles -- Portland Cement Association's (PCA) online resource--Concrete-Thinker.com--is a clearinghouse of case studies, energy models, and other tools to help design professionals make sustainable development a reality. According to the...

Communications initiative offers environmentally friendly products and practices.(NEW + NOTABLE)
August 1, 2006... 2 Commack, N.Y. -- In an effort to raise awareness of the company's commitment to the environment, Toli International, a manufacturer of commercial resilient tile, sheet and roll flooring, is launching a new communications initiative, "Eco...

Access floors achieve SCS Indoor Advantage Gold.(NEW + NOTABLE)
August 1, 2006... 3 Holland, Mich. -- Haworth's TecCrete and Nexus access floors have achieved Scientific Certification Systems' (SCS) Indoor Advantage Gold certification for indoor air quality; the only access floors to be certified as low-emitting products,...

Environmental solutions company earns FSC Chain of Custody accreditation.(NEW + NOTABLE)
August 1, 2006... 4 Calgary, Alberta -- DIRTT ('Doing It Right This Time') Environmental Solutions has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody accreditation, which allows them to source FSC-certified veneers and medium density fiberboard (MDF),...

ED+C's 2006 Excellence in Design Awards.
August 1, 2006... CATEGORY: INSTITUTIONAL, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTHCARE Environmental Design + Construction magazine's Fourth Annual Excellence in Design Awards recognize commercial spaces and offices, institutional facilities,...

Retail goes green from the ground up: Abercorn Common earns LEED-CS.(Randy Peacock Melaver Inc.)(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core & Shell )(U.S. Green Building Council)
August 1, 2006... Randy Peacock was just 15 years old when he began working for the Melaver family in Savannah, Ga. He was a bag boy at the M & M Supermarket at Abercorn Plaza, a shopping center that was, as third generation CEO Martin Melaver calls it, "a real...

Concrete applications for a sustainable world: building today to conserve the future.(CONCRETE)
August 1, 2006... Welcome to Concrete, a special section in Environmental Design + Construction, sponsored by Portland Cement Association, American Polysteel, Amvic, BASF, Holcim (US) Inc., Lehigh White Cement, NUDURA Corp., Quad-Lock and Reward Wall Systems....

Durable concrete: concrete achieves the first LEED durable building credit for a high-rise condo.(CONCRETE)
August 1, 2006... A Toronto high-rise condominium has achieved the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada durable building credit. The building was Silver certified in May 2006 by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). Because of...

Huff and puff: you can't blow these green homes down.(CONCRETE)
August 1, 2006... While disasters and the devastating impacts grab headlines, durability is becoming a top of mind issue in the sustainable housing movement. After much initial focus on energy efficiency the green building industry is now beginning to consider...

Pervious concrete: the smart stormwater solution.(CONCRETE)
August 1, 2006... IT'S TIME TO RETHINK CONCRETE You know the stuff: impervious to water, channels runoff. But what happens when--without sacrificing strength or durability--water drains right through it? Consider if roads and driveways, sidewalks and parking...

Consumers and the future of green retail.
August 1, 2006... The rigorous LEED program is changing the way commercial and residential properties are being designed and built. While LEED still has a way to go before it makes a ripple in the world of retail store design and build-out, its adoption will be...

The changing landscape of green building guidance.
August 1, 2006... Once upon a time, in a simpler world, building green simply meant building smart. A handful of visionaries and passionate individuals designed and built structures with the mere thought of doing the right thing. It was like the farmer who grew...

Carpet collection wins best of NeoCon Silver.(PRODUCT FOCUS: CARPETING)
August 1, 2006... LaGrange, Ga. -- Milliken Contract's Foreign Intrigue, which layers pattern and texture to create a collection of six coordinated carpet designs, won a Best of NeoCon Silver Award based on sustainability, functionality, quality, aesthetics,...

New styles pay tribute to new urbanism.(PRODUCT FOCUS: CARPETING)
August 1, 2006... City of Industry, Calif. -- With Urban as the theme, paying homage to the urban environment and how it influences all aspects of our lives--social, environmental and cultural--Bentley Prince Street is launching the Urban Tribe Collection. In...

High recycled content carpet is CRI Plus Green Label certified.(PRODUCT FOCUS: CARPETING)
August 1, 2006... Irvine, Calif. -- Raphael from PacifiCrest's Ambiente HRC Series of eight high recycled content nylon carpets is CRI Green Label Plus certified ID No. GLP1360. According to the company, the carpet is 33.7 percent to 45.6 percent recycled...

Traditional patterns contain recycled content.(PRODUCT FOCUS: CARPETING)
August 1, 2006... Dalton, Ga. -- J & J/Invision's traditional patterns Brilliant and Bright Idea utilize Solutia's luminescent yarn and a fine denier black yarn, and contain recycled content. Per the company, Brilliant and Bright Idea contain up to 24 percent...

Cradle-to-cradle carpet is fully recyclable.(PRODUCT FOCUS: CARPETING)
August 1, 2006... Santa Fe Springs, Calif -- Designweave Commercial Carpets' Rendezvous Collection is a 24-inch sustainable tile product made of recycled and recyclable EcoSolution Q fiber and EcoWorx backing, which contain a minimum of 25 and 40 percent...

Composite decking is 100 percent recyclable.(PRODUCT FOCUS: DECKING AND LANDSCAPING)
August 1, 2006... Pittsburgh -- Oasis composite decking from Alcoa Home Exteriors uses 60 percent recycled wood fiber, ships in reusable packaging, and is made to be 100 percent recyclable. According to the company. Oasis is crafted of HDPE (High Density...

Composite Fencing offers real-wood beauty without the maintenance.(PRODUCT FOCUS: DECKING AND LANDSCAPING)
August 1, 2006... Santa Ana, Calif. -- Meeting the demand for low-maintenance home and garden products, FiberTech Polymers, Inc.'s TimberWolf Composite Fencing Products and Systems are made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials. According to the...

Bicycle racks promote alternative transportation.(PRODUCT FOCUS: DECKING AND LANDSCAPING)
August 1, 2006... Ada, Mich. -- Cycle Safe Inc.'s bicycle racks' standard E-coat primer with polyester powder coat provide high-abrasion and salt-spray resistance to make this bicycle parking product a sustainable site element that adds design to the landscape,...

Low-maintenance grain composite decking doesn't require painting, staining.(PRODUCT FOCUS: DECKING AND LANDSCAPING)
August 1, 2006... Joplin, Mo. -- Made from a combination of recycled plastic and wood fiber, Tamko's Elements is a low-maintenance extruded composite decking material that doesn't require painting or staining. According to the company, the Elements line absorbs...

Composite decking battles deterioration.(PRODUCT FOCUS: DECKING AND LANDSCAPING)
August 1, 2006... Nashville -- Louisiana-Pacific Corporation's line of WeatherBest decking and railing systems look and feel like real wood, but with greater resistance to warping, twisting and splitting, the company reports. The high-quality composite lends to...

Comination heating system provides constant ventilation.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... London, Ontario -- Eliminating the traditional exhaust-only bath fan and allowing for exhaust of multiple areas while also providing heat recovery, Nutech Brands, Inc.'s Lifebreath Bathroom Exhaust System and Lifebreath Clean Air Furnace...

Ceiling-mounted ventilation fans provide quiet, efficient performance.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... Secaucus, N.J. -- Panasonic's WhisperGreen ceiling-mounted ventilation fans are ENERGY STAR-qualified ventilation units that feature Custom Vent variable speed control with delayed off timer, which allows the fan to run continuously with a vent...

Fan control system enables monitoring of environmental variables.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... Lexington, Ky. -- Big Ass Fans' Smart Fan Control can monitor a variety of environmental variables that customers want, including: air temperature, wind speed, humidity, and barometric pressure. According to the company Big Ass Fans with Smart...

Re-engineered vent reduces dusting.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... Dubuque, Iowa -- The L-Vent from DuctSox, a manufacturer of USA-made fabric duct systems and accessories, is a fabric duct diffuser (orifice) design that includes one to three rows of orifices ranging from 1/2-inch to 1-inch openings that are...

Advanced air cleaning system enhances indoor IAQ.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... Tyler, Texas -- Removing up to 99.98 percent of airborne particles from the filtered air, Trane's CleanEffects utilizes patented air cleaning technology to eliminate allergens and particles, such as bacteria, pollen, mold spores and pet dander,...

Air system reduces mold, pollutants.(PRODUCT FOCUS: VENTILATION SYSTEMS AND FANS)
August 1, 2006... Wichita, Kan. -- Utilizing a five-stage filtering system to capture allergens, mold, dust and other microscopic contaminants--including smoke--the Purifan Clean Air System mounts on a standard ceiling fan, replacing the blades, and is powered...