Environmental Design & Construction articles from December 2007

Environmental Design & Construction archives from December 2007

19th century Platinum.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Sustainable design and construction has hit a high note on Harvard University's Cambridge, Mass., campus with the recent LEED Platinum certification of the Blackstone Office renovation project, a building that not only achieves top marks for...

Demountable partition systems: the ugly duckling turns into the beautiful swan.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Ahead of its time when first introduced in the late 60s and early 70s, demountable, or movable, wall systems were touted as the wave of the future. The product was functional, offered flexibility and could be installed with relative ease....

A new pavilion for prairie ridge.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Wildlife and wildlife habitat demonstration gardens have a fundamental problem: the former wants to eat the latter. That was the case at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science's Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife & Learning, where deer...

Campi ya kanzi's sustainable style.
December 1, 2007... In addition to locally harvested building materials, including lava rocks, thatched roofs and trees from a reforestation program, a bush paradise in the wilds of Africa integrates numerous sustainable attributes for its vacationers and...

My perspective.(EDITOR'S NOTE)(Editorial)
December 1, 2007... Wow! Greenbuild sure has changed, for the better. This was my sixth Greenbuild, and I'm always pleasantly surprised to see the growth. But this year surpassed my expectations--and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it, personally. The...

GBI releases improved interactive platform for commercial green rating system.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Portland, Ore. -- The Green Building Initiative (GBI) has released a new and improved interactive platform for its Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system. The updates reflect feedback from hundreds of users, including...

BOMA International and Clinton Climate Initiative sign MOU.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) of the William J. Clinton Foundation (WJCF) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to define...

Green nanotechnology--no longer an oxymoron.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Pittsford, N.Y. -- G3 Technology Innovations, LLC (G3i) announced the successful commissioning of manufacturing equipment designed for the large-scale (tons/week) manufacture of nanomaterials products targeted at the commercial textiles...

Forest Stewardship Council-US announces third annual Designing & Building with FSC Award.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- The Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US) announced that the Aldo Leopold Foundation, based in Baraboo, Wisc., received the third annual Designing & Building with FSC Award for the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center headquarters...

First-ever "Livable Buildings Awards".(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Berkeley, Calif. -- The University of California, Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment has issued its first-ever "Livable Buildings Awards." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 2007 Livable Buildings Award winners include the Chesapeake...

IBM process to turn waste into solar energy.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Burlington, Vt. -- IBM announced a new semiconductor wafer reclamation process that uses a specialized pattern removal technique to repurpose scrap semiconductor wafers--thin discs of silicon material used to imprint patterns that make finished...

NAHB to launch National Green Building Program.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced that it would launch the NAHB National Green Building Program Feb. 14 at the 2008 NAHB International Builders' Show in Orlando. The national initiative will link...

USGBC and IFMA announce Memorandum of Intent.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a Memorandum of Intent outlining collaborative efforts to promote sustainability, energy efficiency and...

Caucus to promote benefits and raise awareness of green schools.(NEWSLINE)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- A new caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives has formed to raise awareness of and promote the benefits of green schools and their ability to foster learning, protect students' and teachers' health, save school districts...

USGBC adopts NBI's prescriptive option for LEED-NC.(NEWSLINE)(Green Building Council)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Washington, D.C. -- The Core Performance Guide, newly developed and released by New Buildings Institute (NBI), includes a set of strategies that, when taken together, provides a prescriptive path for designers, builders, building owners and...

PV panel output increases 300 percent.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Toronto -- Tests with the International Energy Agency Task 35 project document that adding a solar thermal component to a PV array boosts the total solar efficiency to more than 50 percent, compared with 10 to 15 percent efficiency for most PV...

Solar Builder's Supply Catalog helps green builders, contractors and architects.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... St. Louis -- Solar Night Industries' "The Solar Builder's Supply Catalog" provides contractors, builders, architects and homeowners with a turnkey solution to determining which solar panels and supporting applications are necessary to outfit a...

Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation available in R-21.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Chandler, Ariz. -- Manufactured by Bonded Logic, Inc., UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation is a non-itch insulation made from natural cotton fibers with no formaldehyde or harmful chemical irritants used. The insulation provides a...

Solar electric systems provider.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Healdsburg, Calif. -- DC Power Systems is a full-service wholesale distributor of renewable energy products, specializing in integrated roofing products. According to the company, DC Power offers training, engineering and consulting, and is the...

Self-contained fireplace runs on denatured alcohol.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Phoenix -- Innovations m2 llc is the distributor of the Starline Fire from France; a completely self-contained, baffled stainless-steel fireplace that runs on denatured alcohol--a readily available fuel made from renewable resources such as...

Solar laminates.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Auburn Hills, Mich. -- United Solar Ovonic (UNI-SOLAR) photovoltaic laminates (PVL) are flexible and lightweight laminates made durable by encapsulation in UV-stabilized polymers, the company reports. The polymer encapsulation is partially...

Book provides guidance to design professionals.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Salt Lake City -- Architectural Computer Services, Inc. (ARCOM) announced its updated second edition of "Specifiying LEED Requirements." Written especially for design, environmental, and LEED accredited professionals, the book serves as a...

100 percent recyclable white roofing incorporates solar membrane.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Eugene, Ore. -- IB Roof Systems' highly reflective, high-performance PVC Solarwise white roofing membrane is 100 percent recyclable, and is designed to reflect 88 percent of the sun's rays, the company reports. This multi-functional roof system...

Siding provides aesthetics of natural stone.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Columbus, Ohio -- BellaStone, a part of Exterior Portfolio by Crane--a design group of products from Crane Performance Siding--offers authentic stone designs and reduces traditional labor, the company reports, while offering all the beauty and...

Hardwood plywood panels made with different cores.(2007 TOP PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Springfield, Ore. -- Timber Products Company's Green T line of hardwood plywood panels are made with three different core materials: Green T Arreis is an MDF-core product produced with a formaldehyde-free adhesive system and 100 percent...

Greenbuild 2007 innovations and updates.(GREENBUILD)
December 1, 2007... Aside from the long lines at registration, the 2007 Greenbuild Conference & Expo (www.greenbuildexpo. org) in Chicago, Nov. 6-9, was a huge success. More than 22,000 people were drawn to the event, which featured a keynote from former President...

A river runs by it: a new office complex demonstrates how recycling can help save a river.
December 1, 2007... Until a few years ago, RiverEast Center was just an abandoned concrete warehouse in Portland, Ore., situated between an industrial sanctuary and the Willamette River. The building, a functional concrete box built in 1951 to store boxes for...

A lighter shade of green: Stillwater Medical Group incorporates select sustainable strategies to balance budget with conservation.
December 1, 2007... Healthcare and sustainable design are two exceptionally paired industries because they focus on the same goal: promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of the community. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] However, the perceived and actual...

Sustainable perspectives: a case for optimism: industry leaders address the past, present and future of green building issues.
December 1, 2007... I'm a pretty cynical person. Where some would say, "The glass is half full," I often challenge the premise that there is a glass. At the close of 2007-as I pause to assess the past and present course of our industry, and contemplate what the...

AIA pushes for legislation and regulatory reform to advance the cause of sustainable design.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... In our 150th year, the American Institute of Architects has had the opportunity to look back on the profession's accomplishments in shaping this nation. More importantly, our 80,000 members have taken a look forward to consider how we can--how...

Nature boy.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... Being an environmentalist is often like being a struggling actor. You spend your days trying to convince people to see your viewpoint, only to be rebuffed again and again. Yet, we keep coming back for more. In fact, for years I invented slight...

Green buildings effectively reduce environmental impact.
December 1, 2007... This past year has been marked by many milestones for the green building movement. Green is everywhere today, and is becoming an integral aspect of business strategy, from corporate philosophy to marketing tactics. More than ever, CEOs and CFOs...

Incorporating native plantings can foster sustainable sites.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... Those of us with the great fortune to work in the field of sustainable design and construction know how rewarding it can be. We also have times of tremendous disappointment and frustration, especially when dealing with project constraints. It...

Building information modeling for sustainable design.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... Not that long ago, sustainability was considered a fringe topic and was of scant concern to most in the building industry. But the "inconvenient truth" about climate change has moved it to the top of everyone's agenda; from the AIA to the UN,...

Complementary standards illustrate the many paths to green.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... A clear sign that the green building movement has matured is the current trend toward standardization. In the past, it generally sufficed to make educated assumptions as to what it means to design and build a sustainable structure. But the...

Let's make sustainable construction easier for small business.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... Employing about half of U.S. workers, small businesses are a continuing source of economic strength due to their adaptability and technical entrepreneurship. Much building innovation will likely come from small business building projects....

Participatory green building is regenerative.(PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... After countless hours planning, permitting and constructing, the typical green building opens amid fanfare, speeches and possibly even docentled tours. The new building saves energy, creates a healthy indoor environment, and substitutes...

Suppliers.(Movie review)(Company overview)
December 1, 2007... 9Wood, Inc. 999 South A St. Springfield, OR 97477 (888) 767-9990 Fax: (888) 767-9998 www.9wood.com 9Wood Engineered-to-Order suspended wood ceilings. Our alpha-numeric name symbolizes our commitment to cultivate the tension between a...

Products.
December 1, 2007... 000000--Procurement and Contracting Requirements SCA Tissue [dagger] 010000--General Requirements Garland Company, Inc., The [dagger] * Headwaters Resources [dagger][double dagger][section] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Trade names.
December 1, 2007... #10 Mastic--RCD Corporation #15 Weather Barrier Coating[R]--RCD Corporation #404 SEBS Modified Emulsion[TM]--Thermo Manufacturing #5 Ductliner Adhesive[R]--RCD Corporation #6 Mastic[R]--RCD Corporation #7 Mastic[R]--RCD...

Resources.
December 1, 2007... Afford Aqua Land 14 Old Venice Rd. Osprey, FL 34229 (941) 966-5009 Fax: (941) 966-5009 affordaqualand@aol.com www.aqualandscape.org Air Quality Sciences [dagger][double dagger] 1337 Capital Cir. Marietta, GA 30067 (770) 933-0638...