Environmental Design & Construction articles from May 2002

Environmental Design & Construction archives from May 2002

Our next step is natural. (Editor's Note).(environmental friendly corporations)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Imagine a company referring to itself as "environmental gangsters." Of having the sudden realization that what it does for a livelihood is transform resources into waste, and that what it is really measuring at the cash register is just how...

NAHB announces 2002 Green Building Award winners. (Newsline).
May 1, 2002... SEATTLE, WA -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center recently presented its 2002 National Green Building Awards, recognizing resource efficient design, development and construction. The recipients were honored at the...

Milliken Carpet, ReDO announce partnership. (Newsline).(Reuse Development Organization)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... LA GRANGE, GA -- Milliken Carpet and Reuse Development Organization (ReDO) recently announced a partnership proclaiming the value of reuse during the National Recycling Coalition's (NRC) 20th Annual Congress & Exposition in Seattle, WA. ...

US environment continues to improve. (Newsline).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Environmental quality continues to make dramatic improvements in the US, according to the 2002 Index of Leading Economic Indicators recently released by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI). The study used government...

LEED and materials selection: LEED does not certify materials or products, but instead provides standards for choosing products based on environmental attributes. (Association Report).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... "Is linoleum a LEED-certified product?" "How many points can I get in LEED by specifying Interface carpeting on my project?" These questions started many of my conversations with participants in the product showroom of the Environ Design6...

AIA/COTE names 2002 Top Ten Green Projects. (Applause).
May 1, 2002... In recognition of Earth Day (April 22), The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) recently selected its annual Top Ten Green Projects -- examples of architectural design solutions that protect and enhance...

Environmentally friendly membrane used on warehouse. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... DENVER, Co -- An environmentally friendly, highly reflective UltraGard SRT[TM] 45 FR TPO membrane from Johns Mansville Roofing Systems was recently selected for a 380,000 sq. ft. Cedar Grove Distribution Center in Shepherdsville, Ky. For...

Wood Stove Changeout Program wins award from EPA. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... ARLINGTON, VA -- The Great Wood Stove and Fireplace Changeout Program recently received the Clean Air Excellence Award from the EPA for outstanding, innovative efforts that help achieve cleaner air. The program took place during February to...

Homebuilders earn EnergyValue Housing Awards. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... GOLDEN, CO -- The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently gave 15 builders its EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA) at the National Green Building Conference in Seattle, WA. The awards honor builders who voluntarily integrate energy and resource...

State begins funding "green" schools program. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... BOSTON, MA -- The State of Massachusetts recently announced that it is providing $776,900 to cover design costs for seven new or renovated "green" schools in the state. Among the first recipients of the grants are the cities of Salem, Brockton,...

Daylighting solutions introduced at elementary school. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MCKINNEY, TX -- Roy Lee Walker Elementary School is participating in a pilot program partly funded by the state of Texas to create a model school that incorporates environmentally sustainable design. The 70,000-sq. ft. school was engineered to...

SBIC releases new version of Designing Low-Energy Buildings Software. (News).(Sustainable Buildings Industry Council)
May 1, 2002... WASHINGTON, DC -- The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council has released Version 1.5 of Designing Low-Energy Buildings with Energy-10. The software is designed to help engineers, architects and others develop more energy efficient structures....

Oregon building earns gold LEED rating. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... PORTLAND, OR -- The Jean Vollum National Capital Center, housed in a historic 1895 brick and timber warehouse, was recently awarded a gold level LEED award by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Ecotrust, a nonprofit conservation group,...

Solatube international celebrates 10th US anniversary. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... VISTA, CA -- This year marks a decade since a small team of Australian business partners came to the US with the tubular skylight they had invented. The company had its roots when an Australian inventor, working in the 1980s, came up with a...

Toyota vehicles make "Best of" Green lists. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently named 19 Toyota vehicles to its "Best of 2002" list, published in the group's Green Book. Toyota cars, trucks, vans and SUVs all made the list. The...

Demolition or Deconstruction? With the investment of a little extra time and money, many of the components of an old building can be salvaged and reused rather than disposed of in a landfill.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... You are faced with demolishing an old building to make room for a new, state-of-the-art building. Do you just demolish the old, or do you invest a little extra time and money to deconstruct it? Do you try to do your fair share to recycle and...

Breaking the green ceiling: the new Manulife Financial US Headquarters building in South Boston, MA, is teaching designers how to reach for new heights in sustainable design.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The new Manulife Financial US Headquarters building, scheduled for completion in late 2003, will house the US Operations of Canada's largest life insurance company. The multifaceted financial services business operates in 15 countries and...

The Natural Step and building construction: the Construction Industries Peer Learning Group is working to adapt The Natural Step program to the construction of a building to create a more sustainable construction process.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... In 1993, a retired lawyer and his wife, Dick and Jeanne Roy, founded the Northwest Earth Institute in Portland, OR. This nationally recognized organization was created to foster community conversation on personal values and the environment. In...

Saving energy with high-tech lighting systems.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Today's high-tech lighting systems are designed to eliminate wasted energy by using sophisticated controls, occupancy sensors, personal dimming, daylight dimming, load management and other intelligent features. In a typical office...

Evaluating the cost of alternative lighting systems: when it comes to alternative lighting systems, the smart investment is the one that costs the least to both own and operate.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... When evaluating the cost of alternative lighting systems, clients often shy away from the more expensive technologies. However, operating expenses over the life of a lighting system can be more than 10 times greater than the first cost. For...

Energy-saving chiller. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- McQuay International's new evaporative condensing chiller (Model EGR, available in 60 to 240 tons) is designed to reduce energy costs up to 50% when compared to air-cooled chillers. Designed to operate at the lowest...

Recycled PVC flooring. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... TAUNTON, MA -- SelecTech Inc.'s SelecTile [TM] flooring tiles are manufactured using recycled PVC materials. They use an interlocking edge system that eliminates the need to glue the tiles to the floor, saving time and money Non-porous,...

Downlighting products. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CONYERS, GA -- Lithonia Lighting's commercial downlighting product line is available in 8-, 6-, 5- and 4-in, apertures. Using compact fluorescent, incandescent, low-voltage and HID light sources, the packages offer high photometric performance...

Ballast Replacement Kits. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... ROSEMONT IL -- Advance Transformer Co. now offers six new 5-Tap [TM] Ballast Replacement Kits for the operation of metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps. Each ballast includes a pre-insulated lead for use on each of the five U.S. voltage...

Recycled flooring system. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CHICAGO, IL -- Interface Flooring Systems says Equilibrium, the company's new modular flooring product, is "not exactly shag but it's downright plush... for a carpet tile." Many comparable floor coverings use more than 30 ounces of yarn to...

Low-VOC adhesive. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CLEVELAND, OH - OSI Sealants Inc. offers two types of VOC-compliant adhesives approved for use in the state of California. PL[R] premium polyurethane construction adhesive and Pro-Series[R] SF 565 sub-floor and construction adhesive both meet...

PVC skylights. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CHARLOTTE, NC -- L.B. Plastics offers a Sheerframe solarium skylight system that uses u-PVC components to offer long life and durability. Designed to meet the most stringent building codes, Sheerframe skylights use 100% virgin u-PVC and fully...

Hybrid hardwood. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... FEDERAL WAY, WA -- Weyerhaeuser Building Materials is now the North American distributor of Lyptus[R] premium hardwood. Lyptus is a naturally occurring, high-grade Eucalyptus hybrid made by Aracruz Wood Products. This wood is cherry in color...

Skylight ventilation kit. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... VISTA, CA -- Solatube International Inc. is now selling a redesigned ventilation add-on kit for its 10-in. tubular skylight. The new ventilation fan was designed to be sleek and unobtrusive. It's made from high-quality, non-corrosive polymeric...

Energy-saving shingles. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia-Pacific Corp. has a new line of lightweight, 29-ga. Galvalume[R] steel roofing shingle under its Centura[TM] brand name. Easy to install, energy efficient and weather resistant, the shingles come in six popular colors and...

Independent humidity control. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... AMESBURY, MA -- Munters Corp.'s Dehumidification Division has introduced the Humidity Control Unit (HCU), a desiccant dehumidification system that provides operators with the ability to control humidity independent of temperature. The HCU is...

Ballast lighting options. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... LEHIGH VALLEY, PA -- Lutron Electronics Co. now offers a 277V Hi-lume[R] Compact Small Enclosure (SE) fluorescent dimming ballast. The Hi-lume Compact SE 18- and 26-watt ballasts operate original quad-tube or the new triple-tube lamps with the...

Energy-efficient windows. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... RANTOUL, IL -- Caradco is now offering the Traditional Plus, a high-tech, wet-glazed, clad casement window designed to provide better energy efficiency, beauty and performance. Roll-form aluminum cladding is overlapped to shed water at the sash...

Energy-efficient siding accessories. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... COLUMBUS, OH -- Crane Performance Siding has introduced the Crane Architectural Essentials [TM] accessories to its CraneBoard [TM] Solid Core Siding [TM] line. Architectural Essentials offers window accent trims and moldings designed to...

Oil-free chiller. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... LA CROSSE, WI -- The new S-Series EarthWise [TM] CenTraVac [TM] chiller from the Trane Co. eliminates the use of oil. A simple design allows the chiller to decrease its emission of greenhouse gases and reduce operating costs. There is no oil to...

Four-inch-high air filter. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... RIVERDALE, NJ -- Camfil Farr now has a minipleat air filter that provides high filtration efficiency in a compact, energy-saving and easy-to-handle design. The Ultrasolve (R) air filter is only four inches deep, but it is guaranteed to...

Stormwater treatment. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... PORTLAND, OR -- The new Storm-Screen is the latest addition to Stormwater Management Inc.'s line of stormwater treatment products. The passive, siphon-actuated screen system is designed to remove trash and debris from very high flows. The...

Solarium window system. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MOORESVILLE, NC -- This new light-gathering solarium window system from L.B. Plastics Inc. was designed to bring more light and nature into living spaces. The Sheerframe Solarium Window creates an ideal environment for healthy houseplants. The...

Electronic dimming ballasts. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... LEHIGH VALLEY, PA -- Lutron Electronics Co. now offers its Hi-lume (R) and Eco-10 fluorescent dimming ballasts available in 2-foot (24 watt) and 3-foot (39 watt) models in 120- and 277-volts. Added to existing models, these new products allow...

FSC-certified wood doors. (New Products).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MARSHFIELD, WI -- Marshfield DoorSystems (formerly the door division of Weyerhaeuser) now offers Environmental-Class wood doors. doors that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The accreditation means that the forest the wood...