Green Wednesday 2008.0326

ArchitectureWeek Editors editor at architectureweek.com
Wed Mar 26 23:40:53 PDT 2008


Dear Designers, Builders, and Friends,

Green Wednesday, by the editors of ArchitectureWeek, brings you
weekly green design and building news from around the world. 
This issue is again sponsored happily by ZweigWhite: 

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"What is absolutely desperately needed within government are people 
of integrity who will state what the science advice is under whatever 
political pressure or circumstances," said Professor Sir David King.

	In an outspoken attack on a policy which comes into force
	next week, Professor Bob Watson, the chief scientific
	adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
	Affairs, said it would be wrong to introduce compulsory
	quotas for the use of biofuels in petrol and diesel
	before their effects had been properly assessed...
	
	Under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation [in the
	UK], all petrol and diesel must contain 2.5% of biofuels
	from April 1. This is designed to ensure that Britain
	complies with a 2003 EU directive that 5.75% of petrol
	and diesel come from renewable sources by 2010.
	
	But scientists have increasingly questioned the
	sustainability of biofuels, warning that by increasing
	deforestation the energy source may be contributing to
	global warming.
	
	Watson's warning was echoed last night by Professor Sir
	David King, who recently retired as the government's
	chief scientific adviser. He said biofuel quotas should
	be put on hold until the results were known of a review
	which has been commissioned by ministers.

Top Scientists Warn Against Rush to Biofuel - The Guardian, 2008.0325
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/25/biofuels.energy1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews


Green and Sustainable Design and Building News This Week
--------------------------------------------------------
New Sydney 'All about Sustainability' - Sydney Morning Herald, 2008.0326
http://news.smh.com.au/new-sydney-all-about-sustainability/20080326-21jk.html

Study: Warming May Threaten Lake Tahoe - New York Times, 2008.0325
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Tahoe-Warming.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Green Product Checklist for Remodels - Los Angeles Times Blog, 2008.0325
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2008/03/new-green-produ.html

North American Commission Pushes for Green Building Design - ENN, 2008.0325
http://www.enn.com/business/article/33508

Modern Modular Homes a Fast and Green House Construction Method - AZoBuild, 2008.0325
http://www.azobuild.com/news.asp?newsID=5314

When Is a Green Building Really 'Green'? - Boston Globe, 2008.0325
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/03/when_is_a_green_building_reall_1.html

Miami Art Museum by Herzog & de Meuron - Inhabitat (blog), 2008.0325
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/25/miami-art-museum-by-herzog-de-meuron/

Electric Aptera Plans to Go Far - San Diego Union-Tribune, 2008.0325
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080325-9999-1b25aptera.html

Zero Building and the Search for the Holy Grail of Greenness - The Age (Australia), 2008.0325
http://www.theage.com.au/news/environment/zero-building-and-the-search-for-the-holy-grail-of-greenness/2008/03/25/1206207106162.html

Black Carbon Pollution Emerges as Major Player in Global Warming - ScienceDaily, 2008.0324
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210225.htm

Mayor Signs Green Building Law - Hometown Annapolis, 2008.0324
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/03_24-15/GOV

A Design for Environmentally Friendly Building - Trading Markets, 2008.0324
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1236612/

Standards for Green Building - Chicago Tribune, 2008.0321
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-orlando-box-nhmar21,0,2149061.story

Grand Rapids Art Museum Is First Gold LEED Certified Art Museum - Earth Times, 2008.0320
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/grand-rapids-art-museum-earns-title-of-the-worlds-first,322735.shtml

Glacier Melt Threatens Future Harvests - People and Planet, 2008.0320
http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=3243

Icy Start, but 2008 May Be in Top 10 Warmest Years - Reuters, 2008.0319
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-32579520080319

Green Building: In Depth - TriplePundit, 2008.0319
http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/green-building/

Detailing the Sobek House - ArchitectureWeek, 2008.0319
http://www.architectureweek.com/2008/0319/building_1-1.html
	The glass-and-steel R128 House is located on a steeply
	sloped site with panoramic views of Stuttgart, Germany.
	Although this house seems sterile and completely
	transparent, it is a home where comfort and privacy
	issues for the inhabitants have been met. It is a
	completely recyclable, emission-free, energy
	self-sufficient building.

Les Archives Departementales - ArchitectureWeek, 2008.0319
http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2008/0319/index.html
	There is something inherently abstract about the
	government archive.  Storage of old records can too
	easily be seen as a utility function free of aesthetic
	aspiration. Compared to a classic library program, an
	archive might be seen as exaggerating the stacks while
	minimizing the interacting human element.  In some
	archives these tendencies lead to the place where the
	technical function of storage obliterates the impulse
	for architecture.

Japan to Host Climate Change Summit - Reuters, 2008.0318
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKT26877020080318

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Press Release - New Bio/Chem Bench Offers Quick Redesign Options
     http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?080319_case_systems.html

Product News - Thermique(TM) Heated Window Glass
	 http://www.archweek.com/2008/0319/products_update.html

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This Week's Quiz -	
	A double-pane insulated window has four surfaces of
	glass. These surfaces are numbered in the following
	order: the exterior face is called surface 1; the
	internal face of the exterior glass is surface 2;
	surface 3 is the internal face of the interior glass;
	and the interior glass face exposed to the room is
	surface 4. For which surface would you specify the low-E
	coating and why?
     http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2008/0319/quiz.html

Architecture Answer - for last issue's quiz...
	If you were designing an 'anechoic' room, which of
	the following interior wall systems would you use?
	1. Paint on drywall on steel studs
	2. Stained wood panels on wood studs
	3. Fabric-covered acoustic panels on concrete
     http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2008/0319/answer.html

Classic Home 024 - Classic Western by Charles E. White, Jr.
     http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2008/0319/classic_home.html

Contents, RSS, and Surface of the Week - 
     Brick paving in herringbone pattern (FP-067)
     http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2008/0319/contents.html

Five years ago in ArchitectureWeek:
	California Preservation Awards 2003, by ArchitectureWeek
	http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2003/0326/news_1-1.html

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Best wishes,

Kevin Matthews
Editor in Chief
ArchitectureWeek

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