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SUSTAINABLE CENTER FOR WOODS HOLE
It has become common in recent years for architectural clients to take an interest in energy conservation. But a research organization dedicated to studying the effects of human activities on the environment has a responsibility to go still further to apply sustainability as a guiding principle. — Published 2003.0910
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BREATHING IN BERLIN
In recent years, architects have begun to view the skins of buildings like the skins of living organisms: properly designed, they breathe, change form, and adapt to variations in climate. A building that demonstrates this in several ways is the GSW Headquarters in Berlin, designed by Sauerbruch & Hutton Architects, with engineering by Arup. — Editor — Published 2003.0813
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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT TOOLS
One of the most difficult problems for architects interested in sustainable design is knowing which materials are "green." Is the material recycled? Local? Renewable? Is it low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs)? What if you have to choose between these attributes? Are there other factors to be considered? And what about marketing claims? Is a material really "green" just because the manufacturer says it is? The choices can be bewildering. — Published 2003.0716
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LEED PLATINUM AT UCSB
It is fitting that one of the first buildings to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for achieving the "platinum" LEED status is a school dedicated to researching environmental issues, training research scientists and professionals, and identifying and solving environmental problems. — Published 2003.0611
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BIO-SOLAR HOUSE IN THAILAND
It's an environmental dream: a self-reliant house that produces its own electricity, water, and cooking gas. Solar energy powers the air-conditioning, lights, and household appliances. Rain, dew, and condensation from the cooling system produce enough water for a family of four. Recycled water irrigates the garden, and surplus electricity is sold to the power company or used to drive an electric car 30 miles (50 kilometers) a day. — Published 2003.0514
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INDOOR AIR QUALITY FOR THE EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Research Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is the new home to one of the largest multidisciplinary groups of environmental scientists in the world. Designing and building this 1.1 million-square-foot (100,000-square-meter) campus presented the agency with an opportunity to demonstrate its environmental ethics. — Published 2003.0416
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ARSENIC IN WOOD — DANGERS PERSIST
When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report last year on the safety of pressure-treated lumber, they acknowledged the danger of arsenic, a poison and carcinogen, which is used widely in wood preservatives like chromated copper arsenate (CCA). They announced a phase-out of some uses of the preservative by the end of 2003. — Published 2003.0312
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POST-INDUSTRIAL AFFORDABILITY
It is often tempting for architects and builders, when designing low-income housing, to look for any possible way to reduce the costs of initial construction. But if cheap materials lead to higher maintenance or utility bills in the long run, such economies may prove short-lived. A different approach is based on the idea that affordable housing can be not only attractive but durable and environmentally sustainable as well. — Published 2003.0212
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SANTA MONICA ELECTRIC
In light of rising energy costs and potentially disastrous environmental policies, timing couldn't be better for the opening of Colorado Court, one of the first 100-percent energy-neutral housing developments in the United States. Located on a busy, urban street corner in Santa Monica, California, the award-winning five-story, "green" building is designed not only to reduce energy consumption but to return unused power back to the city's electrical grid. — Published 2003.0212
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KIDS AUDIT ENERGY
In 2002, the Columbia University Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona began a 10-year clean-energy initiative to convert the campus from an energy user to an energy producer. Participating in phase one of the project, an electric lighting retrofit, was a sixth-grade science class at Immaculate Heart Academy in Tucson. They conducted an energy audit of the Biosphere with results that closely matched those of professional auditors. — Published 2003.0129
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