Solar Design - 11
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SOLAR-POWERED FACTORY
The new manufacturing plant for Hayward Building Systems, recently opened in Santa Maria, California, may not look like much from the street, but its energy conservation performance marks it as a leader in modern factory design. Published 2002.0828
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SUBURBAN RENEWAL
Two years ago I moved into a modest, 1950s-era, one-story house. From the beginning, my intention has been to make better use of on-site resources such as sun, rain, and soil while using the existing house and property as points of departure for my own local suburban renewal project. A primary strategy of "permaculture" central to this work is to develop what I call "chains of benefits," when single actions produce multiple positive outcomes. Published 2002.0814
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EXPLAINING GREEN MATERIALS
Now, more than ever, homeowners and builders are getting serious about choosing sustainable building materials for their next remodel or construction project. Yet their interest may exceed the availability of information. A common question from people interested in "green" materials is: "Where can I find out about them?" Published 2002.0717
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SUSTAINABLE IN SEATTLE
The sixth annual EnvironDesign conference brought 1200 people to Seattle, a fitting venue for a conversation on sustainability. The city now has over $1 billion of new construction in progress expected to receive a "green building" certification. Regional neighbors Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon also stand out as leading cities in this movement. Published 2002.0515
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COTE GREEN AWARDS
After many years of struggling against professional and political apathy in the United States, energy conservation and sustainability ideals may be finally receiving the attention they deserve. In the past four years, acceptance of environmental values has been reflected in the growing numbers of projects nominated the "Top Ten Green Projects" awards program of the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE). Architects, their clients, and the general public are increasingly appreciating environmentally sensitive architecture for both its economic and ethical importance. Published 2002.0508
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COOL AND GREEN
"Green" buildings can be built in any climate. They can be kept within a reasonable budget, and they don't have to sacrifice architectural grace in favor of functional, environmental, and sustainable factors.
Proving these claims is the recently completed Computer Science Building on the suburban campus of York University, Toronto. It is believed to be the most comprehensively green building in Ontario. Published 2002.0403
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MULTIFAMILY SOLAR
CEPHEUS (Cost-Efficient Passive Houses as EUropean Standards) is a demonstration project that is examining the viability of solar and low-energy construction in Europe. Fourteen inexpensive buildings with a total of 221 residential units have been built and are being evaluated through a standardized measurement program. The results of the Austrian projects have been published in a book that proposes to demonstrate that reducing the consumption of conventional fuels is both possible and recommended in this climate. This is the story of Wolfurt, Vorarlberg, low-cost, compact multifamily terraced housing on the slopes of the Bregenz Forest. Architect Gerhard Zweier has provided eight families with dividable floor plans, ample daylight, and large gardens. Although the energy conservation results are not perfect, the example is instructive. — Editor Published 2002.0313
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MODELING GREEN ENVIRONMENTS
Although computer-aided drafting software has indisputably changed the way architects and engineers draw, even more dramatic is the way high-end computer simulations have changed engineering design.
One firm that has taken advantage of new software systems is Genesys, a British consultancy specializing in sustainable-building simulation. The firm uses many forms of computer modeling, which is essential for low-energy, environmentally sensitive architectural design. Published 2002.0109
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A STYLISH SUSTAINABILITY
In the 1920s, after working with Frank Lloyd Wright for several years, architect Rudolf Schindler pioneered a new kind of residence in Southern California. Schindler's work, while exhibiting some formal attributes of the International Style, was tempered by a sensitivity to the environment. Published 2001.1107
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PLAYFUL PV IN ROME
At the Children's Museum of Rome, a partly see-through photovoltaic (PV) roof brings new levels of meaning to everyday childhood experience of playing in the sun.
One of the museum's central mandates is to heighten awareness of the quality of urban life through "a transparent guided itinerary" of everyday activities. Its new photovoltaic roof, designed by Abbate e Vigevano Architetti, gives form to this mandate. Published 2001.1024
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