GreenClips.148 08.02.00 TWIN-FACE GLASS FACADES OFFER MANY BENEFITS People who work in buildings with twin-face glass facades are more satisfied and productive than those working in more conventional buildings, according to studies conducted in Europe by employers and engineers. A dual-layered glass facade is essentially a pair of glass skins separated by an air corridor ranging in width from a few inches to several feet. The most common dual-layered system today is the twin-face facade, which consists of a conventional curtain or massive wall system within an outer skin of single glazing. The secondary glass skin is usually a non-load-bearing curtain wall made of a single layer of safety, laminated or insulating glass, with a gap between inner and outer skins that varies from 6 to 30 inches. Twin-face facades offer many benefits, including natural ventilation provided by openings in the skins, daylighting, and greater control over the workplace atmosphere. In central Europe, twin-face facades are about twice the price of conventional curtain walls. In the U.S., they may be four to five times more expensive. The extra costs are due to the expense of engineering these systems, the amount of special glass required, and unfamiliarity with these systems among the trades, which leads to higher installation costs. In addition, mechanical engineers must think creatively about the heating and cooling loads and the type of HVAC system used. Architectural Record, Jul 00, p 171, by Werner Lang and Thomas Herzog. [Full text: click on Continuing Education at http://www.archrecord.com] HIGH-BAY FLUORESCENTS OUTSHINE HID LIGHTING The design profession has long believed that fluorescent lighting made the most sense for low-ceiling applications--below 15 or 20 feet--and that high-intensity discharge lighting was better for high-bay applications. But new high-output T-5 lamps and specially designed high-bay fluorescent fixtures give fluorescents the upper hand. Replacing metal halide HID high-bays with T-5 high-bays can yield energy savings exceeding 50 percent. For example, a 400-watt metal halide fixture, which consumes 460 watts including ballast, can be replaced with a multi-lamp T-5 fixture that consumes 234 watts including ballasts. Also, fluorescent high-bays can be used with occupancy sensors, and can be dimmed or controlled with multilevel switching if daylight is available, which can boost energy savings to over 90 percent. And fluorescent high-bays provide better light quality than even the best HIDs. The color rendering index (CRI) of T-5s is 82 or higher, compared with 65 to 70 for metal halide. Although T-5 fluorescent fixtures cost more than HID fixtures and more of the fluorescent lamps are required, the energy savings from replacing HIDs with high-bay T-5s can often yield a payback of less than one year. Lighting consultant Nancy Clanton has long advocated fluorescent lighting as an alternative to HID, but she cautions that because they deliver so much light from such a thin profile, the new T-5 lamps are extremely bright. Environmental Building News, Jul-Aug 00, p 8, by Alex Wilson. FINANCING UNCONVENTIONAL HOMES IS GETTING EASIER Pursuing conventional financing on an unconventional home takes persistencebut it can be done. "Anything that's not the standard, stick-frame home is going to be a red flag [for lenders]," says Steven McKnight of American Pacific Mortgage, a San Diego lender. "They're always concerned about marketability." When Ben Obregon, an Austin, Texas-based architect, was seeking a mortgage to build his own straw bale home in 1997, he learned that "the lender will generally go with what the appraiser tells them." Bob Ward, an Austin appraiser specializing in alternative construction, warns that some appraisers deem alternative buildings inferior "or just flat refuse to do them." Finding comparables is another obstacle. Appraisers assign a value to the house based on recent sales of at least three homes of comparable size and construction type in the same area. Fortunately, a few mortgage companies, including GMAC and Countrywide, are loosening their comparables standards for eco-homes. Once approval for an alternative home goes through, a larger down payment may be required than for a traditional home. But special mortgage programs for eco-homes are starting to hit the market. Fannie Mae recently initiated a green mortgage program for new homes in Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, Albuquerque, Seattle, and Columbus, Ohio. If the builder meets at least forty requirements on a green-builder checklist, the buyer becomes eligible for a larger mortgage. Natural Home, Jul-Aug 00, p 36, by Jan Sheehan. PROJECT MANAGER SHARES GREEN BUILDING LESSONS As project manager of the EPICenter, a Montana State University green building project that's been in the works for years, Kath Williams has learned hard lessons about what universities shouldand should notdo to ensure the success of their green building projects. In 1993, the original MSU project scope called for a 10,000-square-foot building in a private technology park near campus. In 1997, the concept had grown to 250,000-square-foot classroom/laboratory building on campus. By 1999, a pilot project was designed as a 30,000-square-foot addition to an existing building, plus two renovation projects. The bid date for this pilot project has been delayed to 2001, and doubt remains that construction will ever begin. The changes in scope had dramatic budget, fundraising and political implications. Success, Williams learned, requires consistent support from higher administration. A spirit of collaboration is also essential, but this may conflict with conventional practices, and requires sharing control with outside stakeholders. Contracting for off-campus expertise is key, yet state-assisted universities may resist bearing the extra cost. And attempts to change the way an institution designs, constructs, operates and maintains its facilities can be seen as an indictment of present practices. Having physical plant personnel "buy in" to the green goals is critical. One positive outcome of campus green building projects is that they create opportunities to educate people at all levels, including students, contractors and other business partners, and the public. More: http://www.montana.edu/epicenter/html/design.html. Full text: http://www.EDCmag.com. Environmental Design & Construction, Jul-Aug 00, p 40, by Kath Williams. PLYWOOD AIR POLLUTION CASE SETTLED FOR $93.2 MILLION The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department announced on July 20 that Willamette Industries Inc., a plywood manufacturer with 13 factories in four states, has agreed to a $93.2 million settlement over air pollution violations, the largest settlement based on pollution from factories. In a campaign to enforce the terms of the Clean Air Act, EPA has in recent years settled pollution cases with companies that make up half the wood products industry. The recent settlement with Willamette, based in Portland, Oregon with plants in Arkansas, Louisiana and South Carolina, follows settlements with Louisiana-Pacific, Georgia-Pacific and Weyerhaeuser; the government is still pursuing Boise-Cascade. Willamette makes plywood and composite panels. The adhesives used to bond sheets of plywood together, or form composites, give off volatile organic compounds that react with nitrogen compounds in sunlight to form smog. Under the settlement, the company will install equipment to reduce emissions of VOCs, small particles and carbon monoxide. The company will also spend money to improve municipal sewer systems, acquire parkland and build ethanol fueling stations to encourage companies that own fleets of vehicles to use clean fuel. The New York Times, 21 Jul 00, p A10, by Matthew L. Wald. "SMART" PAINT CUTS HEATING AND COOLING COSTS Since its 1998 introduction, Radiance, an interior paint manufactured by ChemRex of Shakopee, Minnesota, has gained widespread attention as a radiant-barrier paint for gypsum-board walls and ceilings, masonry and metal surfaces, and attic and roof deckings. The physics behind Radiance are similar to low-e glass windows. In winter, more than 30 to 50 percent of an interior's radiant heat, which would normally escape, is reflected back when walls or roof decking are painted with Radiance. In summer, the low-e paint slows heat gains by keeping 30 to 50 percent of the sun's infrared energy out of the building. The paint can reduce heating and cooling costs up to 20 percent. This technology originated in the public sector after scientists painted it on army tanks to keep radiant heat inside, helping the tanks elude heat-seeking missiles. Low-e interior paint works because it contains microscopic reflective particles suspended in an infrared transparent matrix binder. Radiance applies and appears like any common paint, and comes in 70 shades, although the "e" value is compromised by dark colors. Architecture Minnesota, Jul-Aug 00, p 15, by Todd Willmert. [More: http://www.radiancecomfort.com] ARCHITECTURE PROFESSOR NAMED MACARTHUR FELLOW Samuel Mockbee, an architecture professor who founded the Rural Studio at Alabama's Auburn University, has won a prestigious MacArthur Foundation award. He'll receive $500,000 over the next five years to support the Rural Studio, which combines the teaching of architecture with a commitment to public service. Architect majors in the program design and build homes for low-income families. In seven years, working on tight budgets, using scrap and native material--salvaged timber, license plates, old tires, straw bales, rammed earth--Auburn students have built five houses, two community centers, a playground and a community chapel. Mobile Register, 06 Jun 00, p 1A, by Rhoda A. Pickett and The Birmingham News, 14 Jun 00, p 1A, by Thomas Spencer. [More about Rural Studio: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/architecture/arch/rural/index.html] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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