GreenClips.151 09.13.00 PIONEERING PARK RISES FROM INDUSTRIAL RUINS Since its inception 10 years ago, Landscape Park Duisburg Nord, created on the grounds of an old steel mill in Germany's Ruhr River Valley, has earned a seminal place in the history of landscape architecture. Designed by German urban planner and landscape architect Peter Latz, the 568-acre park reveals his signature aesthetic: the fusion of ecological thinking with an enthusiasm for technological decay. Latz didn't tear down the defunct plant's blast furnaces; he built walkways through them. He didn't sod over the slag heaps; he let them grow wild with acacia and ailanthus trees. Train tracks that once carried ore and molten steel are now bicycle paths. The Emscher River, which had become a stagnant sewage ditch, was rehabilitated into a reed-lined, ecologically self-sustaining canal. With its formal gardens in ore pits and its lily ponds in cooling tanks, the park blurs concepts like "natural," "artificial," "open space" and "conservation." Landscape Park Duisburg Nord was realized by Peter and his wife Anneliese Latz's firm Latz + Partner, with on-site supervision by Anneliese's other firm, Latz-Riehl, architecture by G. Lipkowsky, and a vegetation concept by J. Dettmar. Latz's work is inspiring others to transform obsolete industrial sites; in Pittsburgh, for example, members of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation are hoping to preserve an historic blast furnace and develop it along the lines of Landscape Park Duisburg Nord. Metropolis, Oct 00, p 126, by Matt Steinglass. NEW UK DESIGN TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS The Building Research Establishment's Centre for Sustainable Construction recently released Envest, a computer program that enables comparison of the environmental implications of various building design and operations options, from building shape to materials selection. Aimed at the UK's commercial building sector, Envest allows designers to select from eight generic building shapes, and then to input proposed building dimensions and other design details. The program assigns a numeric value to each set of design options, allowing designers to compare the environmental impacts of various shapes and constructions. For example, if the chosen roof would cause 4 percent of the overall impact and the floor 40 percent, it's clear that bigger environmental savings can be achieved by concentrating on the type of construction and materials used for the floor. Envest's scoring system uses "Ecopoints," an assessment method developed by BRE that relies on many environmental factors, including ozone depletion potential, water consumption data and the effect of consuming natural resources, such as minerals extraction. The weighting of each factor was developed with industry input. Envest also includes the effects of maintenance and operational variables over a building's lifetime. Building Services Journal, Jul 00, p 59, by Alison Luke. [More: http://products.bre.co.uk/envest] RURAL RETREAT EMBRACES SPIRIT OF ITS ENVIRONMENT Shalom Hill Farm Foundation (SHFF), a spiritual retreat for education and rural ministry, provides a place for church leaders to experience rural living firsthand, acquainting themselves with the needs and concerns of the rural community. Located on 26.5 acres in southwestern Minnesota, Shalom Hill Farm exposes participants to sustainable agricultural methods, alternative energy sources, and other principles for living lightly on the land. The late landscape architect John Lyle, who completed the conceptual designs for Shalom Hill Farm before his death in 1998, was a proponent of "regenerative" design, landscapes designed to provide "life support processes." Claremont Environmental Design Group took up where Lyle left off completing the design. SHFF uses on-site resources to provide most of its basic energy and material needs. A woodlot provides fuel for woodstoves and masonry heaters, as well as being part of the site's ecosystem. The site's rolling prairie landscape allows for earth-sheltering of buildings, natural daylighting, and the possibility for harnessing the wind's energy. The guest house, also designed by Lyle, tucks into the land, stepping downhill in three increments, a design that incorporates solar heating and passive cooling, and prevents obstruction of views of the landscape. A subsurface wetland treatment system treats sewage, allowing water to be reused for irrigation. Seeds gathered annually from established prairie land are sown in areas disturbed by construction in an attempt to bring back the native prairie plants. Landscape Architecture, Sep 00, p 40, by Heather Hammatt. [For more information email Claremont Environmental Design Group: email@cedg-design.com] CAMPERS TO GET AN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION When finished, the $8.5 million Camp Arroyo on 138-acres of oak woodlands in Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore, California will be a testament to the efficiency of green construction. Builders are using recycled materials such as rice straw, glass, tile and steel, are positioning buildings to receive solar energy to heat water for showers and swimming, and are constructing the buildings to keep cool without air conditioning. The major partners behind the camp, the East Bay Regional Park District and the Taylor Family Foundation, "had a goal of creating an environmental education camp that would demonstrate some of the things they'd be teaching," says Nancy Malone of Emeryville's Siegel & Strain Architects. During the school year the site will serve as an environmental education center for students; in the summer it will operate as a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses. The first camp session is scheduled for summer 2001. The [20,000-square-foot] facility, which can house 24 campers, includes cabins with walls made from wheat-straw particleboard, bathhouses constructed partially with earth from the site, and a dining hall that will be one of the largest straw-bale buildings in the country. Rainwater will be collected on metal roofs for irrigation, and on-site biological treatment ponds and wetlands will treat wastewater for reuse in the camp's organic garden. Contra Costa Times, 27 Aug 00, p A30, by Megan Long. [More: click on "In-Progress" at http://www.siegelstrain.com] STUDIO EG EXPANDS GREEN OFFICE FURNITURE LINE Studio eg in Oakland, California has added a reception desk to its Ecowork line of office furniture. The desk's work surface is made from Greenboard, an industrial-strength particleboard manufactured from either recycled agricultural waste fiber or FSC-certified wood fiber. Legs and other components are made from recycled materials, including tires, cardboard and newspaper. The reception desk features a brushed aluminum desktop shield and a matching "modesty panel" to cover the rear of computer screens and cables. In addition to its workstations, bookshelves and printer stands, the Ecowork line includes side tables and conference tables that are up to 10 feet long and are available in many finishes, including a certified maple veneer. Industrial designer Erez Steinberg and graphic designer Gia Giasullo founded Studio eg in 1991. More: http://www.studioeg.com. Environmental Building News, Sep 00, p 11, by Rod Francis, and Studio eg website. NORTH CASCADES CENTER WILL SHOWCASE GREEN STRATEGIES On September 16, the North Cascades Institute in Washington State will break ground for a $14.25 million environmental learning center along the shore of Diablo Lake in the North Cascades National Park. Planners of the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center say the 16-building complex will provide space for the institute's educational programs, workshops and seminars as well as be a model for green builders. Designed by Mount Vernon, Washington-based Henry Klein Partnership Architects, the 39,000-square-foot center will include offices, indoor and outdoor teaching spaces, an outdoor amphitheater, a floating classroom, a multimedia science lab, a community center and overnight accommodations for participants and staff members. Saul Weisberg of the North Cascades Institute says the project came about as part of a 1989 mitigation settlement for relicensing a hydroelectric dam owned by Seattle City Light. "We were asked by the Parks Service to propose an educational component" to the $90 million settlement, which included a variety of measures, from archeological exploration to redirecting stream flows. The center's sustainable design strategies include achieving energy savings through natural ventilation, high insulation and natural or energy-efficient lighting; minimizing the buildings' footprints to save trees; and using salvaged or certified wood and renewable or recyclable materials wherever possible. Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 8 Sep 00, by Jon Silver. [More: http://www.ncascades.org/eec/index.html] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: ENERGY RESOURCE CENTER http://www.socalgas.com/erc Guest speakers will address energy-efficient technologies, water efficiency, appliances and maintenance issues in the laundry and dry cleaning industries. Discover how to make your business more profitable, evaluate your options for purchasing energy, and reduce your operating costs. This class, Clean Profits Workshops for Coin-Operated Laundries and Dry Cleaners, will provide water heating, boiler and dryer tips that can save you money and trouble. The Clean Profits Workshop will help you find the best equipment for your business, and help you calculate potential energy savings from energy-efficient equipment. This workshop (seminar #4749) will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Thursday, September 21. Cost is free. (Includes continental breakfast and lunch.) The ERC is located at 9240 E. Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA, 90241-5388. To register call 800 427 6584 and press option one, or dial direct to 562 803 7500. Be sure to mention the seminar number. EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM Greening the government, one purchase at a time. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp INTERFACE, INC. More than a carpet company. Much more. http://www.interfaceinc.com SUSTAINABLE JOBS FUND http://www.sjfund.com Investing in high growth sustainable enterprises that create employment for low-income citizens in Eastern United States. WSU ENERGY PROGRAM http://www.energy.wsu.edu Providing objective research, information and solutions. Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program in Olympia, Washington. Subscribe to GreenClips and other mailing lists on energy and the environment at http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/guest/RemoteAvailableLists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Sustainable design consultant Chris Hammer publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps her clients with environmentally responsible approaches to urban planning and development, and to building design, construction, and operation. GreenClips is written by Chris Hammer and Jennifer Roberts. To CONTACT THE PUBLISHER Email chrishammer@greenclips.com or call 415.928.7941. BACK ISSUES Two Internet sites host GreenClips archives for reference and research: http://solstice.crest.org/sustainable/greenclips-info.html (keyword search) http://www.greendesign.net/greenclips (browse contents) REDISTRIBUTION Please do not redistribute or post copies of GreenClips regularly. Encourage readers who receive GreenClips from you to subscribe directly. Continuing sponsorship depends on accurate reader counts. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE Subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your address at this web site: http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/guest/RemoteListSummary/GreenClips You can also do this by email following these instructions: Address an email message to <GreenClips-request@listserv.energy.wsu.edu>. In the body of the message (not the subject line) type either: subscribe <your internet email address> unsubscribe <your internet email address> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copyright 2000 Sustainable Design Resources. All rights reserved. Republishing GreenClips in print or on a web site, in whole or in part, or commercial distribution in any form requires advance permission of the publisher.