GreenClips.155 11.08.00 FORD'S INNOVATIVE PLAN BLENDS MANUFACTURING, ENVIRONMENT Ford Motor Co. will build an innovative assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to produce the next generation of its F-150 and Ranger pickups as part of a $2-billion renovation and expansion of the historic Rouge industrial complex. The project will serve as a template for Ford's attempt to balance advanced, flexible manufacturing practices with environmental sensitivity. Originally spanning over 1,100 acres, the Ford Rouge Center was the largest industrial complex in the world when it began producing the Model A in 1927. Ford has hired architects William McDonough + Partners in Charlottesville, Virginia to introduce sustainable environmental practices at the Rouge that will improve air and water quality while boosting employee morale and productivity. The assembly plant's roof will likely be covered with sedum, an ivy-like plant, to reduce storm water runoff, convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and serve as natural insulation. A system of swales, or landscaped ditches, along with retention ponds will clean storm water, and natural plants will cleanse contaminated soil. Renewable energy sources such as fuel cells and solar cells will be used, and the coal-fired powerhouse will be replaced with a natural gas plant. "The biggest issue on the assembly plant was the integrated energy systems and storm-water management," McDonough says. "As you look into the future, the trend will be to ask industrial sites to be cleaner and cleaner." The Detroit News, 1 Nov 00, by R.J. King. [Full text: http://detnews.com/2000/autos/0011/01/a01-142597.htm] NORTHERN IRELAND'S ECOS CENTRE: HOW GREEN IS IT? The design and construction of Northern Ireland's new Ecos Centre--a visitor center intended to demonstrate sustainability concepts to the public--presents an unconvincing case for sustainable building practices. The project's most interesting feature is its use of the site, where wetlands have been planted with willow to provide biomass for heating. There is also a large area for organic gardening and a reed bed for secondary treatment of sewage. The building includes educational exhibits, a conference room, cafe, shop and office space. Designed by WDR & RT Taggarts, a multidisciplinary Belfast-based practice, with funding from the Millennium Commission, the building feels more like a showpiece gallery than a living/working ecological center. Although two-thirds of its energy needs will be met with renewable resources, it is still a net consumer of fossil fuels, and its massive steel and concrete structure ranks high in embodied energy and resource consumption. Mechanical ventilation is used throughout, even though the greenfield site presents an ideal opportunity for energy-saving natural ventilation. Some green finishes and materials were used--such as certified wood and low-solvent paint--but there is little signage to explain these elements to visitors. And although an electric bus provides shuttle service from the railway station, most visitors are likely to drive cars to reach Ecos Centre's isolated location on the outskirts of Ballymena. It remains to be seen whether the strength of Ecos Centre's architecture will be sufficient to attract visitors and ensure the center's future. [For more information email: mail@wdr-rt-taggart.com.] Building Design, Oct 00, p 16, by Tom Woolley. MASTERING SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW POSTGRAD DEGREE The EcoDesign Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Western Sydney, Australia, has developed a new postgraduate degree, the Master of Sustainment Design. Applications are now being accepted, with courses beginning in January 2001. The degree program, which can be completed in one year (full-time) or a year and a half (part-time), is open to graduates from a wide variety of disciplines, including business, engineering, architecture, and planning and urban design. The course aims to assist those with design skills to redirect their talents toward "the making of sustainments," and those without, to be introduced to the power of design. Collaborative projects with industry partners are an important component of the degree, giving students the opportunity to try out new ideas in real-world contexts. More: http://www.edfc.edu.au/msdes. Green@Work, Sep-Oct 00, p 13. TWO COTTON INSULATION PRODUCTS LAUNCHED Two new cotton insulation products are being introduced this year, after a "cottonless" stretch in the building industry since Greenwood Cotton stopped production in 1998. InnoTherm, whose product goes by the same name, purchased its technology and equipment from Greenwood Cotton and expects to be in production by the end of the year. And Bonded Logic, Inc. has begun commercial production of UltraTouch, a cotton insulation made from 85 percent blue jean manufacturing trim waste, with plastic fiber added for three-dimensional loft and borates added for pest and combustion resistance. Specifications for UltraTouch's unfaced batts include: Insulation Value of R-3.4 per inch; Class A Interior Wall and Ceiling Finish rating; Flame Spread Index of 5; and Smoke Developed Value of 35. UltraTouch costs 15 to 20 percent more than comparable fiberglass insulation, according to Bonded Logic. For more information: http://www.bondedlogic.com and http://www.inno-therm.com. Environmental Building News, Nov 00, p 6, by Peter Yost. WILL AUTO-LOVING AMERICANS SHARE THEIR WHEELS? Several US cities are experimenting with something most Americans would consider radical: car sharing. It works like this: after paying a membership fee, users have access to fleets of cars parked at locations like train stations or central plazas. In Switzerland, the 36,000 members of Mobility CarSharing share 14,000 cars available at 800 locations. Users typically pay a flat hourly rate and mileage charge. In Boston, for example, Zipcar charges members a refundable deposit of $300, plus $4.50 an hour and 40 cents a mile. Programs in different US cities emphasize varying benefits. In Portland and Seattle, new programs have strong environmental directives, given their close ties to government agencies and alternative energy interests. Car sharing in Boulder is a nonprofit, grassroots co-op, while a recently funded Chicago program aims to serve low-income communities. Most car-sharing services are developing easy interface procedures, like smart cards that eliminate the need for keys and paperwork, allowing drivers to swipe their cards and drive. Use of the car is recorded electronically, and charged to members like a monthly phone bill. According to surveys, people's primary motivation for joining car-sharing programs is economic; for anyone who drives less than 7,000 to 10,000 miles a year, it's cheaper than owning a car. But in some places, such as Germany, many users are equally motivated by ecological concerns. Architecture, Oct 00, p 76, by Cathy Lang Ho. DOE PICKS DESIGN COMPETITION WINNER FOR SUNWALL The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the winners of a design competition, held jointly with the American Institute of Architects, for a 32,000-square-foot "sunwall" to cover the south elevation of DOE's Washington, DC, headquarters building. Winners of the competition, who received $20,000 for the entry, are architects Martin Wolf, Mark Frisch, Devon Patterson and Duane Carter of Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates, Chicago; and Mahadev Raman and David M. Scott of engineer Ove Arup & Partners' New York City office. If built, the wall is expected to generate 200 kW of electricity, enough to power approximately 60 homes. The design incorporates photovoltaic panels with a solar thermal installation for hot water. Engineering News-Record (ENR), 23 Oct 00, p 15, and Environmental Building News, Nov 00, p 5. [More: http://www.doe-sunwall.org] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: 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. 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