GreenClips.168 05.23.01 THE DIRT ON GREEN HOUSEKEEPING How do architects ensure that a building designed to be healthy will stay that way once it is occupied? What good is careful design if, within months, occupants are tracking in lead-contaminated soils and cleaning crews are mopping floors with VOC-emitting products? The first line of defense against dirt should occur at the front door. For the vestibule of a library in Queens, NY, Stein White Nelligan Architects selected open aluminum grating with strips of a brushlike material. Mud and dirt drop into a pan below, equipped with a floor drain. Throughout the building, architects should minimize the types of materials specified in a room because each material may require a different cleaning process. And whenever possible, select materials that can be sealed, cleaned, and refinished with solutions that are water-based, not solvent-based. At the Nature Conservancy Headquarters in Balston, VA, designed by Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum, the lobby's granite floor has a flame finish, which requires less polishing and buffing than a glossy one. In the reception area, HOK specified cork and linoleum, which can be cleaned with a dry maintenance system compatible with the dry maintenance of the adjacent carpet. Maintenance and operation manuals should be provided to clients at project completion to serve as permanent records of the needs of various systems and architectural finishes, especially for the more innovative materials often specified by environmentally conscious architects. Architectural Record, May 01, p 259, by Nancy B. Solomon. [Full text: http://archrecord.com/CONTEDUC/ARTICLES/05_01_1.asp] NORTHWOODS LEARNING CENTER EMBODIES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN When RSP Architects Ltd. of Minneapolis was hired to design several buildings for the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota, the firm's mandate included minimizing the visual and environmental impact the new structures would have on their surroundings. Wolf Ridge provides experiential, hands-on environmental education to elementary and high school students from throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. RSP's crowning contribution to the Wolf Ridge campus is the 16,210-square-foot Pichotta Science Center. Organized along an east-west solar axis, the building is designed to make the most of solar rays. Classrooms are tilted 15 degrees off the building's main axis to maximize solar gain. Outside the building, an 80-foot windmill generates energy to warm water for various domestic uses and charge batteries that power two classrooms. A 6 x 10-foot photovoltaic panel also channels power into the batteries. Housed in a glass chamber just off the lobby, the photovoltaic cells can be studied by students and visitors. For kids in classrooms conducting experiments, the batteries down the hall and the structures outside are reminders of a bigger sustainable-design picture. Architecture Minnesota, Mar-Apr 01, p 40, by Joel Hoekstra. AIA HONORS TOP 10 GREEN PROJECTS In recognition of Earth Day 2001, the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment selected 10 examples of built architectural design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The winning projects include the Big Horn Home Improvement Center in Silverthorne, CO. Designed by Marketplace Architects, the 43,000-square-foot retail facility includes a daylighting system that enables the lumberyard and hardware store to cut down dramatically on the amount of electricity used for indoor lighting. A natural ventilation system eliminates the need for air conditioning, while an extensive rooftop photovoltaic system generates electrical current directly from sunlight. The renewable energy features added about 10 percent to the building's $5.6 million cost. The other winning projects are: ABN-AMRO Bank World Headquarters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP; Adeline Street Urban Salvage Project, Berkeley, CA, by Lager Wanaseija Architecture; Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters, Annapolis, MD, by Smith Group; Denver REI Flagship, Denver, CO, by Mithun Architects + Partners; Montgomery Campus--California College of Arts & Crafts, San Francisco, CA, by William Leddy/TLMS Architects; Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, Creve Coeur, MO, by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum; PNC Firstside Center, Pittsburgh, PA, by LDA-L.D. Astorino Companies; Sleeping Lady Conference and Retreat Center, Leavonworth, WA, by Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects; and Zion National Park Visitor Center, Springdale, UT, by National Park Service-Denver Service Center. Environmental Design and Construction, May-Jun 01, p 16, and The Denver Post, 15 May 01, by Bob Berwyn. [More: http://www.aia.org/pia/cote/topten] PVC INDUSTRY ATTACKS GREENPEACE DATABASE A Greenpeace database that advises the construction industry on alternatives to PVC has been condemned for its lack of scientific analysis days after its launch. "Does Greenpeace expect everyone to jump just because it arrogantly says the products it recommends are safer?" says Roger Moltram, environmental affairs manager of PVC manufacturer EVC. "I'd like to know where it gets its data from." The website features hundreds of products from more than 200 companies worldwide, which, Greenpeace claims, provide more cost-efficient and safer options. Greenpeace objects to the widespread use of PVC, claiming that PVC emits toxic compounds including dioxins and other organic pollutants into the air, water and land. More: http://www.Greenpeace.org/~toxics/pvcdatabase. Building Design, 4 May 01, p 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: C&A FLOORCOVERINGS We choose not to just make carpet but to also make a difference. http://www.powerbond.com EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM Greening the government, one purchase at a time. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp GREEN BUILDING SERVICES http://www.greenbuildingservices.com Green Building Services offers environmental design and energy efficient consulting services to help you design, build and market high-performance commercial buildings, through design charrettes, energy analyses and the entire LEED certification process. INTERFACE, INC. More than a carpet company. 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