GreenClips.184 01.30.02 SPEED SKATING OVAL DESIGNED FOR FAST ICE AND ENERGY SAVINGS The Salt Lake Organizing Committee gave Gillies Stransky Brems Smith (GSBS) Architects three main objectives for the design of the Utah Olympic Oval: 1) create the fastest possible ice 2) within a limited budget and 3) design the building to be as high performance and energy efficient as possible. A key strategy for achieving those goals is the Oval's roof, designed by engineering firm Ove Arup. The roof's cable suspension system is only 3 feet deep, significantly minimizing the volume that needs to be heated, cooled and humidified. The cable suspension structure uses 35 percent less steel -- 953 tons -- and 25,000 square feet less building surface than the usual truss solution. On the roof's surface, a white, single-ply, mechanically attached, reinforced thermoplastic membrane system, supplied by Sarnafil, further enhances the Oval's performance and energy efficiency. The white surface's reflectivity reduces heat gain within the building and reduces the potential for urban-heat-island effect. The Oval was one of the first 12 buildings worldwide to be certified by the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. "Many of the things that are credits in the LEED rating system indoor air quality monitoring, commissioning the systems, cleaning the ducts also contributed to achieving faster ice," said David Brems, principal of GSBS. Environmental Design + Construction, Jan-Feb 2002, by Christine L. Grahl. [Full text: http://www.edcmag.com ] FRENCH SCHOOL'S RIGOROUS DESIGN COMPETITION ENSURED HIGH PERFORMANCE Competitors for the design of the new Ecological School at Caudry, France, were given a list of 67 performance criteria and invited to bid for the minimum environmental load they could achieve. The winner was subject to financial penalties if actual building performance fell short of the design goals. All techniques and materials selected had to avoid high embodied energy, journeys to the site of more than 200 km, toxicity now or in the future and other harmful effects. Competitors had to consider not only the recyclability of building materials, but also the site's long-term destiny, and to make calculations and designs for the site's conversion. In the winning entry by architect Lucien Kroll, most of the school is designed for eventual conversion into housing. Kroll's ecological design extends to the site as well as to the group of buildings that constitutes the school. New ponds were constructed on site to serve as wildlife habitats, to supply water for toilets and to absorb excess run-off. In the buildings, glazed corridors act as both solar collectors and solar chimneys. Warmed air passes from classrooms to the corridor, where it rises and is extracted at roof level. The school also has some active solar collection, including a water-based collector that pre-warms water for the kitchens and lavatories, and 120 square meters of photovoltaics that provide about 4100 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. Architectural Review, Jan 2002, p 69, by Peter Blundell Jones. TWO STUDIES SAY NEW HOMES PROVIDE NET COST BENEFIT TO PUBLIC FUNDS The home building industry is grappling with a perception problem: the assumption that new homes are a net drain on public funds for infrastructure such as roads, schools and sewers. But a cost-of-growth analysis in Alachua County, Florida, performed by two University of Florida economists and sponsored by Professional Builder magazine and the Gainesville Builders Association, found that a typical new home pays $3,114 more than it costs local government to provide basic infrastructure and services for it. The analysis concludes that $25,113 per household is the total cost of providing all the incremental levels of infrastructure and ongoing maintenance the infrastructure will require during its useful life. The per-house receipts to the state of Florida and all Alachua County jurisdictions amount to $28,227 per household, leaving a net benefit of $3,114. Meanwhile, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, developer La Plata Investments and the local home builders association commissioned a Texas A&M University economist to analyze the cost of a new home in terms of Colorado Springs' general fund. The study concluded that homes in a new subdivision paid well in excess of the ongoing infrastructure maintenance that the city spent per household annually. But local officials had a lukewarm response to that study because it was commissioned by local builders and because school funding was omitted as part of the analysis. Professional Builder, Nov 2001, p 32, by Patrick L. O'Toole. [Full text: http://www.housingzone.com/topics/pb/legislation/pb01ka010.asp ] CHECKLIST FOR PURCHASING GREEN CARPET To reduce the environmental impact of carpets used in commercial buildings, consider these recommendations. When possible, buy refurbished carpet used carpet that has been cleaned, dyed and restored to "like new" condition. Specify carpet with high post-consumer recycled content in both the face fiber and backing. Ask suppliers whether environmental leasing or take-back programs are provided. Use carpet tiles where appropriate to extend the life of the installed carpet. Buy carpet that is likely to be accepted for recycling under existing programs (carpet containing nylon 6 face fiber and vinyl-backed carpets are currently recyclable; no recycling programs exist for polyester carpet). Consider purchasing carpet made of wool or other natural fibers if you are concerned about the use of nonrenewable resources. Buy carpet that is solution-dyed. Buy carpet that meets the Carpet and Rug Institute's (CRI) indoor air quality standards. And use adhesives that are certified by the CRI to have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Green Seal's Choose Green Report, Dec 2001, p 8. [More: http://www.greenseal.org; CRI's green label program: http://www.carpet-rug.com .] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 ENVIRONDESIGN6 http://www.environdesign.com EnvironDesign6 is scheduled for April 3 to 5, 2002 in Seattle, WA. This dynamic event promises to be especially rewarding as the result of tremendous creativity and efforts by the local host planning committee. EnvironDesign6 effectively combines 36 inspiring workshops, a product learning center (with 60+ companies) and keynote addresses to provide a wide range of learning opportunities in the sustainable development arena. Headlining this year's event are: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Peter Senge, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, J. Mays, William A. McDonough, Michael Braungart, Carl Frankel, Sim Van der Ryn and Harden Tibbs. Exclusive to this year's conference are the IIDA Seattle Chapter's GreenWorld and AIA Seattle COTE'S What Makes It Green? exhibits. Pre- and post-conference workshops, site tours, a fashion show and other special events round out this must-attend conference. Don't delay: Special pre-registration discounts are only available until February 11. EnvironDesign6 is produced by Interiors & Sources and green@work magazines. For information (561) 627-3393 or visit www.environdesign.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. Much more. http://www.interfaceinc.com 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