UK STRUCTURAL ENGINEER UNDERSTANDS CHALLENGE OF BUILDING SUSTAINABLY
Behind every innovative building lies committed and often largely anonymous structural engineering. Enter Mark Lovell, structural engineer of the Earth Centre's new conference building in Doncaster, England, which is built of 70 percent recycled materials and generates 60 percent of its own energy. Master of materials and principal of Mark Lovell Design Engineers (MLDE), Lovell is one of the few UK structural engineers who understands the challenge of building sustainably. The new center may look familiar -- earth-sheltered, gabion walls, recycled timber, interseasonal heat store, massive insulation -- but few things are what they seem. Take the gabions. Now patented and marketed under the name Trapion, they were developed with Tinsley Wire Ltd. and use half the material of conventional counterparts. Filled with crushed concrete from a disused mineworks nearby, their green credentials are impeccable. Lovell relishes the challenge of collaborating with manufacturers to tune materials -- as near to genetic engineering as building gets. For a Philips semiconductor plant, for example, he developed a rapid-strength-gain concrete, at 159 N/mm2, which he believes is the strongest conventionally cast material in Britain. The Architects' Journal, 28 Feb 2002, p 24, by Richard Weston. [More: http://www.mlde.co.uk .]

"GREEN" PITCH DOESN'T SELL PRODUCTS, MARKETERS CONCLUDE
After a decade of designing products to appeal to environmentally friendly sensibilities, many companies have concluded that "green" sales pitches don't sell. In 1994, Philips Electronics NV billed its energy-saving fluorescent bulbs as "EarthLight." But sales never impressed. In 2000, Philips repackaged the bulbs, ditching the environmental angle and emphasizing that they were convenient, seven-year life "Marathon" bulbs. Since then, sales have grown 12 percent each year. Marketers are just catching up with the reality that green, in and of itself, was never really a compelling selling point, says Jack Gordon of AcuPOLL Precision Research Inc. Increasingly marketers are playing down the green message and focusing on personal "wellness" and safety. Seventh Generation, a brand of natural household products, recently changed its slogan from "products for a healthy planet" to "safer for you and the environment." Some environmentalists blame waning demand for green products on confusion engendered by inconsistent eco-labeling, such as the "chasing arrows" recycling logo that appears on many items that can't be readily recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency's "Energy Star" labeling program has been considerably more successful, says green-marketing consultant Jacquelyn Ottman, because the EPA and industry tightly control which products can carry the logo, and the program pitches energy cost savings over the long haul. "Customers will pay the premium when the benefits justify the price," says Ms. Ottman. The Wall Street Journal, 6 Mar 2002, p B1, by Geoffrey A. Fowler.

SWEDISH HOUSING EXPO CALLED SUSTAINABLE CITY OF THE FUTURE
From May through September 2001, the city of Malmo held Sweden's first international housing exposition. Known as Bo01, which stands for "living 2001," the exposition was intended to exhibit ideas in sustainability, urban form, and landscape architecture, and then to assume its life as the core of a new community in Malmo. Billed as an ecologically sustainable city of tomorrow, the intention was to "demonstrate how intelligently utilized information technology, dignified welfare solutions, and pleasurable, sensible beauty can make the sustainable city so attractive that it will be chosen in our time." Bo01 included the permanent construction of housing and open spaces, temporary exposition buildings, and a garden exposition. Renewable energy from wind, solar power, and biogas heat and power the neighborhood. Surface water drains off in open gutters and miniature canals in alleyways before reaching a saltwater canal. Automobiles have only limited access, with pedestrians and cyclists having priority. In the courtyards between residential structures, landscape designs were encouraged that benefit biodiversity, such as planting beds, nesting boxes, bat boxes, wildflower plantings, impermeable areas, stormwater collection and green roofs. The temporary expositions have closed, and the permanent components are still under construction, so it is difficult to fully evaluate the area as living space. Landscape Architecture, Mar 2002, p 78, by Kenneth Helphand. [Full text: http://www.asla.org/nonmembers/lam/lamarticles02/march02/malmo.html ]

BUILDING CODES CAN BE BARRIER TO GREEN BUILDING, SURVEY SHOWS
The results of a survey by the Development Center for Appropriate Technology about the effect of building codes on green building practices confirm what many practitioners already know: building codes can be a barrier to the use of alternative building materials and methods. A report, "Breaking Down Barriers: Challenges and Solutions to Code Approval of Green Building," provides detailed results of the survey, analyses of the reasons for rejection by code officials, and strategies for success. Of the code users surveyed, 65 percent said that they have chosen not to include a green alternative because they expected it wouldn't be approved. Download the report: http://www.dcat.net. Environmental Building News, Feb 2002, p 8.

TWO COMPANIES HEAD-TO-HEAD IN U.S. MARKET FOR NO-FLUSH URINALS
No-flush urinals available in the United States from two companies, Falcon Waterfree Technologies and Waterless Company, operate on the same basic principle: a layer of lighter-than-water fluid floats on top of the urine in a trap, while added urine runs through this layer and down the drain. The main difference between the two products is the trap design. In Waterless' urinals, urine takes a relatively direct path taken through the trap, and some liquid sealant washes down the drain with each use. In the Falcon Waterfree design, a more circuitous route through the trap and a horizontal barrier keep the liquid seal from washing out. The Falcon units are significantly less expensive, but their traps are more complex and cost much more. Falcon is developing a trap with a built-in LED warning system that illuminates after too many uses or when the outflow gets too slow. Due to their less expensive traps, Waterless' urinals are less expensive to own over time, especially in areas with heavy usage. With proper attention, the maintenance requirements for both are minimal compared with keeping flush mechanisms operational and leak-free. Both no-flush units are extremely cost effective compared to conventional urinals. More: Falcon Waterfree Technologies: http://www.falconwaterfree.com; Waterless Company: http://www.waterless.com. [Full text: http://www.buildinggreen.com/products/falcon.html ] Environmental Building News, Feb 2002, p 10, by Nadav Malin.

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