GreenClips.190 04.24.02 SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE PIONEER WINS PRITZKER PRIZE Glenn Murcutt of Australia has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize for 2002, which carries a $100,000 grant. Mr. Murcutt is best known as a pioneer in sustainable architecture. His selection by the Pritzker jury can be seen as an acknowledgment that sustainability now overrides aesthetic criteria in the urbanizing world. Mr. Murcutt works alone, designing modest environmentally conscious homes inspired by farm sheds and Aboriginal structures. He refuses to work outside Australia, insisting that the best architecture comes from an intimate understanding of culture, climate and environment. While most of his projects are private houses, his public works include a local history museum and an education center in New South Wales and a national park visitors center in the Northern Territory. The New York Times, 15 Apr 2002, p B3, by Herbert Muschamp, and The New York Times, 25 Apr 2002, p D1, by Jane Perlez. MASSACHUSSETTS ANNOUNCES GRANTS PROGRAM FOR GREEN BUILDINGS The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has launched their $14.6 million "Green Buildings Program" that will provide grants for projects throughout the state. The program includes two components: the Green Schools Initiative (in cooperation with the Department of Education) and the Green Buildings Initiative for commercial and institutional projects. Grants of up to $500,000 per project will be awarded for feasibility studies, design and construction assistance, and public awareness and education. Funding comes from the $150 million Renewable Energy Trust established by the State Legislature in 1998. More: http://www.mtpc.org Environmental Building News, Apr 2002, p 5. L.A. COMMUNITY COLLEGES ADOPT GREEN BUILDING PLAN The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) board of trustees adopted a sustainable building plan in early March to incorporate energy-saving and environmentally friendly features into its new buildings. A year ago, Los Angeles voters approved the $1.2 billion Proposition A bond measure that will fund new construction and renovation at each of LACCD's nine campuses. Some 50 to 60 new LACCD buildings are planned over the next decade. Under the sustainable building plan, new structures with more than 7,500 square feet and that are more than 50 percent funded by Proposition A would be required to incorporate green building practices advocated by the US Green Building Council's LEED rating system. LACCD's board of trustees worked with the local community and environmental organizations like the Sierra Club and Global Green as they developed their plan. Implementing LEED-certified standards for its new buildings will add an estimated $3 to $5 million in construction costs for each of the nine campuses. Architectural Record, Apr 2002, p 26, by Deborah Snoonian. INTEGRATED LIGHTING CONTROL TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS Lutron Electronics Co. has introduced a new web-based lighting control technology for commercial buildings called Digital microWATT, which both gathers and analyzes data and communicates with other building systems to help ensure the most efficient lighting environment possible. This new integrated lighting automation technology addresses five lighting-related needs: employee comfort, space flexibility, personal security, fire and life safety, and operational efficiency. The system consists of three main components: lighting zone controllers, a server that collects data, and router panels that allow communication between the server and the controllers. It provides automated on/off light switching and full-range dimming capability, precise real-time monitoring of a building's entire lighting system and load shedding for peak energy demand reduction. The system can automatically turn on office lights when someone walks into a room, monitor overall usage and life expectancy of individual light bulbs, and automate lights through locally stationed PCs or remotely through the Internet. In addition, integrated lighting automation allows numerous devices -- like lighting, HVAC, life safety, card access and security systems -- to share and communicate information, thereby reducing duplication of effort, increasing accuracy and efficiency, and reducing initial costs associated with the installation of multiple devices. Environmental Design + Construction, Mar-Apr 2002, by William Sandoval. [Full text: http://www.edcmag.com ; manufacturer info: http://www.lutron.com/digitalmicrowatt ] RECYCLED DRINK CARTONS AND NEWSPAPERS IN COMMERCIAL FURNISHINGS Waste from drink cartons and newspapers is turning up in board products from two manufacturers. Tectan board, used for furniture and other products, is manufactured in Germany from pre- and post-consumer drink cartons. The cartons are sorted, shredded, heated, and cut into 5-mm particles. The material is then spread into sheets, compressed, heated, and pressed between two plates and a special foil. The polyethylene content in the shredded cartons melts, acting as a glue to bond the board and make it durable. The finished board, which is composed of 75 percent paper, 20 percent polyethylene, and 5 percent aluminum, can be used for furniture, exhibition displays, and other products. Meanwhile, Baltix manufactures corporate furniture using panels made from four varieties of environmentally friendly materials, including a wood-like material made with recycled newspapers and a formaldehyde-free soy-based resin. The panels are 1.5 times stronger than oak. Contract, Apr 2002, p 36, by Lisa Annunziato. [More: http://www.rhein-lahn-info.de/tectan/eng/ ; http://www.baltix.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 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 .......................... GREENCLIPS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! Twice a month GreenClips is distributed electronically to over 10,000 readers interested in sustainable building design. But we can't do it without the financial support of our sponsors and members. If you find GreenClips valuable, please consider becoming a sponsor or voluntary member. Email chrishammer@greenclips.com for details. 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 edited by Jennifer Roberts (jennifer@jenniferroberts.com), whose book on green home design will be published in 2003. 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://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/greenclips/visit.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. SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE To subscribe via e-mail send a blank message to subscribe-greenclips@listserv.energy.wsu.edu To unsubscribe via e-mail send a blank message to unsubscribe-greenclips@listserv.energy.wsu.edu .......................... Copyright 2002 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.