GreenClips.210 02.26.03 REPORT CRITICIZES BUSH'S GLOBAL WARMING RESEARCH PLANS A panel of experts has strongly criticized the Bush administration's proposed research plan on the risks of global warming, saying that it lacks "a guiding vision, executable goals, clear timetables and criteria for measuring progress, an assessment of whether existing programs are capable of meeting these goals, explicit prioritization and a management plan. The panel of 17 experts, which was convened by the National Academy of Sciences at the administration's request, released its report on February 25. Senior administration officials said that the final plan, scheduled for release in April, would most likely reflect some of the panel's suggestions. The experts credited the administration for undertaking the effort in the first place. A broad government plan for climate research is required under a 1990 law, but was never completed during the previous Bush administration or in the Clinton administration. As a result, climate research has suffered. For example, American efforts to refine advanced computer models used to project the effects of rising greenhouse-gas concentrations have fallen behind those overseas. A particular concern among some on the panel was the plan's proposed focus on scientific questions that many experts say have been resolved. "Stuff that would have been cutting edge in 1980 is listed as a priority for the future," said Dr. William H. Schlesinger of Duke University. Download report: http://www.nas.edu. The New York Times, 26 Feb 2003, p A1, by Andrew C. Revkin. MORE BUILDING DESIGNERS TURN TO COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS As a result of advances in high-powered computing and improvements in commercial software, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is becoming a more valuable and practical design tool for analyzing building performance. CFD models are particularly useful for buoyancy-driven building designs, where stack effects or airflows are important in the ventilation design. CFD models can now be created in a matter of hours and solved overnight. The results provide comprehensive information on flow velocity, temperature, humidity and other variables. This can be used to predict occupant comfort levels within a building before construction has begun. A CFD study starts with a 3D CAD model of the building. The CFD program breaks down the model's air-filled space into hundreds of thousands of cells, each of which represents a point in space where all the variables of interest will be calculated. The user then specifies boundary conditions that describe variables such as flow rates at openings and heat sources from occupants and equipment. The program solves the equations of energy and fluid motion in each individual cell. The results provide an accurate and realistic virtual picture of the building designâs airflow and thermal performance. CFD technology has been successfully applied to a range of building applications, including atria, sports halls, data centers, offices and other commercial spaces. Building Services Journal, Feb 2003, p 45, by Daniel Burton and Steve McCormick. NEW SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN EMPHASIZE FLEXIBLE DESIGN In West Michigan, flexibility is the hallmark of today's new schools, including a $34.3 million secondary school in Forest Hills and a $47.7 million high school in West Ottawa. Classrooms are grouped together with moveable walls, and hallways, lecture halls and cafeterias all find multiple lives as study centers, neighborhood meeting spots and main entrances. At West Ottawa's new high school, a large-group instruction room will be used for distance learning, meetings -- even drama space until a performing arts center is built. The district, like others, is combining school and community functions. "Furniture flexibility is key," says David Zimmer, assistant superintendent of finance in West Ottawa. "We try to limit built-ins to only what's essential." Furniture on wheels is a big trend, most often on teacher desks. Forest Hills might take the idea further, putting wheels on bookshelves in its secondary school's media center. The shelves could be pushed aside for a lesson in Internet research, or a section on the history of Mexico could be wheeled into a social studies classroom. Forest Hills' media center floats as a room within the school's "great hall," which combines several functions as a main entrance, cybercafe and gathering spot. The Forest Hills district is also embracing green construction, and is seeking LEED certification for its two new schools. The Grand Rapids Press, 2 Feb 2003, by Melissa Slager. GREEN BUILDING TAKES HOLD IN HOUSTON Houston has been slow to join the green building movement, but over the next year several office buildings will showcase the benefits of sustainable design. SpawGlass Construction Corp.'s new headquarters is the first building in Houston to be certified under the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. At the University of Texas, a $64 million School of Nursing and Student Community Center will open in January with many green features, including an "eco roof" of plants to hold water and insulate the building, cylinders to catch and recycle rainwater and runoff from air-conditioning units, and photovoltaic cells to generate electricity. The American Heart Association is also going green, with a $4 million, 19,000-square-foot office building opening in June. "What we found intriguing was we could take our basic project and not go broke," says the Association's Adrienne Slaybaugh. "We incurred some minor extra costs, but felt it would pay off in the long run." Larger office buildings have been slower to go green. Most high-rises don't qualify for LEED certification because the developer usually doesn't control what a tenant uses to build out a space. Jerry Lea of Hines Interests, a Houston-based international real estate development company, has been working with the USGBC to devise a LEED certification for such high-rises. Until recently, Hines has not touted the environmentally friendly features of its skyscrapers, but with the leasing market becoming more competitive, Hines executives believe green features will be more important. Houston Chronicle, 14 Feb 2003, by Clifford Pugh. MCDONALD'S INTRODUCES HFC-FREE RESTAURANT IN DENMARK McDonald's Denmark recently opened the world's first HFC-free fast-food restaurant, part of an initiative to reduce the company's climate impacts. This McDonald's is equipped with refrigeration and ventilation systems using refrigerants that do not contain freon or hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The project began two years ago following an international "Refrigeration Summit" hosted by McDonald's, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. McDonald's will analyze the pilot program's impacts on energy consumption, safety, performance and cost, and will use the findings to determine future applications. The Green Business Letter, Feb 2003, p 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: BUILDINGGREEN, INC. Providing authoritative, unbiased information to help you improve the environmental performance of buildings and the surrounding landscapes. Now featuring the new, updated 3rd edition of GreenSpec Directory with more than 1650 listings of green building products. 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