GreenClips.240 05.12.04 DEVELOPERS DIVIDED ABOUT GREENING AFFORDABLE HOUSING Green design is making its way into affordable housing projects, but some developers still don't think the green measures are worth it. "If the developer is not going to live there or benefit from the lowered operating costs, then sometimes it is harder to persuade them to make the investment," said Peter R. Smith, president of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which pays developers $500 for each affordable unit to install high-efficiency appliances. Many government agencies offer subsidies to developers who install energy-saving measures. Illinois pays $600 to $2,500 a unit for energy-saving insulation, heating and double-paned windows. New Jersey offers builders up to $7,500. Although these subsidies have existed for six years, only 5 percent of all affordable housing built in this period included green features, according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. But some developers believe the benefits to their community outweigh the costs. In Harlem, Carlton Brown is building 93 subsidized condominiums with geothermal heating and cooling wells and high-efficiency appliances, which he predicts will save residents about $1,000 a year. He is also installing air filters on ducts and kitchen cupboards that don't emit volatile organic compounds, which the Environmental Protection Agency has warned can exacerbate conditions like asthma. The New York Times, 6 May 2004, p D1, by Motoko Rich. AIA ANNOUNCES 2004 TOP TEN GREEN PROJECTS The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected this year's Top Ten Green Projects from among an especially strong pool of submissions. Winners are: City of White Rock Operations Building in White Rock, British Columbia, designed by Busby + Associates Architects; Factor 10 House, a single-family residence in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis; Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner, with Next Phase Studios and House Robertson Architects; The Gilman Ordway Building at Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, by William McDonough + Partners; Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, by Cybul and Cybul Architects; Herman Miller Building C1 in Zeeland, Michigan, by Krueck & Sexton Architects; Lake View Terrace Library in Lake View Terrace, California, by Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers; Pierce County Environmental Services Building in University Place, Washington, by Miller|Hull Partnership; The Plaza at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, by Robert A.M. Stern Architects; and The Solaire at 20 River Terrace in New York, New York, by Cesar Pelli & Associates. More: http://www.aiatopten.org/hpb Environmental Building News, May 2004, p 10. AGRI-FIBER PANEL MANUFACTURER SHARES PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT LESSONS In late 2005, California Agriboard, LLC (CalAg) is scheduled to begin production of a new medium-density fiberboard (MDF) at a facility now under development in Willows, California. Whereas other North American MDF mills use wood fiber as their main raw material, CalAg will use rice straw -- an agricultural waste product -- as its feedstock. In the past five years, a number of small agri-fiber panel facilities have been built in the United States and Canada, most of which have failed and are now closed. CalAg studied these operations to learn from their mistakes. CalAg's philosophy is that their product must compete in terms of quality and price with existing "nongreen" products. Only when the cost and performance of biobased materials are equivalent to competing products does "green" become a marketing advantage for the producer. The company believes that the LEED Rating System provides the most successful channel for promoting green materials; CalAg MDF will help projects earn LEED points because it is an annually renewable fiber and because it contains no added urea formaldehyde. CalAg cautions other potential manufacturers of biobased products that having access to a large supply of low-cost biomaterials isn't enough to ensure success; there must be clear market need and market demand. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 7, No. 3-4, p 205, by Brian J. McLeod. [Download article for free from special issue on biobased products: http://mitpress.mit.edu/item.asp?ttype=6&tid=12247&mlid=279] FACILITY MANAGERS: SELECTING WINDOW FILM TO REDUCE HEAT GAIN For existing buildings experiencing problems from heat gain through windows, applying window film is a preferable -- and less expensive -- solution compared to replacing the glass or the entire window. Clear spectrally selective applied film outperforms conventional dark and reflective applied film. Most conventional film lets in less than 58 percent of visible light, while transmitting more than 65 percent of solar energy, giving it an unacceptable shading coefficient of more than 0.70. Reflective film, with a shading coefficient as low as 0.51, blocks more heat, but transmits as little as 15 percent of visible light. Spectrally selective film, on the other hand, transmits 70 percent of visible light, while blocking heat equivalent to the darkest films. Both conventional and spectrally selective films can be applied to single-pane and insulating fixed glass windows and doors. Applied window film properly installed on insulating glass does not cause seal failure. The best applied films require no special care and can be cleaned with soap and water (don't use abrasives). The price of dark, tinted and reflective window film ranges from $4 to $6 per installed square foot, while the best spectrally selective applied window film ranges from $9 to $12 per installed square foot. Facility Management Journal, May-June 2004, p 30, by Marty Watts. DOW'S CORN-BASED FIBER USED BY INTERFACE-FLOR FOR CARPET TILE In 2002, Cargill Dow LLC began manufacturing NatureWorks PLA, a family of commercial-grade plastic resins derived from corn. PLA is now shipped around the globe for use in producing food and nonfood packaging, disposable cups and utensils, comforters, pillows, carpet tiles, apparel and more. The solvent-free process for making PLA ensures that there are no hormone disrupters, an emerging issue at the center of health concerns related to plastics. NatureWorks PLA is compostable in municipal and industrial facilities and can theoretically be recycled, assuming a collection infrastructure is developed. Ingeo, a new fiber made from PLA, can be used in a range of fiberfill, knitted and woven fabrics, as well as nonwoven applications, including bedding, carpet tiles, upholstery, and interior and outdoor furnishings. Interface-FLOR uses Ingeo to make their Spring Planting line of carpet tiles. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 7, No. 3-4, p 209, by Patrick R. Gruber [Download articles for free from special issue on biobased products: http://mitpress.mit.edu/item.asp?ttype=6&tid=12248&mlid=279; more about InterfaceFlor: http://www.interfaceflor.com] PREFAB HOME UNITES MODERNIST, ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN WITH AFFORDABILITY This weekend (May 15-16), at Sunset magazine's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, visitors can walk through a factory-built house designed to be ultra simple, modern and green. Designed by architect Michelle Kaufmann, the 1,344-square-foot home, called the Glidehouse, includes a long great room with a kitchen, an eating area and a living room, as well as two bedrooms and two baths. Kaufman used standard green products such as bamboo flooring and more unusual ones like concrete countertops mixed with recycled paper and fly ash, a coal-waste product. High clerestory windows reduce the need for daytime electricity and provide natural ventilation and temperature control. The metal Galvalume roof can easily accommodate solar panels. For Kaufmann, a good house is a key ingredient to building a better world -- and maybe even a booming business. When friends started expressing interest in her initial design for a modest, environmentally friendly home, she took their requests to heart and turned her design into one for a mass-produced prefab. Eventually, Kaufmann convinced two Canadian manufacturers -- Royal Homes and Britco -- to partner with her to produce the Glidehouse. Six models are available, from an $81,000 one-bedroom bungalow to a three-bedroom, two-story city house priced in the low $200,000s. The factory-built Glidehouses average about $110 per square foot, plus $8-$20 per square foot for site preparation. San Francisco Chronicle, 11 May 2004, by Carol Lloyd. [More: http://www.glidehouse.com; http://www.sunset.com/sunset/web/features/Glide0504/Glidehouse0504.html] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: ARMSTRONG CEILING SYSTEMS http://www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article10790.html Armstrong offers an expanding portfolio of sustainable ceiling products. Through the Ceiling Recycling Program, an industry first and only one of its kind, old tiles are shipped to an Armstrong plant, not a landfill; 17 million square feet recycled to date. BUILDINGGREEN, INC. Build Your Expertise with BuildingGreen Suite, a revolutionary green building tool from the people who bring you Environmental Building News. Clear, powerful information presented online - at your fingertips. More information at http://www.BuildingGreen.com/go/suite 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. 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, author of "Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes for a Healthier Planet" (http://www.goodgreenhomes.com). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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.greenclips.com (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 2003 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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .