GreenClips.257 02.02.05 GREEN BUILDINGS MAKE WSJ's TOP 10 TRENDS IN 10 INDUSTRIES According to the Wall Street Journal, the most talked about topic in the architecture universe is how to reduce the environmental impact of everything from summer cottages to skyscrapers. Here are five examples of how this trend is playing out: 1) Easier to be Green: Green building is proving itself a potent trend, and high energy prices should continue developer's thirst for frugal digs. A huge challenge will be to get home building into the fold. 2) Material Matters: New materials are fueling the environmental building revolution. Examples include see-through concrete and SmartWrap, a transparent building membrane that adjusts its properties to changes in light and temperature. 3) Race to the Top: Only one thing is in doubt about the next generation of skyscrapers: which will be the tallest? 4) China, China, China: An architect's dream come true, China's red-hot strong economy is igniting a building bonanza, giving designers a chance to experiment with whole communities from scratch. 5) Cars vs. No Cars: The rapid spread of suburban-style sprawl isn't slowing. Yet there's a parallel movement of dwellers into more pedestrian-friendly communities closer to downtowns. More and more people are willing to pay extra for well-designed mixed-used neighborhoods. The Wall Street Journal, 31 Jan 05, p R5, by Alex Frangos. SALVAGING SLATE AND CLAY TILE ROOFING High-quality slate or clay tile may last for more than a century, often longer than the underlayment flashings, and is easily removed from roofs for salvage or reuse. As an added benefit, its possible to use the original nail holes and easily reinstall the tile without cutting or modification. For both slate and clay roofing tile, questions of residual durability (i.e., remaining service life) are often paramount in deciding whether to reuse the salvaged materials. Two tests can help assess the anticipated durability of salvaged versus new materials, and help the owner or architect make informed decisions about whether to reuse or replace existing slate or clay tile. Laboratory testing in accordance with ASTM C 406, Standard Specification for Roofing Slate, and ASTM C 1167, Standard Specification for Clay Roof Tiles, should be specified. ASTM C 406 includes three separate tests for slate: absorption, flexural strength, and depth of softening. ASTM C 1167 tests flexural strength, along with absorption in conduction with saturation coefficient. In addition to laboratory testing, existing or salvaged slate/tile should be assessed by visual examination and general track record. Slate and tile with hairline cracks or internal defects will make a dull thud - rather than a ringing noise when held loosely at the corner and rapped with a knuckle or a wood handle. The installer should ring every slate/tile prior to installation and promptly discard or remove any failing materials. The Construction Specifier, Jan 05, p 57, by Mark D. Webster and Matthew B. Bronski. TEXAS MED CENTER'S NEW BUILDING BOASTS ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN The tug-of-war between good architecture and the bottom line makes the new University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing and Student Community Center special. The $58 million structure, which opened to classes in August, is visually appealing and friendly to the environment and the students who use it. San Antonio's Lake/Flato Architects took the lead in designing the exterior, composed almost entirely of recycled materials. Bricks from a 19th-century warehouse in San Antonio, wood siding made of sinker cypress hauled from the bottom of the Mississippi River, panels of recycled aluminum and columns made of Flyash fit together like a giant Erector set. Inverted L-shaped steel rods on the roof, which are intended to one day hold a photovoltaic system providing solar energy, lend a sculptural feeling to the building and add a playful note to the neighborhood. BNIM Architects concentrated on interior design, and here the building shines. Natural light floods the front of the building, via thousands of tiny holes in the corrugated metal. The core of the building gets a lot of natural light, thanks to two large atriums. Adjustable louvers, tensile fabric and heat sensors on the windows gauge how much light to let into the building, helping control heating and air-conditioning costs. Rainwater is captured in five 25,000-gallon tanks on the roof and is used in toilets and for irrigating the surrounding landscape. However, some have complained of toilets that spout water on users and sinks whose water never warms up. Houston Chronicle, 8 Jan 05, by Clifford Pugh [More: www.lakeflato.com, www.bnim.com] EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN: A CARNEGIE MELLON PERSPECTIVE The importance of improving the environmental performance of buildings and communities, as well as pursuing new levels of environmental innovation, places demands on the departments of architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture and urban design. Three curricular components are key to the development of the systems thinking critical to innovations in environmental performance: 1) building physics curriculum for total building performance fully linked to design; 2) systems integration curriculum merging design disciplines; and 3) curriculum on innovations in the building delivery process. In both undergraduate and graduate curriculum at Carnegie Mellon University, systems integration for total building performance is fully integrated into the studio environment, with studios focused on materials and assembly, structures, site, systems integration, and design in the urban context. The Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium is supporting Carnegie Mellon University's Building Investment Decision Support tool (BIDS) that uses international case studies and life-cycle calculations to reveal the critical importance of multidisciplinary decision making to ensure high-performance buildings for improved productivity and health. Carnegie Mellon isn't alone. With emerging leadership on the federal level and the ongoing efforts of the Society for Building Science Educators, the undergraduate and graduate curriculum of at least 10% of the schools of architecture in the U.S. have strengthened their curriculum towards ensuring creative, high-performance buildings that support individual comfort, health and productivity, organizational and technological flexibility, and environmental sustainability throughout the life cycle of all materials, components and systems. Building Research & Information, Mar-Apr 05, p 196, by Vivian Loftness, Khee Poh Lam and Volker Hartkopf [More: http://www.arc.cmu.edu/cmu/index.jsp] A SNAPSHOT OF PREFERRED LEED MEASURES Using statistics released by the USGBC in May 2004, one can understand the frequency with which different green building measures are used in LEED projects. Based on the first 84 LEED-certified projects, the percentage use of measures can be divided into three categories: 1) Highly likely to be used (67% or more of projects), including low VOC paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants; low VOC carpeting; and 10% or more recycled-content materials. 2) Somewhat likely to be used (33 to 66% of projects), including alternative fuel vehicles (i.e. hybrids, natural gas, electric); bioswales, detention/retention ponds, and rainwater reclamation systems; and green roofs. 3) Unlikely to be used (less than 30% of projects), including solar PVs; Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood products; and operable windows. The Construction Specifier, Jan 05, p 49, by Jerry Yudelson. [More: jerry_y@ieice.com] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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; 20 million square feet recycled to date. CALIFORNIA INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD Attend the 6th Annual Environmentally Preferable and Recycled Product Trade Show April 6-7, 2005 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California. Learn about sustainable building and design, and purchasing recycled-content and environmentally preferable products and services. Workshops include Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Green Lodging. This year's show also highlights transportation products and services. Admission is FREE, register now! More: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/buyrecycled/Events/TradeShow/. 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