GreenClips

Issue No. 274 | Oct 12, 2005

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STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES OF ECOLOGICAL DESIGN IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Despite growing interest, rhetoric, and research on ecological design in landscape architecture, practitioners in the U.S. are not implementing as many ecological design strategies as might be expected. To better understand this phenomenon, The Green Building Practice Survey (GBPS) was carried out among landscape architects practicing varying degrees of ecological design to determine: 1) the frequency of use of common ecological design landscape strategies; 2) obstacles and challenges that contribute to non-use; 3) significant characteristics of the firms; and 4) methods of project delivery. Phase I of the GBPS, an online survey undertaken in association with the American Society of Landscape Architects, measured ecological design strategy use, identified unique characteristics of U.S. ecological design practice in landscape architecture, and quantitatively revealed many challenges and constraints that practitioners face as they try to implement strategies. The study revealed high-frequency use of native plants, local materials, and site protection strategies; while use of green roofs, on-site wastewater treatment and material life-cycle analysis was quite low among the respondents. Commonly cited challenges were: cost; lack of information, testing, and data on performance of strategies; time available for research; and resistance by project stakeholders, other consultants, and code officials. The results of this study highlight a strong need for research demonstrating the economic and performance advantages of ecological design; better information dissemination forums for practitioners; and marketing and education efforts directed to all project stakeholders.
Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol 73, p 29, by Meg Calkins.

ARE BIGGER HOUSES GOING OUT OF STYLE?

After more than 30 years of steady increase, the size of the typical American house appears to be leveling off, according to statistics gathered by the Census Bureau. And studies suggest that consumers are thinking less about space and more about "bells and whistles." In a 2004 survey, the National Association of Home Builders asked homeowners: "For the same amount of money, which would you choose: a bigger house with fewer amenities, or a smaller house with high quality products and amenities?" Only 37 percent of the 2,900 randomly selected respondents wanted the bigger house; 63 percent said they would prefer the smaller house with more amenities. When the association asked the same question in 2000, the results were sharply different: 51 percent said they wanted the bigger house; 49 percent opted for the smaller-but-better house. Across the country, developers say they are seeing signs of this shift. "More and more people who come in are willing to talk about less space," said Catherine Horsey, a vice president of Urban Edge Developers in Dallas. There are many reasons the appeal of bigger houses may be waning. First, there is the high cost of maintaining them. Then there is the cost of furnishing the houses in a style appropriate to their dimensions. It's also possible that Americans have attained all the space they need. Public perception of big houses may help explain the shift. Owners of oversized homes are routinely portrayed as architectural yahoos whose "plywood palazzos" leave neighboring buildings in shadow.

The New York Times, 2 Oct 05, by Fred A. Bernstein.

SUPREME COURT ACCEPTS CASES CHALLENGING WETLANDS PROTECTION

The Supreme Court accepted two cases on the federal regulation of wetlands. The Michigan cases challenge regulators' definition of federally protected wetlands under the Clean Water Act and the Constitution. The question is whether the federal government is properly asserting jurisdiction over wetlands that may be part of a drainage area or tributary system but do not actually abut the "navigable waters" to which the Clean Water Act refers. If the government's view of its power under the statute is correct, the landowners argue, then Congress has exceeded its authority and the Clean Water Act, in this application, is unconstitutional. In Rapanos v. United States, John Rapanos is appealing a civil case in which he faces millions of dollars in fines. His properties do not abut or drain directly into navigable waterways; they are up to 20 miles away. Two parcels are in the Lake Huron drainage system, a third runs off through a drain into a navigable river, the Tittabawassee. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, found that the properties fit the definition of wetlands because they were "interconnected with traditional navigable waters." Mr. Rapanos is arguing that "the Constitution prohibits the federal government from regulating noneconomic intrastate activities like the filling of remote, nonnavigable, intrastate wetlands." In Carabell v. United States Engineers, the property owners sought a permit under the Clean Water Act to build a condominium complex on 19 acres of largely forested wetlands. They filed suit when the permit was denied, arguing that the property was not subject to federal jurisdiction. They maintained that an artificial berm that separated their property from a drainage ditch deprived their land of a "hydrological connection" with any navigable waterway. The Federal District Court in Detroit, as well as the Sixth Circuit, found that the property met the federal regulatory definition as "adjacent to tributaries of traditional navigable water."
The New York Times, 12 Oct 05, by Linda Greenhouse.

DEFINING THE WAYS TO "GET TO ZERO"

Despite the excitement over the phrase, we lack a common understanding of just what "zero-energy" means. And despite proclaimed achievability, few if any buildings can demonstrate that they in fact use zero-energy as defined by most practitioners. Zero-energy can be defined in several ways. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have analyzed the policy and design implications of four common definitions: 1) Zero-net-annual site energy. A building meeting the zero-net-annual site energy definition offsets any important energy by exporting an equal amount of site-derived energy, measured over the course of one year. 2) Zero-net-annual source energy. Zero-net-annual source energy is based on energy used offsite to generate and transport the energy that is used at the building. On average in the U.S., it takes just over three units of fuel for a power plant to deliver each unit of electricity and about 1.1 units of fuel to deliver each unit of natural gas. 3) Zero-net-annual energy cost. As electric utilities are increasingly being required to purchase excess energy generated by end-users through net-metering agreements, the possibility of a zero-energy-cost building emerges. 4) Zero-net-annual emissions. A zero-emissions building offsets emissions equivalent to the amount emitted through the source energy that powers the building. This definition if often limited to greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental Building News Oct 05, p 1, by Nadav Malin and Jessica Boehland.

Full text: www.buildinggreen.com

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