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LEARNING HOW BUILDINGS WORK

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) research usually focuses on business goals rather than design feedback. Some design consultancies are now establishing their own feedback mechanisms. Two that have been made public include: 1) The Probe studies in the UK were a unique collaboration between researchers, designers, government and publisher to undertake and publish POE studies of 16 commercial and institutional buildings. They addressed the efficient operation of buildings, generating valuable information about the success or otherwise of a variety of green building strategies, and how they cope with poorly performing buildings. 2) In Canada, Keen Engineering carried out POE surveys of seven green buildings in the Pacific Northwest using a web-based Occupancy Satisfaction Survey developed by the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California-Berkeley. Some key lessons about the technologies used in green buildings include: Energy consumption was consistently lower, saving 16 percent to 55 percent in energy costs compared to similar British Columbia buildings. Occupants preferred the indoor air quality in the green buildings compared to the benchmark group of buildings. Occupant satisfaction with lighting was consistently as high as or higher than the benchmark group. More education about green building features may increase occupant satisfaction. Even in well-designed buildings energy consumption depends on how the buildings are used and managed. Specific terms of tenant/owner lease agreements can impact energy consumption.
Canadian Architect, Sep 05, p 65, by Mark Gorgolewski.

SECOND SOLAR DECATHLON HELD ON NATIONAL MALL

Students from 18 schools in the U.S., Canada and Spain converged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in September to reconstruct the solar-powered homes that they had been designing and building on their own campuses over the past two years. Up to 200 points were awarded for the "architecture" of each home, or its attractiveness, and the degree to which the team integrated energy efficiency into the design. Up to 100 points were awarded for each of the following categories; Dwelling (livability and buildability), Documentation, Communications, Comfort Zone, Appliances, Hot Water, Lighting, Energy Balance and Getting Around (distance the home's electric vehicle could travel when charged off the home's power supply). Earning a grand total of 853.716 points, the University of Colorado won the 2005 overall competition for the second time running. Second and third places went to Cornell University and California Polytechnic State University, respectively, both of which also earned more than 800 points. Proposals for participation in the 2007 Solar Decathlon are due December 2.

REMAINING CIVANO DEVELOPMENT TAKES ON CONVENTIONAL CHARACTER

Hopes that the Civano development in southeast Tucson might continue to develop along new urban principles have now been pretty much extinguished. Pulte Homes, which took over the "environmentally sustainable" Arizona project from Fannie Mae, is using house designs and street layouts that disturb local advocates of New Urbanism. Although the first neighborhood in Civano was built largely along new urban lines before Pulte became involved in the project, the national homebuilder is giving a more conventional character to the rest of the development. Pulte is calling the new area Sierra Morado, rather than Civano. "Everybody from Civano is happy they're not calling it Civano," says Simmons Buntin, editor and publisher of Terrain.org, a Journal of the Built and Natural Environment and former head of Civano Neighbors, the homeowners association. Pulte acquired approximately 476 acres in the 880-acre development, and Civano Neighbors thought it had received assurances that the new neighborhoods would incorporate new urban ideas. Hector Martinez, planning administrator in Tuscon's Department of Urban Planning and Design, said a requirement for reclaimed-water systems in single-family houses has been eliminated in the new neighborhoods because it added $3,000 to $4,000 to the cost of each home. However, he said many of the energy efficiency requirements for which Civano was known will continue in the remainder of the development.
New Urban News, Oct/Nov 05, p 10.

THREE PRODUCTS THAT REDUCE, REUSE OR RECYCLE

1) Tiny Circus Glassworks, in New Mexico, offers recycled glass for a variety of purposes, including aggregate surfaces, mosaic, garden paths, fountains and water irrigation. All products are 100 percent recycled from consumer and plate glass. Tumbled glass varies in size from 1/4- to 1-inch pieces. 2) HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc. of Petaluma, California, produces Weather/TRAK, a weather-based, irrigation-control system for both residential and commercial applications that reduces the occurrence of overwatering by adjusting the irrigation schedule according to weather conditions and the needs of the landscape. Using data transmitted to satellites by a network of weather stations, HydroPoint calculates site-specific information down to a square kilometer. Weather-TRAK controllers then automatically adjust irrigation output as the weather changes, ensuring maximum water conservation, runoff reduction and landscape health. 3) The Rain Bird Corporation of Glendora, California has introduced the U-Series Nozzle, a plastic nozzle that produces spray from two orifices to form a continuous water stream that provides more uniform water distribution. The design decreases watering times by up to 30 percent.
Landscape Architecture, Nov 05, p 124.

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