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STUDY QUANTIFIES STORMWATER BENEFITS OF GREEN ROOFS

The Penn State Center for Green Roof Research has been conducting studies of extensive green roof systems. One of the first studies is part of a master's thesis project by Julia DeNardo Hunt. Her research quantified the importance of green roofs in reducing stormwater runoff. According to Dr. Albert Jarrett, DeNardo's major advisor and a Penn State professor of Agricultural Engineering, "The benefits of green roofs in attenuating stormwater runoff are largest if one looks at four things: 1) runoff volume reduction, 2) peak runoff rate-reducing, 3) overall runoff delay, and 4) peak runoff delay in these systems." Key findings from DeNardo's study were: 1) green roofs retained on average 6.5 mm (.26 in) or approximately 45 percent of local rainfall during the period of study (two months), 2) peak runoff rates averaged 2.4 mm/hr (.09 in/hr) or 56 percent of the peak rainfall intensity, and 3) runoff from green roofs was delayed an average of 5.7 hours. Other studies have followed and helped answer other critical research questions. Center Director Dr. Robert Berghage and Dr. David Beattie, associate professor of Horticulture, were interested in media depths and how different green roof plants might respond in these systems with varying drought situations. Last September, the Center received additional funding from American Hydrotech that has enabled the Center to effectively double its data gathering capacity.
BioCycle, Mar 06, p 37, by Drew Mather.

POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION SHOWS ENCOURAGING RESULTS

The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CGBC) conducted a post-occupancy evaluation of 11 of the region's 31 LEED certified buildings that had been occupied for at least one year as of September 2005. Much of the POE focused on the buildings' energy performance. Analyzing information obtained from building owners, CGBC found that six of the ten buildings with design-phase energy modeling used less energy than those models predicted, by an average of 30%. While the buildings' energy efficiency has been encouraging, their water efficiency has, for the most part, been disappointing. Of the seven buildings with design projections, six used more water than expected, by an average of 33%. The study also included a survey to determine occupant satisfaction with a range of building qualities. Users reported being somewhat dissatisfied with acoustics, but were satisfied or very satisfied with all other indicators. After "building overall" and "work space overall," the most positive scores went to light level, air quality and visual comfort.

ROSS LOVEGROVE CHALLENGES THE CONCEPT OF DESIGN-AS-USUAL

British designer Ross Lovegrove, who sometimes calls himself "Captain Organic," is famous for his rounded shapes that push technology and materials. His friend, Greg Lynn, describes him as the high priest of material innovation who looks for interesting ways to manufacture things. Lovegrove's System X modular lighting, which he designed for Yamagiwa, is composed of bent fluorescent tubes that can be configured into nearly any grid shape to fit in larger spaces. His goal was to reinvent fluorescent lighting—to make something that fit with contemporary architecture and uses less energy. Lovegrove is a challenger who believes in tackling societal problems head-on. "I don't get out of bed and go, 'Oh, I'd love to design a fax machine or another Anglepoise lamp,'" he says. Instead, he has designed a solar-powered concept car—in keeping for a designer who made his own windmill as a teenager. The design looks like an Apple mouse on wheels. "Not this aggressive Hummer-type language," he says of the rounded design with LEDs bonded directly to the windshield, thin natural rubber tires, and mesh seats. It diverges completely from almost anything we'd call car. "We're not going to get rid of cars. But in terms of design, they should not be such a problem," he says. Lovegrove is working on a 100-piece bathroom design for Turkish company VitrA. The project includes a one-piece freestanding washbasin that factory officials initially thought was impossible to manufacture. Some say his most mysterious quality is how he can magically convince companies to make his designs. Lovegrove has won countless design awards, recently receiving the World Technology Award for Design.
Metropolis, May 06, p 146, by Jennifer Kabat.

PBS TO AIR NEW TV SERIES, BUILDING GREEN

The first of its kind to hit television, Building Green is a new home improvement program that will cover every phase of sustainable construction. Produced by Kevin Contreras and Michael Mattioli, of Special Finish Films, the television series is coming to PBS this spring. It spends its first season following the building of a state-of-the-art straw bale home in Santa Barbara, Calif. Hosted by Contreras, the series explores green building from all angles, sharing information and showing lots of in depth, "how-to" approaches for building greener homes.
Canadian Architect, Mar 06, p 14

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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. Email or call for more information: chrishammer@greenclips.com; 415.928.7941. GreenClips is edited by Susan Vogt, a Portland, Oregon freelance writer with 25 years of experience in energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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