GreenClips.69 04.09.97 YEANG'S BIOCLIMATIC SKYSCRAPERS Through the Pacific Rim's decade-long building boom, Malaysian architect Kenneth Yeang's bioclimatic designs have challenged the assumption that skyscrapers must be completely sealed and air-conditioned. Yeang's not suggesting that high-rises be without air conditioning, but his designs like the 36-floor Armoury Tower in Shanghai temper the need for it. The tower has a double-skin facade with movable horizontal louvers. In summer the louvered facade allows natural ventilation through open windows in the inner skin. In winter the louvers close and the cavity becomes an insulating cushion of air. A prolific, influential writer and theorist, Yeang's latest book The Skyscraper Bioclimatically Considered is a design primer built on theories from his 1995 book Designing with Nature, essentially his early 1970s Cambridge doctoral thesis. — Architects' Journal, 13 March 1997, p. 28, by Ivor Richards, and The Architectural Review, March 1997, p.76, by Peter Davey. DOE LABELS TO COOL HEAT ISLANDS The US Department of Energy will introduce two new product labels to help cool "heat islands". Warm air blowing over sun-baked roofs and pavement in dense urban areas creates uncomfortable heat islands that increase air conditioning bills and accelerate smog formation. Together with planting more trees, lightening roof and pavement colors could drop the average summer afternoon temperature in the Los Angeles heat island by five degrees F, cutting air conditioning 18 percent and significantly lowering smog levels. Working with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the DOE has developed a "solar reflectance index" label and an Energy Star label for roofing materials. To appear on all roofing materials, the solar reflective index is a quantitative product label like the familiar yellow Energy Guides found on appliances. The new roofing Energy Star label will appear on only the coolest third of products on the market, resembling the Energy Stars already on computers and other efficient products. — Technology Review, February/March 1997, p. 54, by Arthur H. Rosenfeld, Joseph J. Romm, Hashem Akbari, and Alan C. Lloyd. PUTTING GREEN New golf courses carve fairways out of forests, move millions of cubic yards of seaside sand dunes, and guzzle desert water for thirsty Bermuda grass. "What was once accepted as a benign form of open space is under attack for its impacts on water quality, wildlife habitat, and land use," explains Paul Parker of the Center for Resource Management. But a few courses are environmentally up to par. Boardwalks at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Squaw Valley, California, have carried golfers over marsh and meadow areas since its opening in 1992. The Robert Trent Jones jr. firm that designed it restored acres of native grasses and enhanced natural filtration ponds that feed Squaw Creek. Audubon International has certified Squaw Creek as a "Cooperative Sanctuary" under its program that recognizes environmentally compatible golf courses. And golf architect Michael Hurdzan has reclaimed an abandoned gravel quarry in Scituate, Massachusetts for a public course called Widow's Walk. Long void of vegetation and wildlife and an eyesore of dirt bike trails and illegally dumped home appliances and tires, the new course will be ready for play this summer. Hurdzan's experimenting with drought-resistant fescue grasses and with three types of putting green construction, each rigged with computer monitors to measure soil temperature, moisture, and fertility. Hurdzan hopes the entire industry will use the data that these and other tests of maintenance practices generate. — Smithsonian, April 1997, p. 56, by Jay Stuller. WASHINGTON POST EXAMINES REGION'S SPRAWL A three-part Washington Post series on the capital region's urban sprawl examines green space lost to development and efforts to preserve it. Part 1 — Every day the Washington, DC region loses 28 acres of open land to residential, commercial, or industrial use. Although residents disagree about whether this is good or bad, the disappearance of green space is altering the quality and texture of their lives and the area's distinctive appearance. Part 2 — On the region's western flank, Loudoun County, is the area's fastest growing jurisdiction. Virginia landowners have long had free rein, but collisions between developers and preservationists here reveal conflicting values. Part 3 — No urban county in the nation has legally preserved more green space than Montgomery County where an aggressive but little-noticed program mirrors Maryland's efforts to channel suburban sprawl. But development threatens the county's cherished reserve nonetheless. — Washington Post, March 23, 24, and 25,1997, by Glenn Frankel and Stephen C. Fehr. REI'S RETAIL ENVIRONMENT Recreational Equipment Inc.'s new flagship store in Seattle reflects the cooperative's environmental goals. Mithun Partners designed the 98,860 square-foot, $30 million building. About 75 percent of the demolition debris was reused in the new building, recycled, or sold for salvage. Other environmentally friendly measures like leaving steel unpainted and choosing industrial-grade engineered-wood beams from second-growth forests matched REI's desire for simplicity. The success of its energy conservation program has qualified REI's building for several Washington state rebates. Most retailers opt for a one-degree variance, but to use less energy REI allows the interior temperature to vary as much as five degrees throughout the store. And the design uses a stack effect to draw excess heat out of the top of the building. Both techniques allowed a lower-capacity HVAC system. The store's clerestory windows are clear glass instead of low-emissivity glass to help with morning warm up. Shades cut heat gain on sunny days. — Architectural Record, March 1997, p. 94, by Douglas Gantenbein. DIGITAL CATALOG OF RECYCLED-CONTENT MATERIALS EcoLiving International of Oakland, California has produced the EcoLiving Sourcebook, an electronic guide to recycled-content building materials. The Sourcebook profiles over 400 products with information on product content, dimensions, physical properties, and industry testing data. The PC version includes pictures of many products. The Macintosh version lists their "eco-benefits". The Alameda County Recycling Board provided initial funding for the Sourcebook and offers it directly. For more information email acwma@stopwaste.org. — Resource Recycling, March 1997, p. 53, and an Alameda County Waste Management Authority press release.