—one in Austin, the other in McKinney (north of Dallas). Grant funding from the State Energy Conservation Office of the General Services Commission is providing sustainability teams to work with the architects and engineers. The Austin sustainability team is led by Bob Berkebile of BNIM Architects (Kansas City, Mo.) and includes Pliny Fisk and Gail Vittori of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems. The McKinney team is led by Mike Nicklas and Gary Bailey of Innovative Design (Raleigh, N.C.). The McKinney team also includes mechanical engineer Harshad Padia and

EBN editor Nadav Malin.

Newsbriefs

Eminent green architect

William McDonough announced in late August that he will not seek reappointment as dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture when his five-year term expires next June. McDonough will continue to teach at the University, and to direct the Institute for Sustainable Design, which he founded just over a year ago (see

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 8). He also plans to spend more time at his architecture firm, William McDonough + Partners, and with his family.

As described in “New Life for Old Carpets” (EBN

Vol. 6, No. 6), the Earth Square program takes used carpet tile from buildings and renews it through a process of deep cleaning, raising the compressed fibers, and overprinting with a new pattern. The renewed carpet is then sold for about half the price of new carpet. An Evergreen Award (a plate made of recycled glass) will be presented annually as part of the Planet GSA program to increase federal involvement in “driving green, buying green, building green, and saving green.”

The New Jersey Dept. of Community Affairs (DCA) has announced a

Sustainable Development/Affordable Housing Pilot Program to promote sustainable development in the context of energy-efficient, affordable housing. This fall, DCA will solicit proposals from housing development teams to design and construct housing that meets a strict set of energy and environmental criteria, including Energy Star™ Home efficiency standards. Projects are expected to range from 5 to 50 units and can be for new development as well as reconstruction of existing buildings into housing. Developers are encouraged to team up with consultants, planners, architects, and builders with demonstrated experience in sustainable design. Grants will pay for many of the incremental improvements that are called for under the project criteria. Proposals will be evaluated by a team of sustainable design experts. The program, which is also supported by Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), is part of Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s commitment to preserve the environment by fostering smart planning. For full details contact Peggy Huchet at DCA, 609/633-6284.

Researchers with NASA, EPA, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have been working with three U.S. cities this summer to study how strategically placed

“urban forests” and the use of reflective surfaces may help cool cities, save energy, and reduce pollution. The research is examining the bubble-like accumulations of hot air known as “urban heat islands,” whose temperatures are often 5°-10°F (3°-5°C) hotter than those of adjacent rural areas. Scientists from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama are using aircraft equipped with thermal imaging equipment to map and measure “hot spots.” EPA scientists are using this information and satellite imagery to determine how urban heat islands contribute to ground-level generation of ozone. The goal of the research is to identify strategies for cooling a city. “Essentially, we want to help cities develop a tool that allows them to better plan for long-term sustainable urban development,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeff Luvall of the Global Hydrology and Climate Center at Marshall. Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Sacramento, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah are participating in the study. A similar study was done of Atlanta, Georgia last summer.

First discovered in Florida in 1997,

Asian swamp eels, or rice eels as they are sometimes known, are becoming firmly established in ditches, canals, and streams near Tampa and Miami, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This highly adaptable tropical species—it can breathe air, survive in just a few inches of water, even migrate short distances overland—was probably released from pet aquaria or a fish farm and is

now considered a major ecological threat to the Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and surrounding wetlands. USGS naturalists are hoping that the swamp eels will become a favorite food of a native predator, such as alligators or water snakes.

Global Green USA is producing a report which, the group claims, identifies

$1 billion in savings from energy- and resource-efficiency benefits in public and assisted housing. The recommendations resulted from an April 28 Policy Roundtable that Global Green USA hosted on Capitol Hill, and were presented to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo on June 2. They focus primarily on policy and procedural changes that would promote and streamline energy-efficiency initiatives. As an example, the group cites actions by the Chicago Housing Authority, including a performance contract with an energy services company that is expected to save $25 million over the next 12 years, and the installation of energy-efficient refrigerators, which should save $500,000 per year. The full report should be available in August from Mary Luevano at Global Green USA, 310/577-1885, ggusa@globalgreen.org.

While we’re talking solar . . . the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in New York City is featuring

a special exhibit of solar designs and technologies entitled “Under the Sun: An Outdoor Exhibition of Light.” Architectural highlights include a glass pavilion made of clear and PV glass panels designed by Gregory Kiss and Nicholas Goldsmith, FAIA, and a solar tensile pavilion, also by Goldsmith, made of thin film photovoltaics laminated onto fabric. The 32’-high (10 m) center mast of the pavilion is the center of a sundial. The exhibit runs from June 21 to October 25, 1998. The museum is located at 2 East 91 Street, New York, NY 10128; 212/849-8400, www.si.edu/ndm.

On June 25, the GMAC Mortgage Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors, announced an initiative with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to provide

long-term, low-cost financing for solar energy systems. This represents an expansion of the mortgage offerings for energy-efficient housing by GMAC Mortgage. The announcement was made at a groundbreaking for 18 solar townhouses in Philadelphia that are priced from $60,000 to $65,000 and designed for moderate-income housing. President Clinton issued a statement about the program from China, where he was on a diplomatic trip, applauding the effort as an example of the partnerships envisioned in his Million Solar Roofs initiative.

New York State is now among the most photovoltaic-friendly in the nation (weather notwithstanding) with passage of a bill that corrects an error in the August 1997

Solar Choice Act. That Act required utility companies to provide “net metering” to homeowners, allowing them to run their meters backwards whenever their PV systems generate more power than they are using. The new bill adds an

income tax credit to the package for 25% of the installed cost of the system, up to $3,750 per residence. Contact Murray Liebman of the Solar Energy Industries Association at 202/383-2628 for details.