An innovative

employee-satisfaction-based compensation contract for a new $40 million, 165 million square-foot (15 million m²) Ciba Geigy laboratory in Tarrytown, New York proved successful for the architecture and construction firms that risked part of their profits. Designers HLW International and contractor Sordoni Skanska agreed to stake $300,000 of their profits on the outcome of a satisfaction poll of the 150 employees. Eighty-four percent voiced satisfaction. The two firms were so pleased with the process, according to the January 1997 issue of

Architectural Record, that they have agreed to a similar compensation arrangement for two Ciba Geigy buildings in North Carolina. If this sort of contracting arrangement proves successful, we might expect to see it affecting indoor air quality and daylighting features, both of which can increase employee satisfaction.

Awards & Competitions

Among the recipients of the first

Building Innovation in Home-ownership Awards was the Super-Insulated Straw Bale Affordable Housing Project of Tucson, Arizona. Project organizers receiving the award included Judy Knox and Matts Mhyrmann of Out On Bale, (un)Ltd., David Eisenberg of the Development Center for Alternative Technology, and Austin Architect Ben Obregon.

Also receiving the same award was a coalition led by WRITAR of St. Paul, Minnesota and including the Center for Resourceful Building Technology of Missoula, Montana. This coalition helped design owner-built affordable housing for the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

New York City’s Tiffany Street Pier, one of the largest plastic lumber structures, was damaged by lightning recently, according to the October 14, 1996 issue of

Plastics News. About one-third of the plastic lumber deck and the gazebo were melted. Most of the plastic hardened in place, albeit in a deformed state. City officials are quite pleased with the recycled material’s performance, reporting that a traditional wooden pier would have exploded under similar conditions, leaving no structure at all.

The environmental labeling organization Green Seal is calling for comments on its proposed standards for environmentally preferable chillers. Among the criteria in the standard are choice of refrigerant, measures to limit refrigerant releases, and energy efficiency. Copies are available by calling Green Seal at 202/331-7337; the deadline for comments is December 1.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has $1 million available to co-fund research and development work relating to high-efficiency lighting products. The maximum award per project is $250,000, and all projects should include a New York State manufacturer. Proposals are due by December 31st. For information contact Marsha Walton at 518/862-1090, ext. 3271, or by e-mail at mlw@nyserda.org.

A new report by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy quantifies the potential for energy savings in residential lighting. By replacing those incandescent lights that are used four hours per day or more with compact fluorescent lights, total annual savings in the U.S. would be 31.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), roughly the output of five large power plants.

Due to high demand, the Real Goods Institute for Solar Living in Hopland, California, has expanded its educational program offerings to year-round. A number of the offerings are related specifically to sustainable building, though the emphasis is on owner-builders. Programs include “Sustainable Building and Eco Design,” “Solar Electric Systems,” and “Strawbale Construction.” For information, contact Real Goods at 800/762-7325.

Whirlpool Corporation has suspended nationwide sales of its super-efficient “Energy-Wise” refrigerators, according to the 23 August issue of Global Environmental Change Report. This refrigerator was introduced in 1995 and is virtually identical to the “golden carrot” refrigerator developed through the utility-funded Super Efficient Refrigerator Program. The company cites poor market acceptance, probably due to the high price ($1,500), as the reason for the product’s discontinuance. This super-efficient refrigerator, made with Owens Corning vacuum insulation on the freezer compartment (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 1), is still available in the service areas of 24 utility companies around the country that funded its development.

has learned that Sierra Pine, Ltd. of Rocklin, California, is negotiating to purchase the U.S. operations of Medite Corporation, a manufacturer of formaldehyde-free medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It has been rumored for months that Medite was on the block, and

Panel World reported in their November 1996 issue that Medite’s European division, with a plant in southern Ireland, has been sold to Willamette Industries.

The city of Portland, Oregon, is doing its part to promote the use of electric vehicles by installing free charging stations in the downtown area. Two such stations have been installed in city-owned parking garages. Electric vehicle owners will have to pay the parking meter charges, but they can plug in and recharge their vehicles for free.