The American Institute of Architects/Portland (AIA/Portland) now has entry packets available for the 1997 Architecture + Energy Awards: Building Excellence in the Northwest. Any new construction and renovation projects in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington that are completed at the time of entry are eligible. Jurors for this fifth annual award program include

EBN Advisory Board members Bob Berkebile, FAIA and Harry Gordon, FAIA, along with other leading designers and advocates of energy efficient construction. Entries are due May 19. Contact: AIA/Portland, 315 SW Fourth Ave., Portland, OR 97204; 503/223-8757.

Awards and Competitions

Applications are now available for the 1998 EnergyValue Housing Award, which recognizes the successful integration of energy efficiency into new home construction. The Award is administered by the NAHB Research Center, together with the National Association of Home Builders Energy Subcommittee,  Professional Builder Magazine, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The entry fee is $100, with a discount for early birds. Final deadline is August 15, 1997. For an application or more details contact Christine Barbour, NAHB Research Center, 800/638-8556 ext. 620, 301/249-3265 (fax), christine@nahbrc.org (e-mail).

The U.S. team entered in the Green Building Challenge ’98 (GBC ’98), an international project to develop assessment methods for environmentally responsible buildings, is looking for buildings in the United States to assess for energy and environmental performance. Nominated projects must be elementary schools, medium to large office buildings, or multifamily residential buildings. They may be either built or in the design stage and may include substantial redesign and reconstruction of existing buildings. Buildings will be chosen from among those nominations based on their comparability to other buildings, regional diversity, and availability of data on which to base the assessment. The GBC ’98 will culminate in a major conference during October 1998 in Vancouver, British Columbia (online info: www.greenbuilding.ca). Submission information is available from the AIA at 202/626-7482 or on the Internet www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/. Submissions are due by July 1.

According to the February issue of

Planning, Governor Parris Glen-dening has proposed legislation for Maryland that would combat sprawl by providing economic incentives for businesses that move into abandoned industrial areas and paying for repair of existing roads and sewers instead of creating new ones. The measure would also establish “smart growth areas” to focus new development in areas where infrastructure is already in place, and earmark $163 million over five years for purchase of land and conservation easements for 90,000 acres of undeveloped land.

U.S. dependence on imported petroleum is nearing an all-time high. According to the DOE Energy Information Administration, total average petroleum imports in 1996 reached 9.4 million barrels per day (1.5 billion l/d), or 51.5% of total consumption. While total imports (both actual and percentage basis) were the highest ever, the

net imports, at 46.2%, were slightly below the peak in 1977. Exports of just under 1 million barrels per day (159 million l/d) in 1996 account for the difference between total and net imported petroleum dependence.

On January 1st, the Council of American Building Officials (CABO) approved steel framing for residential construction. The CABO listing provides prescriptive requirements for framing houses with light-gauge steel framing (span tables, etc.). Builders not in high-wind areas and high-risk seismic areas will no longer have to get steel framing plans approved by an engineer. Additional measures to streamline use of steel framing will likely be included in the 1997 revisions to the CABO code which come up for approval this year. The code language does not address energy efficiency and the need for a thermal break (rigid foam) if steel framing is used for exterior walls.

Newsbriefs

According to a new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), investments in energy efficiency improvements in the three states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania could generate 164,000 jobs by the year 2010 and save more than $150 billion, while reducing air pollution emissions by 24%. The 130-page study, “Energy Efficiency and Economic Development in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,” is available for $33 from ACEEE Publications, 2140 Shattuck Ave., #202, Berkeley, CA 94704; 510/549-9914.

Building Materials, Energy and the Environment:

by Bill Lawson. Published by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, P.O. Box 3373, Manuka, ACT 2603, Australia; +61-6-273-1548, +61-6-273-1953 (fax). 135 pages, paperback, AUS$39.95 +$10 for overseas shipping.

This environmental overview of building materials is—quite appropriately—very specific to its Australian context. The building systems, wood species, and climatic considerations are all Australian. Nevertheless, the concepts and considerations are universal, and Lawson does an excellent job of presenting building material choices as a stepping stone to environmentally appropriate design.

Lawson starts out by describing the raw material and manufacturing stages for a range of common building materials. He also provides embodied energy data for the materials and gives each a rating from “poor” to “excellent” for seven criteria:

•Raw material availability;

•Minimal environmental impact;

•Embodied energy efficiency;

•Product lifespan;

•Freedom from maintenance;

•Potential for product reuse; and

• Material recyclability.

The next section applies the embodied energy data to representative building

assemblies, showing how different roof or wall systems, for example, compare. Lawson acknowledges that there is a risk of relying too heavily on embodied energy, given both the uncertainty in the data and the many other environmental considerations. He clearly relishes, however, the fact that it is possible to work with actual numbers for these systems, and he does a nice job showing how it’s done.

Gradually broadening his scope, Lawson then discusses design issues relating to use of materials: design for durability, for disassembly, and for ease of maintenance or replacement. Finally, he presents eleven case studies—primarily eco-resorts and houses—from various parts of Australia. While he discusses and rates these buildings on a range of environmental criteria, there is particular emphasis on their use of materials.

The writing style in

Building Materials is somewhat academic and stiff, and the ratings that are applied to both materials and projects are not well explained so they seem somewhat arbitrary. These are minor complaints, however, for an otherwise excellent text. The ideas and information are clear, intelligent, and

informative. Lawson has made a significant contribution to the literature of ecologically sensitive design.