BuildingGreen Report

News Brief

July 1, 2003
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The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) awarded this year’s

Environmental Sensitivity Awards to two architecture firms that specialize in... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

by Joseph W. Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng.; Energy & Environmental Building Association, Minneapolis, MN, 2002. Available from EEBA, 952-881-1098,

www.eeba.org. Spiral-bound, 42 pages, $18 ($15 members).

The

EEBA Water Management Guide is a clear, concise booklet about preventing rain and groundwater entry into houses and light-... Read more

News Analysis

July 1, 2003

On May 29, 2003, the Resilient Floor Coverings Institute (RFCI) withdrew a lawsuit challenging New York State’s Green Building Tax Credit regulations (see

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 5) for excluding vinyl as an approved flooring material. The lawsuit, which was initiated in October 2000, was withdrawn just days before hearings were... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003
Robert Young

, executive director of Red Feather Development Group, has been named

Greatest American Hometown Hero in the first

Volvo for Life Awards. Struck by reports of poverty on America’s Indian reservations, Young founded the Red Feather Development Group in 1995 to teach Native American communities to construct energy-... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

CD-ROM released in 2003 by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Dr., PO Box C700, W. Conshohocken, PA 19428; 610-832-9585,

www.astm.org. Stock No.: Green03, $175 in North America, $193 elsewhere.

At the behest of its Committee E06.71 on Sustainability, ASTM has released a volume of its “Standards on CD-ROM” series focusing on... Read more

News Analysis

July 1, 2003
Owens Corning and CertainTeed, leading manufacturers of building materials and systems, have joined Masco Contractor Services in sponsoring Environments for Living™, a program that guarantees energy efficiency and comfort in new homes. One among a number of residential energy-guarantee programs (see

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 10), Environments... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

The Emerging Green Builders subcommittee of the USGBC is steering the

first annual USGBC Design Competition. Participation is limited to current students of all disciplines and graduates with no more than three years’ experience in the industry. Winners will be announced at USGBC’s Greenbuild conference this November. Watch for details... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

The Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations is crisscrossing North America this August with a

“Road Show” on the role of concrete in sustainable design. The faculty includes two lecturers from the U.K. and one American, representing expertise in urban planning, architecture, engineering, and materials research. The speakers,... Read more

Product Review

July 1, 2003
We have long been fans of the venturi-effect showerheads made by Energy Technology Laboratories (ETL) (see

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 10 and

Vol. 6, No. 8). We recently discovered another such product—made by Bricor Analytical, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While quite different from the ETL products technologically, Bricor... Read more

Feature

Water in all forms threatens buildings. 

July 1, 2003

I am continually surprised by how little emphasis the green building movement places on building science. As we examine the many priorities of green building—from land-use planning to energy efficiency, material selection, and indoor air quality—the basic science of how we design and build structures to ensure long life and healthy indoor... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

The IRS has approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Until now, USGBC has been a 501(c)(6) “trade association,” but in October 2001 the Board decided to pursue a shift in status. President and CEO Christine Ervin believes the new designation ”will communicate to the public and potential funders that our... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 2003

In late May 2003, winners of the first annual Green Roof Awards of Excellence were announced during the first national green roofs conference (see page 3). Award recipients and their projects are described below:

•  Katrin Scholz-Barth Consulting,  green roof consultant – Montgomery Park Business Center, Baltimore, Maryland: 30,000 ft2... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2003

The

University of Cincinnati invites applications for a tenure-track position in the School of Architecture and Interior Design (SAID) in the area of environmental technologies. For further information, contact: David Lee Smith, Professor of Architecture, david.smith@uc.edu, 513-556-5291.

News Brief

June 1, 2003

One hundred thousand homes have earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s

Energy Star® designation. Each home that meets the voluntary criteria uses an average of 30% less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating than a conventional home, saving homeowners about $200 to $400 annually. According to EPA, the program saves... Read more

News Analysis

June 1, 2003

The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), created last year by members of the carpet industry, government entities, and nonprofit organizations, has released its first annual report on progress toward the goal of diverting 40% of America’s post-consumer carpet from landfills by 2012. As a first step in the ten-year plan, CARE had hoped to... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2003
South Mountain Company, Inc.

, a Martha’s Vineyard design/build firm, seeks a residential architect and/or designer committed to ecological design. For details, visit

www.somoco.com or e-mail John Abrams at jabrams@vineyard.net.

News Analysis

June 1, 2003

PPG Coil and Extrusion Coatings has released a variant of its Duranar® coatings for metal roofs that contains special pigments to reduce solar gain. With these new “Duranar SPF” coatings, 98% of PPG’s standard colors meet the EPA Energy Star steep-roof threshold of 25% total solar reflectivity, whereas with standard Duranar coatings about half... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2003

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center has announced the winners of its third annual National Green Building Awards, “to honor and encourage builders, programs, advocates, and products in the advancement of environmentally friendly residential construction.” This year’s winners are:

•Green Advocate of the Year:... Read more

News Analysis

June 1, 2003
The Mirra chair from Herman Miller, Inc. is the first product designed entirely in accordance with the company’s Design for the Environment protocol, which it developed in partnership with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC). Created for Herman Miller by Studio 7.5 Berlin, the chair is attractive and highly functional, in addition to... Read more

Product Review

June 1, 2003

Growing its collection of innovations in the flooring industry, Interface, Inc. has introduced FLOR™, a modular flooring system designed for use in homes. FLOR’s ten product lines represent a variety of fabrics, colors, textures, and patterns. According to Chip DeGrace, InterfaceFLOR’s vice president of marketing, “FLOR bridges hard surface and... Read more