Scientists at Spectrolab, a division of Hughes Electronics Corp., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have achieved a

new efficiency record for photovoltaic cells, converting 32.3% of the sun’s energy into electricity. The record was achieved with triple-junction gallium-indium-phosphide on gallium arsenide on germanium using a... Read more

October 16 marked the groundbreaking for

Erie-Ellington homes, a 50-unit affordable housing complex by the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts. Erie-Ellington is a project of the GreenVillage Company, developer of Cambridge Cohousing (see case study in

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Vol. 6, No. 9) and a... Read more

Fannie Mae, which now owns 84% of the unsold property at

Civano, the planned eco-community in Tucson, Arizona, is moving to take more direct control of the project by buying out developer and project president Kevin Kelly. After the deal is completed (most likely in December), Kelly will stay on for six months as a consultant to the... Read more

, the first large-volume producer of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) materials in the U.S., has new owners and a new name. The company, now known as

Matrix Precast Autoclaved Aerated Concrete L.P., is owned by Charlotte, North Carolina-based J. A. Jones, Inc., a provider of construction services worldwide. J. A. Jones,... Read more

I was startled to read your survey of tubular skylight products (“Daylighting – Part 2,”

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Vol. 8, No. 10, October 1999), which made no mention of the quality of light produced. As a residential designer with extensive daylighting design experience in both remodel and new-build situations, I would never specify one of these... Read more

by Leon A. Frechette. Craftsman Book Company, Carlsbad, California, 1999. Softcover, 336 pages, $34.75.

Leon A. Frechette’s new book

Build Smarter with Alternative Materials is a well-organized collection of product reviews and material-specific advice from an experienced residential and... Read more

The

Presidio Trust in San Francisco is this year’s winner of the

Waste Reduction Awards Program from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Among the trust’s many recycling and reuse programs is a program to salvage reusable furnishings and building materials from structures throughout the national park. For more... Read more

New research on mice reported in the scientific journal

Nature (21 October 1999) shows that

Bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in producing polycarbonate plastic,

causes premature puberty and adolescent weight gain. Bisphenol A is one of a number of chemicals suspected of being an “endocrine disrupter”—a class of... Read more

I am writing in response to the article on daylighting—“Daylighting: Energy and Productivity Benefits”—in

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Vol. 8, No. 9 (September 1999). Although I am very pleased to see such a commitment of both article space and staff time to this important topic, it was disappointing to see an exclusive focus on high-cost daylighting... Read more

Taking a page from the tobacco book, Rhode Island’s attorney general is suing lead paint manufacturers for allegedly conspiring to market a dangerous product that poisons children. The ten-count lawsuit seeks damages to “get the lead out of Rhode Island’s children, homes, and buildings, by paying to treat... Read more

by Architects’ Council of Europe (Brussels): Eoin O’Cofaigh; Energy Research Group, University College (Dublin): Eileen Fitzgerald, Robert Alcock, Ann McNicholl, J. Owen Lewis; Suomen Arkkiteillitto (Helsinki): Vesa Peltonen; and Softech (Turin): Antonella Marucco. James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd., London, 1999. Paperback, 145 pages... Read more

by Mary Guzowski. McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000. Hardcover, 450 pages, $79.95.

Since the discovery that toxic spores from the

black mold Stachybotrys atra had caused at least ten infant deaths in Cleveland a few years ago (see

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Vol. 7, No. 3), interest in and awareness of this problem has mushroomed—so to speak. Evidence of this mold has been found in numerous new studies, according to an... Read more

On October 29, EPA Administrator Carol Browner signed the Final Storm Water Phase II Rule to further regulate runoff of polluted water from construction sites and urban areas. In announcing the new rule on November 1, she said, “The Clinton-Gore Administration is committed to reducing one of the largest remaining... Read more

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is offering $1.5 million to support the

installation of photovoltaics on commercial buildings in New York State. Up to 75 percent of project cost or $5 per installed watt of solar capacity may be awarded, with a limit of $750,000 per proposal.... Read more

by Bob Kobet and Wendy Powers of Conservation Consultants, Inc., Stephen Lee of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, and Christine Mondor and Marc Mondor of Big Picture Designs, 1999. Paperback, 50 pages, free from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, P.O. Box... Read more

The

City of San Francisco Department of the Environment is seeking applicants for a new position of Resource-Efficient Building Coordinator. The position involves overseeing of pilot projects, coordination with other City departments, and outreach within the City government and to the general public. For more information, contact the... Read more

ONSI 200 kW fuel cell power plants have now collectively logged more than 3 million hours of service, according to a press release from the company. The announcement called this a new world record, and noted that the company also held the world record at 2 million hours.  EBN’s fax attendant reported great relief at being spared announcements... Read more

Arlington County in Virginia has become (to the best of our knowledge) the first local government to reference the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system in official policy. The county, which is itself a member of the USGBC, voted on October 2 to allow developers favorable treatment in their requests for bonus density if their... Read more