In what may be one of the most significant developments in green building in recent years, the Department of the Navy has become the first Federal agency requiring all facilities and infrastructure-related design and construction to incorporate sustainable design principles. While energy efficiency and... Read more

In recognition of the large energy penalty associated with leaky ducts, the

California Energy Commission (CEC) has voted to provide a credit for high-quality ducts in the State’s residential energy code. To qualify for the credit, the home’s duct system must be certified by the installer, and the builder must have an independent party... Read more

We are very excited to announce the recent addition of two outstanding people to our staff.

Dan Woodbury has joined us as our first full-time marketing director, and

Dwight Holmes is our new research associate. With their help we hope to continue serving you as the leading source of reliable green building... Read more

Per Square Metre of Floor Area

This chart from a paper by Roger Baldwin of the British Research Establishment in the U.K. shows overall energy use associated with two actual office buildings, one in a... Read more

The

American Institute of Architects New York Chapter’s Committee on the Environment has organized a panel discussion at which the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will address their role in administering up to $6 million per year in grants for design professionals and building owners. Set for 8:00 a.m. on... Read more

Brave New World option.

This new resilient flooring product from the U.K. uses high-tech engineering polymer resins to provide a durable surface and sophisticated patterns similar to... Read more

Dear Editor:

I read your recent article about linoleum (October 1998) and was particularly interested in the section dealing with indoor air quality, which I felt you covered well. However, I was very disappointed with your conclusion to “recommend it widely.”

You seem to be fostering an attitude that,... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) rating system for buildings, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is not yet officially released but is already making waves. LEED was developed through a consensus process among the diverse USGBC membership, which includes product manufacturers, architects, environmental and government... Read more

by Baruch Givoni, 1998. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Hardcover, 496 pages, $64.95

Baruch Givoni has long been a champion of passive approaches to climate control in buildings. In Climate Considerations in Building and Urban Design he documents the theory and practice of low-tech comfort in buildings and the relationships... Read more

Published on CD-ROM by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036; 202/429-8873, 202/429-2248 (fax), aceee@ix.netcom.com (e-mail),

www.aceee.org (Web site). $100, plus $5 shipping and handling.

Like ACEEE’s previous CD-ROM of Summer Study proceedings, which... Read more

After years of fighting linoleum as a competitor to its vinyl flooring products, Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has now purchased DLW Aktien-gesellschaft of Germany, the world’s second largest linoleum manufacturer. Publicly, Armstrong is playing up other DLW assets, including a strong distribution network... Read more

The Whirlpool Resource Saver™ is the first Energy Star washer with a conventional

vertical-axis configuration; all... Read more

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... Read more

Much of the published information on the energy performance of straw-bale buildings is based on measurements done in 1993 by Joseph McCabe at the University of Arizona as part of his master’s thesis. McCabe used a “guarded-hot-plate” apparatus (procedure ASTM C-177-85) to measure heat flow... Read more

The

Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota is considering affiliation with

Habitat for Humanity to develop affordable housing on the reservation. The problem, according to Marty Kooistra of Habitat, is that while a typical Habitat house ends up costing $41,000 to $45,000, the realistic cost ceiling on the Rosebud Reservation... Read more

The Energy Outreach Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington State, has established an Internet-based building materials exchange system that is available for use by local governments anywhere. The Reusable Building Materials Exchange operates as a bulletin board where users... Read more

by Dru Meadows and Charles Bell, 1998. TheGreenTeam, 5822 South New Haven, Tulsa, OK 74153; 918/742-7593;arcvet@earthlink.net. Softcover, about 90 pages, $35.

Dru Meadows, well known for her pioneering green design work with BSW Architects in Tulsa, and Charles Bell set a very challenging course for... Read more

by Janet Marinelli, 1998. Henry Holt & Company. Hardcover, 230 pages, $25.

EBN last covered torchiere-style standing lamps with energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) instead of halogen lamps, we tested two very different products (

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 10).

One used three 26-watt CFLs (each with its own ballast), providing three light... Read more

—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... Read more