STEM + Spanish Inquisition = fun

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition... unless they made it to the Grand Awards round of judging at the DC STEM Fair this past Saturday!

Sponsored by corporations including Battelle, Northrop Grumman, and Bentley Systems, and organized by The Three Birds Foundation, this whirlwind event brought together a few hundred students, educators, and volunteers all in the name of STEM.  The day featured guest appearances by DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray, keynote speaker Stephen Ritz of Green Bronx Machine, a Tesla electric car, and LEED green building tours of the H.D. Woodson STEM High School by cox graae + spack architects. 

Thanks to the student award winners, I learned about planaria, zebrafish, arduino-powered cars,  western blot tests, and many other marvels of science and technology during my time on the Grand Awards judging panel.  Congratulations to the students, parents, and teachers for all the hard work they put into this event!

Earthquakes and ungreen housing trends in Japan

Why do the Japanese bulldoze houses after only 30 years?  Contrast this approach to the built environment to the European mindset of maintaining and renovating buildings for hundreds of years.  What gives?

In this Freakonomics podcast, the economist Steves dissect this phenomenon, citing local experts and (of course) statistics.  For example...

Japan has 3.8 times more architects per capita than the USA, and 2.1 times as many construction jobs.

Half of houses are demolished within 38 years, compared to 100 years in the USA.

Why?

Theories range from spirituality to post-WWII history to earthquake building code revisions.

As a structural engineer, that last part caught my attention.  Did you know that 20% of the world's earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to 6 have occurred in Japan?  In the years since WWII, this has resulted in Japanese building codes' earthquake provisions being updated at a greater frequency than in most countries.  Homebuilders there use this as a marketing device to encourage consumers to rebuild rather than renovate... and this has contributed to a culture of Do-It-For-Me more than DIY.

In addition to being environmentally unfriendly, more than one economist has suggested that this custom may be contributing to the economic slump in Japan.

Listen to the full podcast here:
http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable/

Image credit:  http://www.busyboo.com/2008/08/25/japanese-house-design-mineral/

USGBC v. AHBC: a hazy future for LEED?

Modern Steel Construction magazine ran an article this month entitled "Green Mudslinging" describing the tensions between US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC).  The ACC is driving the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition (AHBC), which represents building product manufacturers, many of whom are being edged out of the green building game by LEED's discouragement of certain chemicals' use in building materials.

The issue is this:  should green building rating systems be determined by the green community or by building product manufacturers?

AHBC includes US Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Southern Forest Products Association, and many chemical / plastic / vinyl groups.  Their strategy appears to be to pressure the General Services Administration (USGBC's largest client) to drop LEED on the basis that it was not developed in accordance with an ANSI-based consensus process.

The article's author (a Vice President of the American Institute of Steel Construction, which publishes this magazine) suggests that the steel industry has decreased its environmental footprint by 60% while increasing its market share by 10 points by focusing on a triple bottom line approach similar to the one espoused by the USGBC.  He makes a good case for collaboration and consensus between all members of the building construction community, suggesting that since LEED is not going to go away, the rating system would be strengthened - not diminished - by adopting a consensus ANSI process.

May all involved heed this voice of reason!

@ModernSteel

What's in your Wheelhaus?

Here's an elegant adaptation of the Recreational Park Trailer... and it's built to LEED gold standards!
http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/green-homes/sustainable-homes/wheelhaus-zmhz12sozmel.aspx

El Loco de la Catedral

Can you build a cathedral with nothing but recycled materials and faith?  Yes, but it's taken this crazy Spaniard 50 years and counting, God bless him!

Watch the film here:
http://www.cathedraljusto.com/thefilm.html

Countdown to the 2011 Solar Decathlon

Are you ready for the Solar Decathlon in Washington DC next month?  The EERE sure is:  they've been profiling a different entry in their e-newsletter each week as they count down to the event.  For instance...

Students from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville use an iPad to monitor their house's energy systems.

Florida International University's perFORM[D]ance House focuses on sustainability.

University of Maryland's WaterShed entry aims to bring attention to the Chesapeake Bay, which is the largest estuary in the USA.

The next Solar Decathlon will be held Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2011, at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Go check it out!

For more information, visit SolarDecathlon.gov


Join the clean energy conversation on Facebook at DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Savers, and Solar Decathlon pages.

Read about the last Solar Decathlon in 2009 here.

Maryland adopts International Green Building Code

In 2009, the International Code Council launched the development of a new International Green Construction Code (IgCC) initiative, subtitled “Safe and Sustainable: By the Book,” committed to developing a model code focused on new and existing commercial buildings addressing green building design and performance.




Maryland will be the first state to adopt this new green building code in 2012.

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) acts in conjunction with other existing codes, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Features of the new code include:

-a Zero Energy Performance Index (zEPI), which requires buildings to use no more than 51% of the energy allowed in the 2000 IECC.

-a 20% water savings beyond US federal standards for residential water closets.

-the addition of appliance information, radon mitigation, and commissioning documentation to ensure the health and safety of building occupants

-land use regulations that address flood risk, greenfields preservation, use of turf grass, and minimum landfill diversion requirements

The IgCC is sponsored by the AIA, ASHRAE, USGBC, and IES. It includes the ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 (the successor to ASHRAE 90.1-2007) as a jurisdictional requirement option.

The public comment period ends 12 August 2011, and final action will take place on 6 Nov 2011. The IgCC will be fully integrated into the existing International Code Council (ICC) code family in early 2012. It will take effect in Maryland on 1 March 2012; adoption will be voluntary.

Visit http://www.iccsafe.org/cs/IGCC/Pages/default.aspx to download IgCC public version 2.0

Book: Cities for People

I just read an impressive review of the book Cities for People in this month's Civil Engineering magazine (which you can read online here)...

The book's author, Jan Gehl, is an architect and professor of urban design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and is credited with helping to make Copenhagen the model of pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly urbanism that it is today.  The review notes that more than 1/3 of Copenhagen's commuters travel by bicycle.

Sustainability-minded urban planners will want to read this book!

Celebrate National Engineers Week

"Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was."  -Theodore Von Karman, Aerospace Engineer

This week we celebrate engineers, engineering, and engineers-in-training during National Engineers Week
http://www.eweek.org/Home.aspx



Here are some engineering links for kids (of all ages)...

Discover Engineering! by the National Engineers Week Foundation
http://www.discoverengineering.org/

The Future City competition was held in Washington DC this week :
http://www.futurecity.org/

Here's an interview with Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley about the Future City competition:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/mornings/holly_live/holly-morris-national-engineers-week-future-city-competition-022211

The American Society of Civil Engineers (http://www.asce.org/ ) also gets into the act...
Engineering education for kids/parents/teachers http://www.asce.org/Audience/Kids-Parents-Teachers/
Visit ASCEville http://content.asce.org/asceville/index.html


And in higher education...

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) dedicates more than $1 million annually to recognize leaders in engineering for their lifetime dedication to their field and their commitment to advancing the human condition and to bring better understanding of the importance of engineering and engineering education to society.


The following prizes were awarded at this week's event in DC:
The 2011 Charles Stark Draper Prize is awarded to Frances H. Arnold and Willem P. C. Stemmer "for directed evolution, a method used worldwide for engineering novel enzymes and biocatalytic processes for pharmaceutical and chemical products".

The 2011 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize is awarded to Leroy E. Hood "for automating DNA sequencing that revolutionized biomedicine and forensic science."


The 2011 Bernard M. Gordon Prize Recipient is awarded to Edward F. Crawley "for leadership, creativity, and energy in defining and guiding the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) Initiative, which has been widely adopted internationally for engineering education."


Read more about these research projects here:  http://www.nae.edu/Activities/Projects20676/Awards.aspx





To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.  -anon.

Time to shine: new location for 2011 Solar Decathlon in September

Energy, Interior Departments Announce New Location for Solar Decathlon 2011
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=489


February 23, 2011

The Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 will be held at the National Mall's West Potomac Park, on the banks of the Potomac River along the path between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Specifically, the event will be held on the peninsula just south of the new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial—scheduled to open in August of this year—between the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Potomac River. The Decathlon will begin in late September as originally scheduled.


The event is being moved from its previous location on the Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol to balance the many uses and demands on the Mall.


"We look forward to holding another world-class Solar Decathlon in a world-class location—the National Mall's West Potomac Park," said Secretary Chu. "Keeping the competition on the National Mall property allows the students to proceed with their existing home designs, specifically tailored for Washington's latitude, temperature, and humidity conditions. The West Potomac site is in close proximity to a number of attractions and will provide an ideal stage to highlight clean energy solutions for thousands of public visitors."



"Solar energy is a key component of President Obama's vision for a new energy future and the solar decathlon is part of that future," said Secretary Salazar. "The National Mall is America's front yard and we have a responsibility to do what is best for the long term health of the Mall. I am pleased that we have been able to find a strong alternate location for the Solar Decathlon and I am looking forward to a successful event."


The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate students from across the globe to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy-efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. During the competition, 20 homes from 16 domestic and four international collegiate teams will undergo extensive testing and expert judging in ten different contest categories. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. This will be DOE's fifth Solar Decathlon; previous events were held in 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009.


The Solar Decathlon provides participating students with unique training to enter our nation's clean-energy workforce. It is also a popular public event, open to visitors who come to see the designs and learn about money-saving clean-energy solutions for their own homes. The public will be encouraged to meet the students and visit their highly efficient, innovative solar homes during the event. Specific public viewing hours for this year's competition will be published at a later date.


See a preliminary layout of the National Mall's West Potomac Park site here:  http://www.solardecathlon.gov/pdfs/2011_map.pdf


The Solar Decathlon supports the Obama Administration's goal of creating an economy based on clean-energy technologies while saving families and businesses money and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.


For more information, please visit SolarDecathlon.gov

LEED 2012: NextGen

The LEED rating system has evolved from v2.2 to 2009 to 2012. The first comment period for this latest version of LEED ends on Monday 17 Jan, and before it does, comments are invited here: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2360


USGBC Maryland chapter chair Stuart Kaplow, Esq., has written this article about remarkable changes in this new version. http://www.stuartkaplow.com/library3.cfm?article_id=182


Highlights from his article and presentation at today's chapter event:

-Philosophical transition from “less negative” to “positive” environmental impact re: net zero buildings.

-No more easy credits: standard practice credits like Fundamental Refrigerant Management have been removed, but not replaced with a higher standard.

-Three new credit categories: Integrated Process, Location & Transportation, and Performance

-More prescriptive, less room for interpretation

-More emphasis on Energy, less on IEQ credits

-Note that actual credit weights have not yet been released.



Other points of interest:

-Datacenter-specific rating system may be coming in the future

-India and UAE have the highest square footage of LEED buildings outside the USA

-LEED currently has about 25% non-residential market penetration



For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org/ or http://www.stuartkaplow.com/

Steel, the most recycled material on earth

From Modern Steel Construction magazine...

The sustainability page at www.aisc.org contains links to green steel studies, projects, resources, and links to more Modern Steel Construction articles.

One such article about AISC at GreenBuild in MSC's January issue includes links to sustainability resources at a few steel companies:

View the Nucor sustainability report, and get information about LEED MR credits.
www.nucor.com/responsibility/environment/leed 

Track the scrap steel on a Gerdau Ameristeel project for LEED credits using this calculator (for customers only) https://scraptrack.gerdauameristeel.com

There was also mention of scrap/recycled content information available at www.steeldynamics.com, but I didn't find anything that specifically mentioned applicability to LEED credits. (I did, however, find the photo used in this post:  photo credit to Steel Dynamics).

Eco-home improvement: Low-VOC paint

When I repainted my basement recently, I wanted to use one of these new low-VOC paints I'd been hearing about.  Found a good one at Home Depot that was labeled as an eco-option:  this labeling system can also help you find energy- and water-efficient products throughout the store and website.

Here's the paint I chose:

The FreshAire Choice™
The FreshAire Choice is a revolution in paint, inspired by the need to improve air quality. It’s the first-ever and only tinted paint to contain no VOCs, harsh chemicals that make paint smell like paint and contribute to poor indoor air quality. FreshAire environmentally friendly paint offers premium colors in four inspiring collections that enthuse the beauty and serenity of nature in your home.

* Premium performance paint without the harsh paint odor
* Awarded the Greenguard's Certification For Children and Schools
* Contains zero VOCs in paint or colorant
* Four different collections - 65 color choices
* Lifetime warranty

And here's some more information about low-VOC paint...

Green Paint Standards Protect IAQ and Occupants

GreenerChoices.org Green product watch: best low-VOC paints and stains 9/10

Sustainability for Structural Engineers

I wish I'd written this book: Sustainability Guidelines for the Structural Engineer

Here's the description from the ASCE online store:

Sponsored by the Sustainability Committee of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE.
This report presents guidelines that are intended to advance the understanding of sustainability in the structural community and to incorporate concepts of sustainability into structural engineering standards and practices.

The guidelines are organized into five sections:
Sustainable Design and Construction,
Sustainable Strategies,
Building Materials,
Infrastructure, and
Case Studies.
Although many of the subjects are related, each section—and the related subsections—have been written to stand alone, allowing this report to be used as a practical reference. Infrastructure gets particular attention because many of the concepts and ideas in this guide that relate to infrastructure can also be applied to design and construction.
This report was written for structural engineers, but related disciplines will also benefit from the contents. This book will help structural engineers as they meet the challenge to design and construct a sustainable built environment

Shop for it here: http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147490021
Also available on Amazon.com

ASES National Solar Tour

Just because 2010 is an off-year for the biennial Solar Decathlon doesn't mean you can't get your solar fix. The nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is coordinating a grassroots tour of homes and buildings across the country: check out their website to find a tour near you. Most tours are taking place on the first Saturday in October, but other events will spill over into the rest of National Energy Awareness month.

I braved the rain and mud at the Solar Decathlon on the mall in DC last year, and glad I did!  The 2011 Solar Decathlon will be held Sept 23 - Oct 2, here's the website:  http://www.solardecathlon.gov/ and the EERE announcement from the Department of Energy.

Green home-building and gadgetry

Here's a green home news roundup from NYTimes...

...a LEED platinum home near Lake Michigan http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/garden/26racine.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&emc=tnt

...more about its green features http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/garden/26racinebox.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

...and home energy-saving devices like smart power strips and websites for studying your energy consumption http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/garden/26hometech.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Alex Wilson at NESEA on green building

Here's an interview transcript from the recent Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) convention in Boston.  Alex Wilson wrote Your Green Home:  A Guide to Planning a Healthy, Environmentally Friendly New Home, a reference book I like, in addition to his other accomplishments listed below...

Interview with Alex Wilson, NESEA Thought Leader and Lifetime Member

March 1, 2010
Today we’re talking to Alex Wilson, a lifetime NESEA member and Executive Editor of Environmental Building News (the nation’s first newsletter dedicated to environmentally responsible design and construction). The company he founded in 1985, BuildingGreen, is based in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Q:  How did you come up with the idea of creating the BuildingGreen Top Ten Products? Has your list made an impact on the companies/products selected?
A: This is America – the land of “Top 10 lists.” That's not something we should be proud of, but it's a reality. We realized nine years ago at BuildingGreen that naming the "Top 10" products would be a way to get exposure for some of the many very exciting products that are being introduced each year. Along with calling attention to cool products, the most exciting thing about this list has been how much it's helped those companies. In some cases, this recognition has put fledgling companies on the map – really jump-started their futures.

Q:  Do you have a favorite green product? What is it, and why do you like it?
A: That's a tough question. I guess it has to be TimberSil, a treated-wood product produced by infusing sodium silicate into wood then heating the wood to create an amorphous glass that surrounds wood cells, rendering it unrecognizable as a food source for decay organisms. The stuff is non-corrosive, imparts fire resistance, and contains no VOCs. As an added bonus, I recently learned that the sodium silicate TimberSil Products’ use is derived from rice hulls, a waste agricultural product.

Q: How long have you been affiliated with NESEA and the BuildingEnergy conference and trade show? What do you get out of the relationship?
A: A long time. I was hired by NESEA as executive director in 1980, and in 1983 I organized a conference at Mount Snow in Vermont that became the first of the BuildingEnergy conferences. Not long after starting at NESEA, Ronald Reagan was elected and promptly eliminated the DOE program that had been providing about half of NESEA's funding. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it forced us to expand our focus away from just solar energy (we were at the time the New England Solar Energy Association) to cover energy-efficient construction, quality construction, and broader issues of sustainability.  The BuildingEnergy conferences emerged through those efforts. As a result, NESEA became a stronger organization.

My connection with NESEA also helped to launch my next career – as a publisher. When Nadav Malin and I came up with the idea of Environmental Building News in early 1992, we tested the idea on the NESEA membership, and a remarkable 14% of them signed up as paying subscribers. We were off and running. I've maintained a strong connection with NESEA throughout these last three decades, serving two terms on the board and attending dozens of conferences.

Q: As a member of the media, you are a gatekeeper when it comes to publicizing sustainable products and projects.  Is the competition for coverage intensifying in the green category?
A: Oh, sure. When we started EBN in 1992, we were the only publication focusing on green building. It's now a fairly crowded field – though we continue to be the only publication in the field that does not carry advertising. This policy allows us to be totally objective in writing about products and technologies.

Q: How would you like to see NESEA evolve over the coming years?
A: A lot of people say they like NESEA just the way it is, and they don't want it to change. But the strength of NESEA has been its ability to evolve to meet new needs. NESEA started out as a solar energy organization 35 years ago, and it has broadened and shifted its focus time and again over its history. To succeed, I think NESEA needs to continue being an organization that evolves – a "learning organization," if you will.

Q: How would you like BuildingEnergy to evolve?
A: By reporting on the cutting edge in energy design and construction, BuildingEnergy will by its very nature evolve. It is often the first place I learn about new ideas and new technologies. With the slow-down in new construction, I expect that BuildingEnergy will be focusing more on renovation than new construction over the next couple years.

Q: Who should come to BuildingEnergy, and why?
A: People who need to know where building practices are heading, people who want to be ahead of the curve, people who want to be leaders rather than followers. For me, BuildingEnergy is also the place where I reconnect with friends and associates – the networking opportunities are invaluable.

For more information, visit http://www.nesea.org/buildingenergy/

Baltimore's first green hotel

Here's another installment in my green building travels:  downtown Baltimore's first green hotel.

The Fairfield Inn at President & Lombard Streets is within walking distance of Little Italy and the Inner Harbor (but don't trust the 101 President Street address:  Google Maps directed me to a different location across the street).  This LEED-certified Silver structure is built on the site of the former Baltimore Brewing Company and retains some of the old factory feel, at least in the exposed brick of the lobby and first floor Tavern 101.  You'll see another nod to the brewery in the central courtyard, where the original grain storage silo has been appropriated as a giant rain barrel.  Other green features of the building include vegetated and white roofs, pervious pavement, and wind power supplied by BGE.

Aside from the green features of this hotel, the wall murals and art by local artists, courtyard firepit, and peaceful room decor create a cozy atmosphere that I, for one, would be happy to call my home away from home.  This hotel is definitely on my list of recommendations for out-of-town visitors.

For more details and photos, check out the Fairfield/Marriott website:
www.greenfairfieldinn.com/

Building green at Miller's Court

Tonight I toured a fine example of historic preservation and green building at Miller's Court:  this former tin box factory run by the American Can Company in south Charles Village has been reborn as a hybrid office/apartment building that houses non-profit organizations and young teachers enrolled in the Teach for America program.  Marks Thomas Architects collaborated with local developer Manekin on this socially conscious real estate project.  The LEED gold-certified building houses 40 apartments and 30,000 square feet of office space, arranged in a U-shape around a grassy courtyard within walking distance of Johns Hopkins University.

One aspect of the building I particularly like is that the design was intended to encourage social interaction between residents:  historically there is a high dropout rate from the Teach for America program (I've heard teaching in Baltimore City schools compared to trench warfare), but the community spirit fostered in this building gives the residents a sort of support network that has improved program retention.  The easy camaraderie between them makes the place feel a bit like a college dorm, if you overlook the trendy exposed-brick walls and bamboo flooring.  The courtyard, fitness room, and open lounges facilitate gatherings, as well as the copy room that the architects designed in lieu of the laundry room idea rejected by potential residents.

The engineer in me likes that the mixed-use building program is mutually beneficial to office and residential occupants:  this combination optimizes the limited city parking by allowing daytime office users to share parking spots with the apartment dwellers who only park there on evenings and weekends.  Another plus is that the air conditioned by the building's commercial-grade high-efficiency mechanical equipment often spills over into the apartments, thus reducing their heating and cooling bills.

Speaking of savings, the apartment webpage mentions $300-600 discounts for Baltimore area teachers.

This tour was sponsored by the USGBC Maryland chapter's Young Members group.  Ask me about joining their email list.

Image credit:  http://www.marks-thomas.com/portfolio.cfm?catid=6

It's coming: an international green building code

The International Code Council (ICC) develops standards and guidelines for building safety, fire prevention, construction practices... and now sustainability.  These days they're working on a green building code for commercial building in the USA.

This article at Philly.com describes work by the ICC's Sustainable Building Technology Committee on the new green building code.  California and Pennsylvania are the only two states with government representatives on the panel.