Green Building & Manufacturing Articles
Hospital Uses 3D Animation to Keep Project on Time and on Budget
An industry-wide standard is being set as a billion-dollar hospital uses BIM to hold down costs
Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago is building a new hospital (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago), and is using BIM to hold costs down and ensure that the project is ready for a Summer 2012 move. Although BIM is often used on commercial construction projects, utilizing BIM technology to this extent for a hospital project of this magnitude is groundbreaking.
By creating a virtual 3D model of the hospital to identify and address potential design and construction issues well before they impact the schedule and budget, BIM helps the hospital ensure that piping, ductwork, and conduit are being routed properly before any of the work actually happens. This technology also enhances the energy efficiency of the building in several ways, including the enabling of thermal modeling, which provides a virtual comparison of potential heat loss based on which materials are selected for the building's enclosure.
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5 Legal Factors in Green Construction
Check out these points with your lawyer before you start your next certified building project
While the benefits of owning and operating green certified buildings are often discussed, the legal implications of their design and construction can be overlooked. Clear-eyed owners should weigh some practical considerations before entering into design or construction agreements aimed at green certification. Here are five factors you should discuss with your construction lawyer about your next green project.
1. Costs of Navigating Sustainability Certification
The number of U.S. counties instituting green building programs has risen by 500 percent since 2003, according to an AIA study. More than 44 states and 100 municipalities have green building laws, according to the USGBC. In fact, localities are so eager to put green building laws on the books that some may be doing so in conflict with existing laws – or without a comprehensive understanding of the issues they want to regulate.
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Haiti trying to avoid past mistakes as rebuilding begins
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- At the Iron Market, Haitians shopped for everything from vegetables to Voodoo flags. One side was destroyed in a 2008 fire. The January 12 earthquake leveled the rest.
By year's end, workers hope to restore the Port-au-Prince landmark to its original splendor.
Destined for Egypt in 1889, the market's French-built minarets became Haiti's when the sale to a Cairo train station fell through and President Florvil Hyppolite bought the massive cast iron structures as part of his plan to modernize the city.
It is the post-earthquake project that most excites Michael Gay, a Port-au-Prince engineer and co-owner of Haiti's largest supplier of concrete.
It's inspiring to see the historical structure rise again amid the rubble, Gay said. But even more, the Iron Market restoration provides hope to those who live and work in its shadow -- especially because everyone knows Haiti's rebuilding process is sure to be slow.
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Semiconductor Manufacturing Technique Holds Promise for Solar Energy
ScienceDaily (May 24, 2010) - Thanks to a new semiconductor manufacturing method pioneered at the University of Illinois, the future of solar energy just got brighter.
Although silicon is the industry standard semiconductor in most electronic devices, including the photovoltaic cells that solar panels use to convert sunlight into energy, it is hardly the most efficient material available. For example, the semiconductor gallium arsenide and related compound semiconductors offer nearly twice the efficiency as silicon in solar devices, yet they are rarely used in utility-scale applications because of their high manufacturing cost.
U. of I. professors John Rogers and Xiuling Li explored lower-cost ways to manufacture thin films of gallium arsenide that also allowed versatility in the types of devices they could be incorporated into. "If you can reduce substantially the cost of gallium arsenide and other compound semiconductors, then you could expand their range of applications," said Rogers, the Lee J. Flory Founder Chair in Engineering Innovation, and a professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry.
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Microbes Quickly Degrade A Popular Biofuel
Biodiesel Stability: New findings show that biodiesel corrodes the carbon steel used in fuel infrastructure
Readily made from vegetable oil, biodiesel has become a popular fuel, with worldwide production now exceeding 10 million tons per year. Yet like all energy sources, biodiesel has its share of drawbacks. New research shows that it can accelerate corrosion of the carbon steel used to manufacture pipelines, storage tanks, and other components of the fuel infrastructure (Energy Fuels, 2010, 24, 2924).
Co-author and microbiologist Joseph Suflita, of the University of Oklahoma, Norman, says that steel weakened from biodiesel interactions could leak fuel and other hazardous materials to the environment.
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Study: With $27 trillion global market at stake, it's time for the U.S. to lead in clean technology
Numerous news articles/op-ed pieces (see here, here & here) along with warnings from high-ranking governmental officials (see here & here) and Congressmen from both sides of the political spectrum have warned that the U.S. is losing the clean energy race to Europe, Japan and China. These countries are ramping up their national renewable energy portfolios and gaining export market share, positively positioning themselves for the largest future export markets in clean technology deployment—the developing world. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately $27 trillion will need to be invested in clean technologies in developing countries over the next four decades.
Why will these future markets be so large? In coming years, emissions will grow most sharply in developing countries, making clean technology deployment vitally important. The U.S. has enormous potential to lead in these markets, but without U.S. legislation that puts a price on carbon and includes public finance to help unlock developing country markets for clean energy, America will continue to fall behind top competitors and miss important opportunities.
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NREL Study: Western Grid Can Handle Increased Wind and Solar Power
A new study shows that it would be possible for the Western power grid to draw 35% of its electricity from wind and solar energy sources by 2017. The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS), released by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on May 20, examines the benefits and challenges of integrating wind power, solar photovoltaic systems, and concentrating solar power onto the grid. The study concludes that while additional infrastructure isn't needed, key operational changes are required to meet this target. The report focused on the power system operated by the WestConnect group of utilities in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
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FERC Aims to Ease the Development of Small Hydropower Projects
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took a step toward making its small hydropower licensing program more user-friendly on April 15 by announcing a series of Web-based tools that will help developers understand the FERC licensing process and complete the license application process more quickly and efficiently. FERC took the action in response to an increase in the number of inquiries about small hydropower projects. In 2009, FERC received almost twice as many inquiries about small hydropower issues than in 2008, and the commission has also received more applications for these types of projects in recent years.
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Future Fuels
What chance do alternatives have of overtaking the internal combustion engine?
The hallmark of a good design is longevity and the internal combustion engine has survived decades with only relatively minor modifications. But the threat of peak oil and increasing legislation aimed at tackling climate change is forcing the motor industry to start seriously examining alternatives to fossil fuel.
The dominance of conventional petrol and diesel powered cars has made motor manufacturers reluctant to invest sufficient resources on developing attractive alternatives, which in turn maintains the old order. The car industry has been trapped in a self-reinforcing loop. The imminent launch of Nissan's Leaf electric car - the first five door family hatchback to be produced on a large scale, could change that.
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Energy use set to jump 50 percent by 2035: report
World energy consumption is expected to jump by nearly 50 percent by 2035, led by developing nations such as China and India, the US government said in a report Tuesday.
As consumption increases, Asia will also account for most of energy-linked pollution blamed for global warming, said the US Energy Information Administration, the statistical agency of the US Department of Energy.
China and India, among those least impacted by the recent global recession, "will continue to lead the world's economic and energy demand growth into the future," the EIA said in the report for the 2007-2035 period.
China and India, among those least impacted by the recent global recession, "will continue to lead the world's economic and energy demand growth into the future," the EIA said in the report for the 2007-2035 period.
It forecast that global energy consumption
would rise 49 percent to 739 quadrillion British Thermal Units (BTU) in 2035 from 495 quadrillion BTU in 2007.
Analysts often measure energy in BTUs. Because a single BTU is so small, energy is usually measured in thousands or millions of BTU. For entire economies, energy is measured in quadrillion BTU, or "quads" for short.
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ZEROPrize Winners Showcase Re-Skinning as Energy Efficient Facelifts for Buildings
We're used to hearing about old buildings getting "facelifts." But why make a few nips and tucks when you can get a whole new skin? Re-skinning, essentially putting an entirely new facade on a building, can save an older structure when standard retrofits like installing insulation fail to make it more energy-efficient.
There's no one approach to re-skinning. The winners of the ZEROPrize, a re-skinning award from ZeroFootprint (in conjunction with UNHabitat and others), worked on a variety of structures from a typical single-family house in Toronto to a large bank headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The former, a 60-year-old bungalow called the Now House, achieved an energy savings of 70% after it was given a new envelope with high-quality insulation and a new roof with integrated solar panels, among other improvements.
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Commissioning: In Pursuit of the Truly Green Building
The practice of "commissioning," in which an engineer monitors the efficiency of a building from its design through its initial operation, just may be the most effective strategy for reducing long-term energy usage, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. So why is it so seldom used?
In a different world, it could be a reality television show — "Buildings On Trial," with a street-savvy engineer going into skyscrapers, factories, offices and other commercial buildings to find the dumb mistakes that make them waste energy and produce a disproportionate share of the nation's global warming emissions.
And in almost every case, even new buildings proudly displaying a LEED "green building" plaque by the front door, the engineer would come back out with a list of energy hog culprits: Here's the ventilation system fan installed backwards, so it blows full force into another fan blowing in the right direction. Here's the control system set up so heating and cooling systems both work at once, like driving with your feet on the brakes and the accelerator at the same time. Here are the stuck dampers that prevent the building from drawing on outside air when the temperature is right.
Such mistakes are commonplace even in the best buildings — and often costly. In one case, says Dave Moser of Portland Energy Conservation, Inc., an Oregon nonprofit, it cost a building owner $5,000 to fix stuck dampers — and cut $50,000 off the annual energy bill. In a case of simultaneous heating and cooling at an 85,000-square-foot academic building, a minor programming fix cost almost nothing and saved $100,000 a year in wasted energy, according to Mark Miller of Strategic Building Solutions, a Connecticut company.
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DOE Launches the High Efficiency Windows Volume Purchase Program
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the launch of the Highly-Insulating R-5 Windows and Low-e Storm Windows Volume Purchase Program, part of a multi-year integrated strategy to transform the market for high efficiency windows. The initiative will facilitate the broader deployment of these windows by pairing manufacturers with buyers looking to purchase large volumes of windows and by setting performance expectations for two new types of energy efficient windows. This will provide support for window manufacturers to help overcome the initial costs associated with producing windows at an even higher efficiency level while connecting volume buyers with pre-cleared suppliers.
"The Department of Energy has played a key role in rapidly advancing window technology in the past few years. This program will help move these technologies into the marketplace, providing significant energy savings to homes and businesses across the country," said Roland Risser, DOE's Building Technologies Program Manager. "This initiative will help drive demand and increase the number of offerings available to builders and project developers."
The program includes both Highly-Insulating R-5 (U value 0.2) Windows and Low-e Storm Windows. When replacing windows or building a new building, R-5 Windows can reduce heat loss through the window by 30 to 40% compared to a typical R-3 window available today. In situations where full replacement is not an option, Low-e Storm Windows, which fit over existing windows, can be used to reduce heat loads by up to 20%. The savings for both R-5 windows and Low-e Storm Windows are a significant improvement over products available today—and many meet DOE's price premium target of less than $4 per square foot. With higher energy performance and lower purchase prices, windows can become an even more cost effective measure for building retrofits.
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Highly-Insulating (R-5) Windows and Low-e Storm Windows Volume Purchase Program
The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program (BTP) is coordinating a volume purchase of R-5 windows, and low-e storm windows, to expand the market of these high efficiency products.
Price is the principal barrier to more widespread market commercialization. The aim of this volume purchase initiative is to work with industry and potential buyers to make highly insulated windows more affordable.
Volume Purchase Products Web Site Update
The volume purchase RFP closed on February 19, 2010, with more than 50 proposals received. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) staff are in the process of contacting each proposer to confirm the bid information and data submitted. A link to the window products Web site from which window products can be purchased will be posted when the page goes live on May 27th, 2010 in conjunction with a Manufacturers "Kick-Off" Event.
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DOE Webinar June 22, 2010: Cost-Effective Triple Pane (R-5) and Low-e Storm Windows - Available Now
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Program is offering a webinar on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. EST titled "Cost-Effective Triple Pane (R-5) and Low-e Storm Windows — Available Now."
Windows in the United States account for 30% of building heating and cooling energy loss, and represent a key opportunity for improving the energy efficiency of buildings. This webinar will provide information about DOE's effort to bring affordable triple pane and low-e storm windows to the marketplace. Through the launch of a new DOE-sponsored volume purchase program, builders and distributors can buy these windows at a competitive price. Learn more.
Specifically, our speakers will present:
* An overview of DOE's window technology research
* How the volume purchase program has made these windows affordable
* Energy-savings and high-performance design opportunities
* Window products specifications and pricing
* Information on how to purchase these windows.
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Toward Sustainable Travel: Breaking the Flying Addiction
Flying dwarfs any other individual activity in terms of carbon emissions, yet more and more people are traveling by air. With no quick technological fix on the horizon, what alternatives — from high-speed trains to advanced videoconferencing — can cut back the amount we fly?
In most departments I have excellent green credibility, and my carbon footprint is small. I have not owned a car in more than 20 years and commute to work by subway. I walk to the market and generally no longer buy produce flown in from far away. I recycle. I have an air-conditioner, but use it only on the hottest of days. I have gone paperless with all my bills.
But my good acts of responsible environmental stewardship are undercut by one persistent habit that will be hard to break, if it is possible at all: I am a frequent flyer, Platinum Card. Last year, I traveled nearly 100,000 miles of mostly long-haul travel. And that figure puts me in the minor leagues compared to legions of business consultants, international lawyers, UN functionaries — and even climate scientists — who certainly travel much more.
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'Oyster' device is a pearl in the ocean: Wave Power
There is a giant oyster in the sea that's making something valuable—electrical power. The "Oyster" wave energy device off the coast of Scotland is proving to the public that renewable energy generated from ocean waves could be the pearl they've been seeking.
On the western edge of Scotland's Orkney Islands, the 56-foot-tall Oyster 1 device only appears above the surface of the sea. It is a buoyant hinged flap that's actually attached to the ocean floor. It uses the force of the ocean's waves to push the flap's two hydraulic pistons backwards and forwards, driving fresh water via an underground pipe to an onshore hydroelectric turbine, which generates electricity for Scotland's power grid.
Once commercial development begins in 2013, multiple Oyster wave power devices will be deployed in small clusters of typically 100 MW or more over a stretch of coastline off mainland Orkney, with the potential to build a wave farm with an installed capacity of 200 MW. This would provide enough energy to power around 190,000 homes.
The technology has been evolving since 2003 when it was first suggested by Professor Trevor Whittaker at Queen's University, Belfast. Aquamarine Power in Scotland began working to commercialize the device in 2005. Private investors in the United Kingdom and Ireland have provided more than $10 million in funding and the company is also benefiting from substantial support from research councils, national academies and the Scottish and U.K. governments, as well as national utility, Scottish and Southern Electricity Renewables
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Study: Green building certifications to grow 900% worldwide by 2020
A new study by Pike Research estimates that certified green building space will reach 6 billion square feet worldwide this year and grow to 53 billion square feet over the next decade.
The green building trend is not just strong here in the United States, green building is also booming around the world. Although a building can be built with the environment in mind, most builders are pursuing an official green building certification rating like that offered by the U.S. Green Building Council. A new study by Pike Research that certified green building space will reach 6 billion square feet worldwide this year and grow to 53 billion square feet over the next decade.
As would be expected, the majority of this space is in the commercial sector. Currently, 73 percent of green-certified building space is in a commercial building but this number is expected to grow to 80 percent by 2020. Since commercial buildings are responsible for a large portion of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, it is important to see green building continue to grow in this segment.
The report finds that there are three drivers for pursuing green building certifications: companies are embracing the importance of green building as part of their overall corporate social responsibility plans and certified office space helps the company meet their CSR goals, energy efficient buildings can reduce annual operating costs, and the increasing frequency of government instituted regulations mandating greener buildings.
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Assessment Finds Advanced Energy Design Guide Series Advances Energy Savings
ATLANTA -- A series of guides written by leading building organizations to advance energy efficiency are positively impacting the building industry, according to a new assessment commissioned by ASHRAE.
The market assessment, which focused on ASHRAE members use of the guides, determined that the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is in line with their objective of achieving 30 percent energy savings over the minimum code requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
The assessment, conducted by the Energy Center of Wisconsin, also found that more than 70 percent of ASHRAE members who have used the guides view them as credible and useful design resources, and that the recommendations by climate zone and how-to tips are particularly helpful. Almost all participants in the assessment agree that they would use the guides on future projects. Users feel the guides serve as independent and credible third-party sources of information, are easy to understand and provide practical, application-oriented recommendations for reducing building energy use.
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Recent developments suggest "green building" is here to stay
By now, the collective conscious is familiar with the term "green" in its environmental sense. Many corporations have "sustainability" reports that highlight the triple bottom line – economy, society, and the environment. Others say that building green is the best way to attract tenants and retain them, citing reduced operating costs and increased property values.
Now, "green building" is slowly creeping into Wisconsin law. Recently the Wisconsin Legislature passed Senate Bill 616 requiring that plans and specifications for major state construction projects conform to requirements under the Leadership in Energy and Efficiency Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System at the "silver" performance level.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) oversees the LEED certification rating system, which creates checklists for different types of projects and awards points for inclusion of certain specifications. Categories include sustainable site development, water and energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
As of April 1, 2010, the USGBC reported that "various LEED initiatives including legislation, executive orders, resolutions, ordinances, policies and incentives are found in 45 states … 34 state governments, 14 federal agencies or departments, 17 public school jurisdictions and 41 institutions of higher education across the United States."
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Market Study: LED Lighting To Reach 46% Of Commercial Building Lamp Market By 2020
According to a new report from Pike Research, LED lighting will achieve a 46% penetration of the $4.4 billion U.S. market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors.
"LED lighting will reach an inflection point in the next five years," says managing director Clint Wheelock. "As solid state lighting costs come down and performance increases, LEDs will become a practical option for an increasing number of commercial applications."
Wheelock adds that LEDs are already widely used in traffic signals and exit sign lighting, and Pike Research anticipates that those markets will become saturated within the next few years. The outdoor stationary sector will be the next growth area for LED lighting, followed by retail and office/professional and institutional buildings.
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'DUMPSITES IN DISGUISE'
Coal ash isn't just dumped; it's increasingly being recycled into building materials and other uses. But in states like North Carolina, the failure to adequately regulate one so-called "beneficial use" of the toxic-filled waste is putting communities at risk.
After coal is burned at power plants, leaving massive heaps of ash, not all of the waste ends up in landfills and impoundments like the one that failed catastrophically in east Tennessee in December 2008.
A growing share of the nation's coal ash is being reused and recycled, finding its way into building materials, publicly used land and even farmland growing food crops. And despite the presence of toxins like arsenic, chromium and lead found in coal ash, these reuses go largely unregulated by state and federal officials.
The latest report from the American Coal Ash Association, the industry group representing major coal ash producers, found that of the more than 136 million tons of coal ash produced in 2008, about 44 percent -- 60 million tons -- was reused. Some of the reuses for coal ash, such as recycling it into concrete, are not very controversial even among environmental advocates, since they're believed to lock in toxic contaminants.
But there are growing concerns about other reuses of coal ash. For example, the recent revelation that Chinese-manufactured drywall made with coal ash was releasing noxious chemicals inside people's homes spurred a CBS investigation that also found problems with U.S.-made drywall products. The discovery led the Consumer Product Safety Commission to call for a closer look at drywall products made with coal ash.
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Updates BIM Guide
VA's Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) has determined that Building Information Modeling (BIM) represents both an enhanced technology and a process change for the architecture-engineering-construction-facilities management industry. VA is committed to moving both the organization and its service providers to BIM as effectively and efficiently as possible, and to integrating BIM process requirements and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) methodologies into its delivery requirements.
The goal of CFM's conversion to BIM is to deliver higher value and maximize lifecycle building performance to support VA's mission to deliver excellent medical services. Just as the VA's digitization of patient records has greatly improved the business and management process of care delivery for patients, so the digitization of building data will improve the design and management of VA buildings across their lifecycles—from concept to design to construction to operations to reuse and eventual demolition. And, just as standardized data in electronic medical records helps VA find ways to improve patient care, so standardized building data available electronically across VA will help the agency find better ways to design and manage its facilities in the future.
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