Fw: GreenClips.145 05.31.00

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Welcome to GreenClips, a summary of news on sustainable building design and

related government and business issues published every two weeks by Chris

Hammer.

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NY STATE TAX INCENTIVE TO SPUR GREEN BUILDING

New York State's Green Building Tax Credit, which became law May [15], is

designed to encourage building owners and tenants to produce

energy-conserving and environmentally friendly buildings and spaces by

offsetting some of the additional first cost associated with high

performance

buildings. Under the program, $25 million is available from 2001-2009 to

building owners and tenants, in the form of income and franchise tax

credits.

These include a total of 7 percent of eligible costs for green buildings

that

meet the state's requirements both in the base building and the tenant

spaces; 5 percent for green base buildings only; and 5 percent for minimum

10,000-square-foot green tenant spaces. There is also a credit equivalent to

10 percent of the cost of new air-conditioning equipment using refrigerants

that don't harm the ozone layer. Builders using fuel cells and photovoltaic

panels are eligible for additional credits. The program's minimum

requirements would result in new buildings that are 35 percent more energy

efficient than required by state energy code, and rehabilitated buildings

that are 25 percent more efficient, says Craig E. Kneeland, program manager

for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. NYSERDA is

soliciting bids for a technical assistance contractor to aid in formulating

the law's green building standards. - Engineering News-Record (ENR), 29

May

00, p 14, by Nadine M. Post, and The New York Times, 29 May 00, by

Holusha.

[Contractor services proposals due to NYSERDA on 6/26/00. More:

http://www.nyserda.org/558rfp.html]

WRI HOPES TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO BUILD GREEN

The new office of the World Resources Institute (WRI) reflects the

organization's mission of moving human society toward environmental

sustainability. " We hope that others will be inspired by what we have done

and that they will realize that 'green architecture' is an important and

easy

road to travel, " says Kiefer, WRI's manager of facilities and office

services. Designed by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), WRI's

38,000-square-foot offices occupy the eighth and a portion of the seventh

floor of a building in Washington, DC. " Closed offices are on the inside of

the space with open offices on the outside. To us, it's an inside-out

office,

a configuration that maximizes the flow of natural light into the space,

creating an open environment that encourages people to get out of their

offices, " says Mendler, senior designer at HOK when the project was

in

progress. Six-foot high clerestory windows allow natural light to reach into

all offices. Energy-efficient fluorescent light fixtures provide indirect

lighting and personal dimming control through a desktop PC. Office doors are

manufactured from wheat straw fiberboard, are formaldehyde free, and are

finished with a zero-VOC, UV-cured finish. Kiefer estimates that the cost of

" going green " is no greater than designing an office without a heavy

environmental focus. - Green@Work, May-Jun 00, p 34, by Janet Wiens.

[Take a virtual tour of the materials used in WRI's office:

http://www.wri.org/office/material.htm]

NATURAL VENTILATION OFFERS SAVINGS AND PERSONAL CONTROL

Natural ventilation often provides building occupants with personal control

over their space--allowing them to open and close windows--and is also often

a cost-saving feature, with energy savings in the range of 10 to 25 percent

compared to similar buildings without natural ventilation. Natural

ventilation may replace air conditioning entirely or, more commonly in large

buildings, may coexist with mechanical systems. These " mixed-mode " buildings

are more practical in extreme climates and provide backup in case occupants

are uncomfortable. Integrating passive and mechanical air-distribution

systems is tricky, however, and most engineers prefer not to deal with the

variable of occupants undermining the mechanical system by opening windows

when the equipment is operating. Many mixed-mode spaces switch from natural

to mechanical ventilation on a daily or seasonal basis. Viñoly's 1.3

million-square-foot L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, to be

completed in 2003, will switch to natural ventilation when outdoor

conditions

allow it. The exhibit hall and circulation areas will be naturally

ventilated

much of the year. Cool air, conducted via plenums from openings along the

building's river and city ends, will be distributed to meeting rooms.

Natural

ventilation is likely to save about 25 percent in energy costs over

comparable buildings. Mixed-mode buildings sometimes include locks that

prevent occupants from opening windows when the air conditioning is on. But

at the new computer sciences facility at York University in Toronto,

occupants will be given instructions on when to keep their windows closed,

and will be trusted not to undermine the mechanical system. -

Architectural

Record, May 00, by Nadav Malin.

[Full text: click on Continuing Education at http://www.archrecord.com]

HOME RATING SYSTEM LAUNCHED IN UK

In April, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) [a UK center for

research

into buildings and construction] launched EcoHomes, a rating system for

homes

that encourages the homebuilding industry to offer better environmental

performance through good design. Developed with support from the National

House Building Council and an advisory group of homebuilders, EcoHomes is a

voluntary certification scheme that assigns qualified homes a rating ranging

from pass to excellent. This rating is worked out by qualified assessors,

under license to BRE, according to credits awarded for performance on seven

issues: energy, transport, pollution, materials, water, ecology/land use,

and

health/well-being. To help calculate the environmental consequences of

materials and components, BRE has established a standard method of

life-cycle

assessment, and maintains a database of environmental profiles of UK

construction materials. In addition, BRE has developed a reference aid, the

" Green Guide to Housing. " - Green Futures, May-Jun 00, p 2, by Tom Harvey.

[More: http://www.bre.co.uk/press2000/april/eco060400.html]

RECYCLED SYNTHETIC ROOF SHINGLES GAINING IN POPULARITY

Recycled synthetic roofing shingles that resemble slate or cedar shakes are

becoming popular among homeowners and designers interested in maintain

vernacular regional styles or the historical integrity of buildings. These

recycled rubber and plastic shingles offer an alternative to roofing

materials such as cedar shingles and shakes, natural slate, clay or concrete

tiles, and standing seam metal roofs. Four producers offer six different

synthetic shingle products in a range of colors and shapes. EcoStar

manufactures Majestic, composed of synthetic rubber and recycled industrial

plastic from manufacturers of car hoses, shoes, tires, and other rubber

products. EcoStar also distributes EuroSLATE, which contains 60 percent

recycled content. US Century produces FlexShake, containing 90 percent

recycled waste tires. Re-New Wood's EcoShake, which looks like cedar shakes,

is made of recycled PVC hoses and wood fiber from sawmills and

cabinetmakers.

Crowe Building Products manufactures Authentic Original, a slate look-alike

made from recycled plastic and rubber, and Authentic 2000, made from

recycled

TPO (thermoplastic olefin). Recycled synthetic shingles have a 40- to

50-year

life expectancy, and are priced competitively with slate and cedar shingles,

especially when ease of installation and absence of slate breakage are

factored in. More: http://www.ecostarinc.com; http://www.flexshake.com;

http://www.authentic-roof.com; http://www.ecoshake.com. - Environmental

Building News, May 00, p 6, by Rod Francis.

[Full text from EBN: http://www.buildinggreen.com/products/shingles.html]

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