12 years in the green building industry is plenty of time to potentially witness great change. Back in 1996, after having spent years as a draftsman, construction laborer, and engineer, seeing a house being built with bales of straw was an eye-opener. It gave us all a spirit of pioneering and justification for our bohemian lifestyles living in remote areas, sleeping on the ground.
These days I sit in my office and witness the change that has happened since those dirty days.
12 years later our choices of materials and systems are vast and the web has connected everyone. We can share our experiences in near real-time. Building a bale building is not as odd as it used to be. The new and old worlds have grown closer. But there is still some wide gaps in the construction world that have helped put us into the present mess of sub-prime loans and sub-par construction. How far have we really come and how much of a dent in mainstream have we made over the past 10 years? The evidence seems mixed.
Back in 1995, specifying a wood I-joist, like a TJI or a BCI, was a big deal because they hadn’t been around that long and builders were still wrapping their heads around the fact that paying a little more for every piece of lumber being straight had some extra value. As time went by, more and more builders embraced “engineered” lumber. These days, when a builder uses “engineered” lumber in his or her project, he or she can use it as a marketing tool. They can tout it as part of their motto to save the world and build “green.” It makes the client feel better about themselves as well.
Back in 1995, energy efficiency was something that a few people talked about, but most builders really didn’t need to worry about it. No one was holding builders feet to the fire to prove exactly how efficient their buildings were. We were building custom homes with bale walls and having them tested for infiltration and insulating qualities through the infant E-star program in Colorado. The results were off the map! The people doing the testing were blown away by how well these houses of straw performed. Honestly, we weren’t doing anything special other than paying attention to a few extra details. Our clients were happy, but very few people cared about what was going on. In 2008, huge construction companies are having thousands of their new homes not only tested after they are built, but they are modeling the designs on the computer to figure out how they will perform. What is funny, but also obvious and sobering, is that they are doing it for the very same reason as the users of engineered lumber - to make their clients feel better about themselves. It helps them sell their products. What they are finding out is that it saves someone money in the long-term.
I remember all of the resistance to the ideas of building greener and making things more efficient. in the late 1990’s we became a member of the local and regional HBA (Home Builders Association). It was part of the national organization. Lots of big builders at luncheons and speakers touting their new materials and systems. Everyone was shaking hands and patting themselves on the back for all of their accomplishments. Building officials, insurance agents, mortgage brokers - everyone involved was there. We were introduced and when people heard about what we were doing, their eyes glazed over. We thought we were going to enlighten people - help them see the way. No such luck! We faded into the background and eventually let our membership expire. We were hoping for development opportunities. Ways to bring these old, but new ideas to the market. We couldn’t do it all on our own and wanted help - collaboration. There was no real value to the mass production builder, and they had no foresight. They could have cared less. Some of them even saw us as a threat.
Now in 2008, there are so many more builders and consultants just like us back then, it gives me a chuckle that those guys back then didn’t get it. The real crime was the fact that those people were making money hand over fist selling sub-par products that will be worth less in the coming years than they are now. They built more housing stock in this country than anyone before them. Millions and millions of square feet of floor area was constructed to minimal codes standards. Now the pie is smaller for everyone. The consumer has ultimately been the loser and I wonder if they will know the difference when things get better again - which they usually do. Will consumers wake up and realize that they have a choice? Or will they follow the same people down the same road and get the same thing as before? My gut tells me yes, they will follow the same people as before.
Due to the fact that money drives our decisions, not a sense of our responsibility to the future, our current state of affairs will likely be just another part of the cycle of ups and downs. That’s ok, I guess. It means that the consumer will be bitten again down the road and never really know why. The builders will make their money and retreat into their well-insulated homes, away from the places they so carelessly destroyed. In recent years I have heard of “green” builders building homes completely insulated with rigid and expanding foam (a purely un-natural material, made from petroleum products), from basement to roof, while belittling construction systems such as straw bale construction. As far as I can tell, if these same people are leading the consumers towards their products, we still have a long way to go, and ultimately the consumer will lose once again.
January 24 2008 | Projects and Education | No Comments »
The Guardian in the UK is reporting on a carbon nuetral village
“Britains first carbon-neutral village is inspiring action groups around the country. David Ward met some of the new wave of eco evangelists.”
The idea is similar to net-zero homes, but from a carbon point of view.
April 16 2007 | Projects | No Comments »
Renewableenergyaccess.com is reporting that Colorado is upping the ante a notch, thanks to Governor Ritter.
“In a formality central to his “New Energy Economy” pledge, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) signed two bills last week that will work in tandem: one doubling the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 20% for investor-owned utilities and the other aimed at getting the transmission built that’s crucial to connecting renewable energy resources with load centers.
“Colorado and New Mexico both doubled their RPS laws this month and, importantly, brought rural electric co-ops into these standards for the first time. These laws will advance rural economic development and benefit urban consumers alike.”
– Craig Cox, Interwest Energy Alliance, Executive Director
House Bill 1281 doubles the renewable energy standard established by voters with the 2004 passage of Amendment 37. Large investor-owned utilities must now obtain 20% of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020.”
Will this mean more cheap solar system installs for individual homeowners?
April 07 2007 | Projects | No Comments »
A University of California, Berkeley physics student has placed results of his research regarding the total primary energy supply that would be needed by solar PV cells to generate all of the world electricity needs.
“Solar power systems installed in the areas defined by the dark disks could provide a little more than the world’s current total primary energy demand (assuming a conversion efficiency of 8 %). That is, all energy currently consumed, including heat, electricity, fossil fuels, etc., would be produced in the form of electricity by solar cells. The colors in the map show the local solar irradiance averaged over three years from 1991 to 1993 (24 hours a day) taking into account the cloud coverage available from weather satellites.”
The small size of area required is very small compared to the available land mass.
April 07 2007 | Energy | No Comments »
The American Society of Landscape Architects, or ASLA, has created the Green Roof Project.
On this webpage you will find all sorts of interesting facts and pictures of green roofs. They even have a green roof ‘cam’ to show progress of a project. At the moment there is nothing happening, but there may be when you visit their site.
Green roofs have the potential to make a significant impact on many negative environmental effects of urban development. They are durable, beautiful and can even provide food if used as vegetable gardens. As an architect, do you have any green roof projects under your belt yet?
April 01 2007 | Projects | 1 Comment »
RenewableEnergyAccess.com is reporting on an 11-MW Solar PV Plant Dedicated in Portugal.
“Spread across 150-acres on a Portuguese hillside, 52,000 photovoltaic modules sit amid the olive trees generating electricity at one of the world’s largest solar power plants in the town of Serpa. After eight months of construction and testing, GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of General Electric, PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation and Catavento SA dedicated the 11-megawatt (MW) Serpa solar power plant on Wednesday.
“The Serpa solar power plant speaks to the green power initiatives now setting Europe on a course toward ambitious emissions reductions goals. By assembling a first-class team of companies in the solar arena, we’ve achieved a remarkable renewable energy milestone.”
– Tom Dinwoodie, PowerLight, CEO
Located in Portugal’s Alentejo agricultural region, 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Lisbon, the plant uses PowerLight’s PowerTracker system to follow the sun’s daily path across the sky and generate more electricity than conventional fixed-mounted systems.”
Photo Credit: Business Wire
April 01 2007 | Projects and Energy | No Comments »
The Boulder Green Building Guild is reporting on a series of book signings and lectures focused on renewable and sustainable issues at the Denver Public Library through April 2007.
March 28 2007 | Projects | No Comments »
Chevron Energy and Fresno State University partner on solar project.
“Construction has begun at California State University, Fresno on a solar panel-topped parking structure system being built by Chevron Energy Solutions, a Chevron (NYSE: CVX) subsidiary, that will be the largest of its kind at any university in the United States.
Photovoltaic panels installed atop 10 metal shelters that will shade more than 700 parking spaces from the San Joaquin Valley sun, will convert the sun’s energy into 1 megawatt of electricity. That’s about 20 percent of the university’s base demand and equivalent to the power needs of 1,000 homes, said Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Fresno State vice president for administration and chief financial officer.”
March 28 2007 | Projects and Energy | 2 Comments »
Renewableenergyaccess.com is reporting on a new line of inverters for PV systems by Power One.
“Power-One introduces the Aurora(R) PVI-6000 Series of solar and wind inverters. This new inverters utilize two high-speed, independent channels to optimize energy harvesting and also increase the amount of available energy to provide up to 97% conversion efficiencies. The introduction of the PVI-6000 is indicative of the Company’s progress within the Alternative Energy markets, and the commitment to address the local needs of global customers with competitive products that provide energy from a variety of non-polluting sources. Additional product lines are expected to be introduced later this year.”
March 28 2007 | Systems and Energy and Industry Technology | 1 Comment »
LADWP: LADWP Press Releases
NEWS RELEASE
March 23, 2007
City of Los Angeles Approves Agreement to
Supply Clean Energy for 70,000 Homes
Contract with Pacific-Northwest’s Powerex Increases
Supply of Renewable “Green” Energy for L.A.
LOS ANGELES — The City of Los Angeles took a critical step toward increasing the City of Los Angeles’ green power supply today when the LA City Council approved two agreements that will provide enough renewable energy to power 70,000 homes. These agreements, each of which provide 25 megawatts of renewable power for a total of 50 megawatts, enable LADWP to meet an additional 2% of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s goal to increase the City’s renewable power supply to 20% by 2010.
The green power purchase agreements will go into effect April 1.
March 28 2007 | Energy | No Comments »
The Bahrain World Trade Center nearing completion includes three 29-meter wind turbines as part of it’s design. This seems to be something of a first in skyscraper design.
Is this a worthy undertaking? Since the turbines are fixed, will they harness enough wind to pay for themselves? Is this just an architectural feature? We won’t know until they tell us if it is working or not.
March 27 2007 | Projects | No Comments »
BP Solar Announces a Mega Cell Plant in Madrid
“Madrid, 22nd March 2007: BP Solar today announced that it has begun constructing a mega cell plant at its European headquarters in Tres Cantos, Madrid. For phase 1 of the Madrid expansion, BP Solar is aiming to expand its annual cell capacity from 55 MW to around 300 MW. This follows the announcement on 21st March of the construction of a similar facility in Bangalore, India.
The new cell lines use state-of-the-art screen printing technology, much of it proprietary to BP Solar. By fully automating wafer handling, the lines will be able to handle the very thinnest of wafers available and ensuring the highest possible quality.”
More supply means lower prices! Will these efforts affect the consumer?
March 24 2007 | Projects and Energy | No Comments »
Greener Buildings is reporting on a and agreement between the NAHB and the ICC to create a green building standard.
“The two most influential groups in the home building industry and the code development and enforcement community are collaborating to bring uniformity to sustainable building practices. The National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council will undertake the development and publication of a residential green building standard, NAHB and ICC leaders announced today.
During a press conference at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla., NAHB and the Code Council reinforced their commitment to sustainable building practices and the creation of national standards for green home building.”
How will this differ from the NAHB model green guidelines and will it interface with LEED? How far will it actually go towards truly sustainable buildings, or will it end up only greenwashing an industry that has selectively listened to consumers regarding environmental impact and choices in the marketplace? Can two industry led grous really create a ‘green’ code?
March 23 2007 | Codes | 1 Comment »
The Seattle Times is running a story about “Zero-energy” homes planned in Issaquah.
“Your future home could come from the recycling bin.
Solar energy would power it.
The best part? Utility bills would be next to nothing.
Theyre called “zero-energy” homes — homes designed to produce as much electricity as they consume. And in Issaquah, city officials are planning an unusual partnership with a builder to construct King Countys first community by 2009.
“This would be the first step in a new paradigm for green development,” said Brad Liljequist, sustainable-building and lead urban-design consultant for the Issaquah project.
The 10 energy-saving town houses in the Issaquah Highlands will be aimed at the median market.”
Zero energy homes are becoming a popular theme as some in the green building trades are already doing it. Are there any near you?
March 23 2007 | Projects | 1 Comment »
Green Building Product News is reporting on the virtues of hydraulic lime for plasters on buildings
““Today, there’s a big trend of using finishes from Tuscany, and all these faux finishes. Well, faux in French means fake. Why would you want a fake finish when you can have a real finish,” asks Michel Couvreux. “Just use the same material they used, and it will not be a fake thing.”
The “same material” happens to be natural hydraulic lime plaster. Michel Couvreux is president of TransMineral USA, and a passionate advocate of the classic building material. Natural hydraulic lime plaster should not be confused with Type-S Hydrated lime or quicklime. Only hydraulic lime can form a lasting plaster or stucco without the use of additives.”
Those of us who have used hydraulic lime are familiar with it’s virtues. What do you think?
March 23 2007 | Materials | 1 Comment »
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