"Going Green: Eco-Friendly Engineering"
"'Green' Building Slow in Coming to Queens"
"Green Roofs Reduce Winter Heating Bills"
"Green Construction Growing in Stature"
"Seattle Adds a Touch of Green"
"Rooftop Oases Find Growing Enthusiasm"
"Tower Adds Rooftop Putting Green for Tenants"
"Hopes for 'Green Buildings' Are Riding on Equestrian Games"
"Environment at Work: Parks and Waterways Building Receives LEED Certification"
"Boston Ready to Go Green"
"'Green' Office Building Would Be City's 1st"
"Work Begins on $140M Building at St. Elizabeths Hospital"
"Green Solution"
"Metal Roofing — A Cool Choice for Any Building"

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls has nearly completed a multi-million dollar university center that has been designed to be environmentally friendly. The new structure features a white roof that reflects unwanted heat from the sun. Special drains have also been built into the rooftop that collect rain and other precipitation, which is then filtered back into the building and used to flush toilets. The 140,000-square-foot university center will serve as the primary campus building for students to gather. A grand opening ceremony has been scheduled for Jan. 22. Looking ahead, there are plans in the works for the entire campus to "go green." Mike Stifter, director of student life facilities, comments, "We're one of four campuses that have a goal of going off the grid."
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The emergence of energy-efficient construction in New York City is the result of an increase in demand, concerns over rising energy prices and an influx of architects fluent in such designs. To date, most of the high-profile local green buildings have been in Manhattan, with a few in Brooklyn. The borough of Queens, however, has lagged behind both due mainly to a lack of developers willing to erect such projects there. Now, though, a number of architects are looking to Queens' flat-top manufacturing buildings and warehouses for environmentally friendly design. Green Home NYC board member Gita Nandan states that Queens has emerged as one of the key sites for prospective green roofs, which place soil and foliage in place of such traditional materials as tar and gravel. Set to open this spring, the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor and Administrative Building will boast a green roof that will tap into solar energy and retain and reuse precipitation. Architect Craig Tooman notes that a green roof is about 25 percent more costly than installing a traditional roof, but the long-term benefits are worth the added expenditure. Tooman, who has designed green building projects in New York and Connecticut, notes, "With a green roof, you need a stronger structure; but you protect the roof, get higher life expectancies and lower energy costs."
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In the summer of 2006, the National Research Council of Canada determined that a green roof on one of its test facilities managed to reduce average daily energy demands by as much as 75 percent versus another test facility with a conventional roof. Now, more research is being done to show that such energy-efficient roofs can also save on energy costs in the cold months. Researchers note that this is because green roofs are able to moderate temperature fluctuations of the existing roofs' membranes. This not only helps to keep a given building warmer, it also minimizes heating demand. Sandra McCullough, a LEED-accredited Professional with GreenGrid Green Roofs, remarks, "Moderating the temperature swings places less demand on a facility's heating system in winter. The added insulation of the green roof blocks cold from entering and heat from leaving the facility." McCullough estimates that as much as 25 percent of a building's heat can escape via the roof.
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Minnesota has been hailed as being at the forefront of the green-building movement taking hold in the U.S.. Even the new ballpark for the Twins baseball team is going green as the legislation establishing the Minnesota Ballpark Authority has mandated sustainable design. Architect Bill Blanski says the stadium will have "huge potential for green roofs. For instance, the upper concourse is the roof of the suites below." Elsewhere, such major retailers as Wal-Mart are getting into the act. At the company's new Supercenter store in Aurora, Colo., rows of tiny plastic domes dot the rooftop. Inside each dome are three computer-aimed mirrors that track the sun's path and bounce its rays down a reflective shaft and through a special white lens to light the large stockroom below. Future federal buildings also will include green features. Just this past spring, the General Services Administration agreed to apply strict green-building standards to its $12 billion construction portfolio of post offices, courthouses and other buildings.
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Seattle's elected leaders recently approved pioneering new construction rules that encourage developers to construct "green roofs," "vegetative walls" and other landscaping features that insulate buildings and ease the strain placed on the city's drains and creek beds. The initiative is modeled after similar standards in Europe, chiefly Germany and Sweden. City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck remarked, "It's aesthetically pleasing; it helps with water quality and replenishes groundwater, creates habitat—even contributes to reducing global warming. And it gives back to the community." Still, some builders have questioned the practicality of soil-topped roofs and other features. It also should be pointed out that the new rule will not apply to builders that install landscaping considered especially beneficial to the environment. Developers would also be able to amass points by planting features on public rights of way instead of just their own property. The Seattle Planning Commission has cautioned about problems in the widespread implementation and consequences of the standards on such public rights of way as parking strips and sidewalks. Possible consequences range from signs being obscured to fewer street parking spaces.
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In Pasadena, Calif., the Art Center College of Design's downtown campus features a green roof that has proven to cool the building in the hot months by absorbing heat and insulating it from the cold when the temperature drops. In April, the city of Pasadena made green roofs mandatory on all new city structures of 5,000 square feet or larger, all mixed-use or residential buildings four stories or taller, and commercial buildings and residential tenant improvement construction of 25,000 square feet or more. The Art Center's roof is one of a growing number that have been planted in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in recent years. One of the pioneers of green roof design in this country is Carmel Valley architect Paul Kephart. He contends that even roofs as small as 11 square feet can remove five pounds of toxic particulate matter from the air every three months, as well as control storm runoff and filter and purify rainwater. The green roof trend is sweeping other parts of the country, as well. Since a heat wave that resulted in the deaths of nearly 500 people in Chicago in 1995, 2.7 million square feet of green roofs have been erected in the Windy City or are in various stages of development right now.
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The 34-story Phoenix Tower in Houston now has a green roof, literally, with the conversion of the rooftop garden of a nine-story wing of the building into a nine-hole putting green with a reflecting pool to stop balls from getting past. Designed by Jack Nicklaus-led Nicklaus Design, the putting green can be used free of charge by tenants and their guests. It was converted by Hines, which manages the property for owner FSP Phoenix Tower, to boost the buildings marketing appeal. Green roofs are especially popular in hot climates like Houston's, partly because they help reduce building temperatures.
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Kentucky currently trails much of the country in moving toward "green buildings." However, state officials and others are hoping to use the 2010 World Equestrian Games as motivation for getting more building owners and others in the state to embrace environmentally friendly building design and features. To date, only three buildings in all of Kentucky have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Currently, a dozen or so LEED buildings are in the planning stages though the state still ranks only 47th in that category. What has changed is that Kentuckians have generally become more concerned with energy and environmental issues in the past several years. Lexington-based architect Martha Tarrant observes, "I think generally people in Kentucky tend to watch what other states do, let things shake out a little bit [and] then decide." The Bluegrass Community & Technical College in Lexington, for instance, will feature a green roof on its new instructional building that will filter rainfall and provide insulation.
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In Idaho, Ada County recently received its third green-building certification. The Boise area now boasts five buildings that have received the U.S. Green Buildings Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The latest is Ada's Parks and Waterways headquarters, located in Barber Park. The structure was designed to maximize natural light usage. Indeed, the building was positioned in such a way so that all of the office space faces southward, where most of the sunlight shines through the windows. The new Parks and Waterways headquarters also features a green roof that helps to both heat and cool the building. The rooftop is covered with recycled plastic trays filled with sedum plants that not only serve to insulate the roof but also absorb rain and deflect sunlight.
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Boston is on the verge of becoming the nation's first major market to require private development firms to follow a strict series of green building standards. These standards will be required prior to permits being issued for any project measuring 50,000 square feet or larger. The main objective is to make Boston buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly via the use of recycled materials, efficient heating and cooling systems, and other components. A number of other large U.S. cities have established green building standards for public buildings or publicly funded developments. To date, though, none have imposed such conditions on private builders. Developers will be required to certify that they have met the new standards, while the city will be tasked with confirming the developers' measures. Some developers, though, are concerned that the new guidelines will make it more difficult to get projects off the ground. Dean F. Stratouly, for example, says, "While no one is against this in principle, it doesn't help the underlying economics of bringing new product to the market." The standards will likely be adopted by the Boston Zoning Commission in January.
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Chandler, Ariz., is set to get its first official "green" office building. The two-story structure will be part of Chandler Plaza, an 18-acre mixed-use development that will include retail stores, eateries and a hotel. The new office building will feature solar panels designed to generate enough power to enable the landlord to sell power back to Salt River Project. Additionally, the structure will have a reflective foam roof that will reflect sunlight rather than absorb heat. The building's architects are expected to apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Certifications are definitely on the upswing. Four years ago, council members signed off on 36 certified projects nationwide. That number has since mushroomed to 579, including 84 registered projects in Arizona.
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Washington, D.C., officials in December 2006 broke ground on a $140 million structure at the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus. The new facility is expected to be up and running by the end of 2009's first quarter, accommodating 292 patients. The building will include a 20,000-square-foot green roof designed to reduce drainage and conserve energy.
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The new Jefferson Green office complex in Albuquerque provides sustainable office space and a host of energy-efficient features for its tenants. The design team of architecture firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (D/P/S), Enterprise Builders and property owner JCC-One LLC set out to achieve a minimum of a U.S. Green Building Council's Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating both for the structure's core and shell and the various tenant improvements that D/P/S envisioned. The design-and-build team's goal is for the building to use 45 percent less energy and 30 percent less indoor water than a conventional office building. Features range from a high-emissivity roof to low-flow plumbing fixtures to a high-performance facade that provides a large amount of daylighting. The builders achieved floor-plan efficiency by opting to go with exposed concrete shear walls instead of the original metal stud and drywall-clad, steel-braced frame. Additionally, the developer and design team went with a raised-floor system for power and data cabling, in addition to under-floor air distribution. On the roof, most of the center bay was built with a concrete metal deck slab, offering an area that supports the large rooftop mechanical air-handling units.
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Cool roofing is increasing in popularity among building owners and managers because of its ability to reduce cooling and heating energy usage. Utility companies have also taken an active interest in cool roofing as it can assist them in slashing peak demand during hot summer afternoons, thus minimizing power disruptions. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that an ENERGY STAR®-labeled roof can reduce surface temperature by up to 100 F. So far, more than 60 percent of the products listed on the ENERGY STAR directory are either metal roofing products or coatings that are specifically used in the metal roofing industry. Those building owners thinking of going this route should take advantage of the tax incentives for commercial construction offered in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. An eligible commercial landlord can receive a tax deduction equivalent to $1.80 for every square foot of the structure as long as that building has been designed to conserve energy. What is required is the proven use of energy-efficient building envelope components, and a cool metal roof is one such component. Building industry officials further note that the use of metal roofing can earn buildings points toward certification in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction rating system.
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