Environmental Building NewsTM The Leading Newsletter on Environmentally Responsible Design & Construction

A Publication of BuildingGreen, Inc. www.BuildingGreen.com Volume 15, Number 5 · May 2006

Passive Survivability: In This Issue A New Design Criterion for Buildings Feature Article ...... 1 • Passive Survivability: A New N DECEMBER 2001 AN EDITORIAL IN The Vulnerability of Buildings Design Criterion for Buildings EBN introduced the concept of “passive Isurvivability,” or a building’s ability to While wasn’t the fi rst What’s Happening ...... 2 maintain critical life-support conditions to affect an entire city, • Newsbriefs if services such as power, heating fuel, and it certainly won’t be the last to cause or water are lost, and suggested that it widespread power outages and damage Awards & Competitions ...... 5 should become a standard design criterion to buildings, it may have been a turning for houses, apartment buildings, schools, point—both in our acceptance that global • AIA Awards 2006 Top Ten and certain other building types (EBN warming is real and in our awareness Green Projects Vol. 14, No. 12). Since then, the term has of the vulnerability we face in the years • Award Briefs begun creeping into the lexicon of green and decades ahead. Visionary thinker building, though we have a long way to go Gil Friend suggested in a recent essay Then & Now: 1996-2006 ...... 7 before the mainstream building industry that someday we will look back at 2005 takes notice. as a tipping point. “The fact- and science- • Unvented Gas Heaters Still averse among us may still claim to not Gaining Ground In this article we examine the concept of be persuaded about global warming, but passive survivability in greater detail and I’ll wager that everyone else got the mes- Product News & Reviews ...... 8 address some specifi c strategies that can be sage in 2005,” he wrote in “Sustainability— employed in adopting this design criterion At the Tipping Point?” in his online • New Delta Showerhead for buildings. newsletter, The New Bottom Advances State of the Art Line (www.natlogic.com). • Kohler Enters the Waterless Urinal Market As the storm track images on page 11 clearly convey, • Another Green Panel Manufacturer Calls it Quits both the frequency and the magnitude of tropical From the Library ...... 15 storms affecting the Gulf • Design Essentials Coast and coastal Atlantic states increased dramatically • Making Better Concrete in the decade 1995 to 2004 compared with the previous Calendar ...... 16 decade. Other, longer-term, scientifi c studies have dem- onstrated that at least the Quote of the month: severity of tropical storms has been increasing as an ef- “With a single ganglion for a brain, using no electricity fect of global warming, even or fossil fuels, termites if the jury is still out on the construct dwellings that frequency of storms. maintain temperature, Photo credit: Duane Lempke, Sisson Studios humidity, and ventilation Cooling-load avoidance strategies, like the shades on the southwestern The potential for rising sea better than most buildings.” windows of the combined Langston High School and Langston-Brown levels has also been in the Terry Brennan Community Center in Arlington, Virginia, help maintain livable news a great deal recently. thermal conditions in a building even when the power goes out. (page 12) (continued on p. 10) What’s Happening

Environmental Building News Executive Editor · Alex Wilson Editor · Nadav Malin What’s Happening Managing Editor · Jessica Boehland Associate Editor · Mark Piepkorn Editorial Intern · Rachel Auerbach Humanity Overshoots Biological than it did in record-breaking 2004, Art Director · Julia Jandrisits Capacity by 39%—Humanity’s eco- the percentage of that petroleum that Marketing Director · Susan Way logical footprint exceeds the planet’s was imported reached a new high in Outreach Director · Jerelyn Wilson capacity by 39%, according to Rede- 2005, according to the U.S. Depart- Director of Online Services · Jim Newman Webmaster · Ethan Goldman fi ning Progress, a nonprofi t policy ment of Energy’s Energy Informa- GreenSpec Manager · Angela Battisto organization based in Oakland, Cali- tion Administration. Of the 99.84 Financial Manager · Willie Marquart fornia. The ecological footprint is a quadrillion Btus used, a net 59.8% Circulation Department measure of the amount of “nature” was imported. Of those imports, Charlotte Snyder, Mgr. · Martha Swanson it takes to sustain a given population 17.0% came from the Persian Gulf Advisory Board John Abrams, Chilmark, MA over the course of a year; compar- and 40.7% came from OPEC coun- Bob Berkebile, FAIA, Kansas City, MO ing this footprint to the same area’s tries. More information is online at John Boecker, AIA, Harrisburg, PA biological capacity shows the degree www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/. Terry Brennan, Rome, NY Bill Browning, Hon. AIA, Rappahannock, VA to which the population is living Nancy Clanton, P.E., Boulder, CO sustainably, or within its ecological Raymond Cole, Ph.D., Vancouver, BC means. The new report fi nds human- Norton Claims Increase in Wet- David Eisenberg, Tucson, AZ Drew George, San Diego, CA ity’s current footprint to be an aver- lands—Gale Norton, outgoing sec- Harry Gordon, FAIA, Washington, DC age of 57 acres (23 ha) per person, retary of the interior, announced John L. Knott, Jr., Dewees Island, SC Malcolm Lewis, Ph.D., P.E., Irvine, CA while Earth’s biological capacity is in March 2006 an increase in the Gail Lindsey, FAIA, Raleigh, NC just 41 (17 ha). It identifi es overfi sh- nation’s area of wetlands. Although Joseph Lstiburek, P.E., Westford, MA ing, industrial agriculture, urban more than 500,000 acres (202,000 ha) Sandra Mendler, AIA, San Francisco, CA Greg Norris, Ph.D., N. Berwick, ME sprawl, and carbon emissions as the of swamps and tidal marshes were Russell Perry, AIA, Washington, DC chief culprits driving the overshoot. lost between 1998 and 2004, the U.S. Peter Pfeiffer, FAIA, Austin, TX Fish and Wildlife Service found a Bill Reed, AIA, Arlington, MA The U.S. has the world’s third highest Jonathan Rose, Katonah, NY ecological defi cit, coming in well be- 200,000-acre (81,000 ha) net increase Marc Rosenbaum, P.E., Meriden, NH hind the United Arab Emirates and in wetlands, due to the fact that it Michael Totten, Washington, DC Gail Vittori, Austin, TX Kuwait. The entire report is online at counted golf course water hazards, ornamental ponds, stormwater sys- www.ecologicalfootprint.org. ENVIRONMENTAL BUILDING NEWS (ISSN 1062- tems, and mine reclamation ponds. 3957) is published monthly by BuildingGreen, Inc. EBN does not accept advertising. Subscriptions are $99/year. Outside North America add $30. Periodicals U.S. Homes Continue to Grow—The postage paid at Brattleboro, Vt. and at additional average new, single-family home mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Environmental Building News, 122 Birge St., Ste 30, built in the U.S. in 2004 came in at Brattleboro, VT 05301. 2,349 ft2 (218 m2)—13% larger than Copyright © 2006, BuildingGreen, Inc. All rights the average in 1990 and 2.4 times as reserved. No material in this newsletter may be photocopied, electronically transmitted, or otherwise big as the average in 1950—according reproduced by any means without written permission to the National Association of Home from the Publisher. However, license to photocopy items for internal use or by institutions of higher educ- Builders’ newest “Housing Facts, Fig- tion as part of collective works is granted, provided ures, and Trends” report, released in that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright March 2006. Of new homes in 2004, Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA; 978-750-8400. 95% had two full bathrooms or more, Disclaimer compared with 87% in 1990 and only Every effort has been made to ensure that the infor- 4% in 1950; and 91% had a garage or mation presented in EBN is accurate and that design carport, compared with 84% in 1900 and construction details meet generally accepted standards. However, the information presented in and 47% in 1950. The complete report EBN, by itself, should not be relied on for fi nal design, is available at www.nahb.org (search engineering, or building decisions. for “fi gures”). Editorial & Subscription Offi ce 122 Birge St., Suite 30, Brattleboro, VT 05301 802-257-7300 · 802-257-7304 (fax) Petroleum Net Imports Reach a Photo: Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service [email protected] · www.BuildingGreen.com New High—Although the U.S. used The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted golf course water hazards as wetlands in its Printed on New Leaf Opaque paper, 100% post-consumer, slightly (0.5%) less petroleum in 2005 process chlorine free with soy-based inks. FSC certifi ed. most recent survey.

2 Environmental Building News · May 2006 What’s Happening

“Open water systems do not have the says NJMC’s executive direc- same biological diversity or functions tor, Robert Ceberio. “The time and values as wetlands,” says Julie to pursue these resources is Sibbing, National Wildlife Federation now.” NJMC is online at www. wetlands specialist. Calling Norton’s njmeadowlands.gov. report “pure spin,” Sibbing notes that “the majority opinion is that the na- tion is still hemorrhaging wetlands.” Wisconsin Commits to Green Building—Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed an executive Landowner to Pay for Clean Water order in April 2006 supporting Act Violations—The U.S. Environ- green building. The order calls The green roof on the Silva, a high-rise residential building in North Vancouver, British Columbia, is mental Protection Agency (EPA) has for new State facilities to be 30% part of the 27 acres (11 ha) of green roofs built in ordered James Pfl ueger to pay $7.5 more effi cient than required by North America in 2005. Photo: David Sprague million for construction activities on commercial code, and it calls for 380 acres (150 ha) of coastal property a 10% reduction of energy usage nonprofi t Green Roofs for Healthy on Kaua’i, Hawaii. Pfl ueger’s trans- in all State buildings by fi scal year Cities (GRHC). The area of green gressions include cutting away a 2008 and a 20% reduction by fi scal roofs in all of North America grew hillside to create a vertical road cut, year 2010. The order also calls on 72%—from 30 acres (12 ha) to 57 grading a coastal plateau, creating the Department of Administration acres (23 ha). Chicago is leading the new access roads to the coast, and to establish standards based on the pack with a total of 183,000 ft2 (17,000 disposing of dirt and rock fill in U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® m2) of green roofs, more than 63,000 perennial streams, according to EPA. Rating System. The text of the order ft2 (5,800 m2) more than runner-up The largest settlement ever for Clean is online at www.wisgov.state.wi.us Water Act violations at a single site, (search for “145”). Ottawa. The fi gures are based on a the agreement requires Pfl ueger to survey of GRHC corporate members, pay $2 million in penalties to the state who were recently asked to report on of Hawaii and the U.S.; $5.3 million to Florida Partnership Promotes Green their activities in both years. Because prevent erosion and restore streams Affordable Housing—The Florida not all members returned surveys at areas damaged by his construction Home Builders Association (FHBA) and because GRHC members do not activities; and $200,000 to replace and the Florida Green Building Co- represent the entire green roof in- cesspools with improved wastewater alition (FGBC) have announced a dustry, the fi gures are lower than the systems at homes in a nearby coastal partnership designed to promote real area. (Chicago’s Department of community. Details are online at green affordable housing. The part- Environment Commissioner Sadhu www.epa.gov/compliance/resources nership will jointly advocate use of Johnston told EBN that over 200 2 /cases/civil/cwa/pfl ueger.html. the FGBC Green Home Designation green roofs totaling 2.5 million ft 2 Standard and Green Development [230,000 m ] are under construction Designation Standard, advocate in- in the city.) The full results are online New Jersey Meadowlands Com- centives for builders and developers at www.greenroofs.org. mission Plans 5 MW Photovoltaic whose projects are certifi ed under System—The New Jersey Mead- these standards, and develop re- Toronto Commits to Green Roofs— owlands Commission (NJMC) has sources to educate and encourage the The City of Toronto, Ontario, has announced plans to install a 5 MW public to consider green building. solar photovoltaic system (the largest committed to installing green roofs FHBA is online at www.fhba.com, system in North America). NJMC on new and existing buildings owned and FGBC is at www.fl oridagreen plans to harness space atop roofs, by the City “whenever practical to do building.org. For more information parking lots, and remediated land- so.” The City recommends consider- about green affordable housing, see fills to accommodate the system, ing green roofs for existing buildings EBN Vol. 14, No. 3. which will require 1.3 million ft2, when roofs are due to be replaced. or approximately 30 acres (121,000 For new construction, the City has m2; 12 ha) of space. NJMC also plans set a target of covering 50% to 75% Green Roof Industry Reports 80% to develop a strategy for creating of each building’s footprint. Called Growth—The area of green roofs 20 MW of renewable energy in the “Making Green Roofs Happen,” the in the U.S. grew by 80%—from 27 Meadowlands District by 2020. policy also includes incentives for the acres (11 ha) to 49 acres (20 ha)— “We’re serious about becoming a private sector to install green roofs. from 2004 to 2005, according to the global leader in renewable energy,” “Torontonians have told us that they

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 3 What’s Happening

want the City to do more to promote to ensure that it did not originate engineer who specializes in mechan- green roofs,” says Deputy Mayor from: forests where traditional or ical, electrical, and energy systems Joe Pantalone, who chairs the City’s civil rights are violated, forests where for buildings and campuses. The Roundtable on the Environment. “In high conservation values are threat- northeast offi ce will focus on com- response, City Council has approved ened, genetically modified trees, missioning and high-performance a comprehensive approach—from illegal sources, or natural forests that buildings. CTG is online at www. establishing standards and building have been harvested for the purpose ctg-net.com. our capacity to support green roofs at of converting the land to plantations the City level to offering education, or other non-forest use. “This effort funding, expert advice, and promo- will help all manufacturers, retailers, PBS to Air “design: e2”—The Public tion.” Details are at www.toronto. and consumers of wood products Broadcasting Service (PBS) plans to ca/greenroofs/roundtable.htm. positively verify that their dollars air “design: e2,” a six-part television are not aiding the illegal or harmful series about “the economies of being actions of others,” says Roger Dower, environmentally conscious,” begin- WBCSD Aims for Climate-Neutral president of FSC-U.S. More informa- ning in June 2006. Narrated by Brad Buildings by 2050—“By 2050 new tion is online at www.fscus.org. Pitt, the series will delve into eight buildings will consume zero net topics: design, water, energy, food, energy from external power supplies textiles, transportation, botanicals, and produce zero net carbon dioxide Rose Starts Smart Growth Invest- and health. More information and emissions while being economically ment Fund—Jonathan Rose Com- a preview are available at www. viable to construct and operate.” panies, LLC, has announced the design-e2.com. That is the goal of an effort led by formation of the Rose Smart Growth the World Business Council for Sus- Investment Fund I, LP, the first tainable Development (WBCSD), national real estate investment fund SBIC Releases New Version of United Technologies Corporation, that acquires buildings exclusively Energy-10—The Sustainable Build- and Lafarge Group. The project, in Smart Growth locations and im- ings Industry Council (SBIC) has announced in March 2006, includes proves them to enhance the quality released version 1.8 of its Energy- three phases: documenting existing of life for tenants and the livability 10™ modeling software, compatible green building successes and set- of the communities. The company with PC computers. The new version backs, identifying present and future announced its fi rst acquisition, the features the ability to model the opportunities, and presenting a uni- historic Joseph Vance and Sterling performance of stand-alone or build- fi ed industry strategy for realizing buildings in downtown Seattle, in ing-integrated photovoltaic systems those opportunities. Each phase will April 2006. “We aim to create one as well as solar domestic or service take one year to complete, according of the greenest and healthiest build- water heaters. For more information, to WBCSD. More information is on- ings in the Seattle marketplace, says visit www.energy-10.com. line at www.wbcsd.org. Jonathan Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies. “This effort will not only improve the quality of life BOMA Launches BEEP—In part- FSC to Develop Risk Registry Pro- for our tenants; we hope it will also nership with the U.S. Environ- gram—Thanks to a $380,000 grant continue to advance understanding mental Protection Agency (EPA) from the Home Depot Foundation, of how to meld older sites with the ENERGY STAR® program, the the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) necessities of this century—reduced Building Owners and Managers plans to develop a Controlled Wood energy use and the appreciation Association (BOMA) Foundation Global Risk Registry. This program for environmental protection. has launched the BOMA Energy addresses one of the more challeng- Jonathan Rose Companies is online Effi ciency Program (BEEP), designed ing aspects of FSC’s recently revised at www.rosecompanies.com. to educate BOMA members about chain-of-custody labeling rules—a energy conservation and reduce the requirement that any noncertified industry’s annual $24 billion energy wood in a labeled product be “con- CTG Opens Northeast Regional trolled” to ensure that it meets cer- bill. BEEP has initially scheduled six Offi ce—Energy and sustainability audio-conference seminars, which tain standards (see EBN Vol. 14, No. consultant CTG Energetics, Inc., has 2). A joint project of FSC-U.S. and FSC run through mid-November 2006; announced the opening of its north- additional seminars may be sched- International Center, the Registry east regional offi ce in Providence, will screen all sources of wood enter- uled. Details are at www.boma.org/ Rhode Island. The offi ce is led by trainingandeducation/beep/. ing the certifi cation supply stream Stephen Turner, P.E., a consulting

4 Environmental Building News · May 2006 Awards & Competitions

Awards & Competitions

AIA Awards 2006 Top Ten induce ventilation. The open-plan environment fosters teamwork and Green Projects collaboration while affording 90% The American Institute of Archi- of building occupants direct views tects (AIA) Committee on the En- to the outdoors. The project earned Photo: Nic Lehoux vironment has selected this year’s 60 LEED points, more than any other deep front porch that joins the library Top Ten Green Projects. The 2006 project to date. and the service center under a large jury included Kevin Burke, AIA, of canopy. The gently curving green William McDonough + Partners; Da- The Animal Foundation roof reduces stormwater runoff. vid Miller, FAIA, of the Miller Hull Dog Adoption Park studies allowed the team Partnership, LLP; Kath Williams, Las Vegas, Nevada to maximize the use of varying in- Ph.D., of Kath Williams + Associates; Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects tensities of natural light. Electricity is Kevin Hydes, P.E., of Stantec Con- generated onsite using sulting, Ltd.; R. K. Stewart, FAIA, in stand-alone panels on the roof and of Gensler; and Catriona Campbell integrated into the glazing. Winter, of the Clark Construction Group, LLC. Full project descriptions are online at www.aiatopten.org and Ben Franklin Elementary School in BuildingGreen Suite. Kirkland, Washington Mahlum Architects Alberici Corporate Headquarters Overland, Missouri Photo: Tom Bonner Mackey Mitchell Associates The 18,700 ft2 (1,740 m2) Dog Adop- This 109,000 ft2 (10,100 m2) LEED® tion Park consists of bungalows Platinum adaptive reuse project in- arranged in a park-like setting cludes an open offi ce environment, shaded by freestanding photovoltaic training rooms, exercise and dining canopies. Given southern Nevada’s facilities, and structured parking. climate, the team decided to focus Although the original manufacturing on eliminating the cooling load and plant faced southwest, the addition reducing water use. The bungalow’s of south-facing “saw-tooth” clere- form and orientation were governed story windows in effect reoriented by daylighting and wind-powered

the building due south and provided ventilation, and the project is ex- Photo: Benjamin Benschneider ample glazing while blocking west- pected to use 81% less energy than The Ben Franklin Elementary School ern sunlight. The interior is organized baseline models. A Living Machine serves 450 students in kindergarten around three large atria and receives treats wastewater for reuse on site. through grade six. The 56,000 ft2 abundant light and fresh air. In (5,280 m2) school was designed to addition to visually uniting the two Ballard Branch Library and preserve and harness the environ- fl oors, the atria act as thermal fl ues to Neighborhood Service Center ment as a teaching tool. Two-story Seattle, Washington classroom wings reach like fi ngers Bohlin Cywinski Jackson toward the large wooded area along the north end of the school. Between This project consists of the 15,000 these wings, courtyards landscaped ft2 (1,400 m2) Ballard branch of the with native plants serve as class- Seattle Public Library, a 3,600 ft2 (330 rooms. The interior was designed to m2) neighborhood service center, and maximize natural ventilation and 18,000 ft2 (1,670 m2) of below-grade daylighting, enhancing students’ parking. The main entry is pulled ability to learn and reducing the back from the street, allowing for a building’s energy use. Photo: Alise O’Brien

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 5 Awards & Competitions

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Philadelphia Forensic Science Solar Umbrella House Motherhouse Center is housed in a former school Venice, California Monroe, Michigan that had been abandoned for many Pugh + Scarpa 2 Susan Maxman & Partners, Architects years. The 58,700 (5,450 m ) con- crete-frame building with brick infi ll was originally constructed in 1929. The project’s energy-effi ciency fea- tures include load separation of lab areas, which require 100% outside air; envelope upgrades resulting in a superinsulated building; and extensive daylighting. The project also substantially increased the per- viousness of the site, with vegetated swales fi ltering runoff and reducing input into city sewers. Photo: Marvin Rand Photo: Barry Halkin Photography Skaaren Environmental Learning The 1,790 ft2 (166 m2) Solar Umbrella Because respecting the Earth and Center at Westcave Preserve House is an adaptive reuse of a home promoting environmental justice Dripping Springs, Texas originally built in 1923. The home’s are among their missions, the Sisters major design feature is a solar canopy Jackson & McElhaney Architects of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that provides 95% of the residence’s 2 wanted to renovate their 380,000 ft electricity while screening large por- 2 (35,300 m ) motherhouse in a way that tions of the structure from the sun. would exemplify those ideals. All A solar heating system supplies heat shower and lavatory water is treated through the concrete fl oors of the in a constructed wetland and reused new addition. Three solar panels for fl ushing toilets. Daylighting and preheat the domestic hot water, and a ground-source heating and cooling a fourth heats the swimming pool. system contribute to an expected 20% The home’s daylit interior requires reduction in energy use, compared no electric lighting on sunny days. to a conventional building. Materials Photo: Greg Hursley Materials were selected based on were selected for their durability and their effects on the environment and 2 2 environmental responsibility. The 3,030 ft (281 m ) Warren indoor air quality. Skaaren Environmental Learning Philadelphia Forensic Center functions as a wilderness University of Texas Health Science Center classroom at the Westcave Preserve, Science Center and Student a 30-acre (12 ha) nature preserve and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania canyon in southern Texas. The de- Community Center Croxton Collaborative Architects, P.C., sign of the structure was conceived Houston, Texas and Cecil Baker & Associates as a three-dimensional textbook. A BNIM Architects and rainwater collection and fi ltration Lake|Flato Architects system demonstrates water quality The University of Texas School of and water cycles. A constructed wet- Nursing and Student Community land and composting toilets show Center is situated on a small, urban recycling of materials in nature. site within the heart of the Texas Natural ventilation, the building’s orientation, and a weather station illustrate air currents and air qual- ity. Systems that reduce the project’s use of nonrenewable energy include a photovoltaic array, ground-source heat pumps, daylighting, high levels of insulation, overhangs, attic fans, and effi cient lighting. Photo: Croxton Collaborative Architects, P.C. Photo: Hester + Hardaway

6 Environmental Building News · May 2006 Awards & Competitions—Then & Now: 1996-2006

Medical Center campus. The 194,000 Award Briefs CoreNet Global Announces 2006 2 (18,000 m ) building is expected to Sustainable Leadership Awards— McLennan Named Among “40 Un- use 41% less energy than a con- In partnership with the Interna- der 40”—Jason McLenn n, founder ventional, baseline building. Three a tional Interior Design Association vertical atria, a horizontal atrium, and director of Elements, BNIM and The American Institute of Ar- and perimeter operable windows Architects’ sustainable design and chitects (AIA) Committees on the provide occupants with natural light consulting division, was named Environment and Interior Architec- and ventilation. Underfl oor air dis- among Building Design & Construction’s ture, CoreNet Global has announced tribution increases energy effi ciency fi rst annual “40 Under 40” architects, the 2006 winners of the Sustainable and . Low-emitting engineers, contractors, designers, Leadership Awards. HOK won the materials were selected to protect in- and AEC business developers. The category for architecture and interior door air quality. Rainwater harvest- full list is at www.bdcnetwork.com/ architecture or interior design fi rms; ing, waterless urinals, and effi cient article/CA6316252.html. Texas Instruments, Inc., won for for- fi xtures contribute to a 63% reduc- profi t companies with sales over $5 tion in potable water use. billion per year; and Herman Miller, AIA Broad Knowledge Committee Inc., won for for-profi t companies World Birding Center Seeks Submissions—The American with sales under $5 billion per year. Headquarters Institute of Architects (AIA) Broad No award was given in the nonprofi t Knowledge Committee seeks pro- category. “Although sustainability is Mission, Texas posals for research projects. AIA will not a new concern, it is one that has Lake|Flato Architects award $7,000 each to ten winning often been uncoupled from an orga- projects “that advance professional nization’s best practices and design knowledge and practice” in a range excellence,” according to CoreNet of areas, including sustainability. Global. “The Sustainable Leadership Awards unite these distinct issues Entries are due May 15, 2006. For into one: best practices, design and more information, contact Barbara development excellence, and sustain- Sido at [email protected]. able leadership.” More information is online at www.corenetglobal.org.

Then & Now: 1996-2006

Unvented Gas Heaters Still plemental heaters. However, most in- Photo: Hester + Hardaway, Paul Hester Gaining Ground door air quality (IAQ) experts argue The 13,000 ft2 (1,210 m2) World Bird- that even with proper installation ing Center Headquarters is adjacent Ten years ago, we expressed concern and operation, unvented gas heaters to more then 1,700 acres (690 ha) over the increase in sales of unvented release water vapor and such hazard- of remnant native habitat that is gas heaters (see EBN Vol. 5, No. 3). At ous gases as carbon monoxide and being reclaimed and established that time, sales totaled about 520,000 nitrogen dioxide into a home’s as a habitat preserve. Landscape units per year. In the intervening living space. plantings were strictly limited to decade, sales have risen to over one “The chemistry of combustion does native species. A 47,000 gallon million units per year. not change—if you burn hydro- (180,000 l) rainwater storage system As the name suggests, these heaters carbon fuel you get at least water is used for irrigation and as a wildlife do not require chimneys or other and carbon dioxide, neither of them watering trough. Water-effi cient fi x- exterior ventilation; rather, they vent wanted in excess indoors,” says tures and waterless urinals minimize directly into the room where they are Michael Apte, Ph.D., of the Indoor En- potable water use in the building. installed. Proponents of the heaters vironment Department at Lawrence Energy-effi ciency strategies include claim that high combustion effi- Berkeley National Laboratory. He variable-speed mechanical cooling ciency and oxygen depletion sensors notes that even the best-designed equipment, demand water heaters, (devices that shut off the gas supply products sometimes fail; if one in and effi cient lighting. Shielded exte- if oxygen levels fall below 18%) make 1,000 of the roughly five million rior lighting protects this important the heaters safe when they are prop- unvented gas heaters installed to night sky and migration fl yway. erly installed and operated as sup- date is out of spec, that’s 5,000 units

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 7 Then & Now: 1996-2006—Product News & Reviews

potentially putting as many as 20,000 that they be installed as regulated into the shower than most low-fl ow family members at risk of exposure by the state, and the state has not yet showerheads, according to Patton. to deadly carbon monoxide. “It’s just written guidelines for installation. This may result in moderate energy not prudent to put unvented appli- Some municipalities across the coun- savings—beyond the energy savings ances in our homes,“ he told EBN. try do still prohibit the heaters. achieved by using less water—by enabling users to shower at a cooler Fewer localities prohibit unvented A 2004 study in eighteen Australian water mix. schools published in the International gas heaters now in part because of Journal of Epidemiology linked un- their inclusion in the codes of the Delta has been working with the vented gas heaters with increased International Code Council (ICC) H2Okinetic Technology for several diffi culty breathing, chest tightness, and the International Association of years and in 2004 introduced several and asthma attacks. But despite these Plumbing and Mechanical Offi cials body-spray heads using this technol- results and the concerns of IAQ ex- (IAPMO). When the 2006 version of ogy that are rated at as little as 0.75 perts, unvented gas heaters continue IAMPO’s Unifi ed Mechanical Code gpm (2.8 lpm). (Body-spray heads are to gain ground. goes into effect, both of the United used in multi-spray shower systems States’ major codes will allow the use that result in an end-run around the In our 1996 article, we listed six of unvented gas heaters. – RA federal 2.5 gpm limit for shower- states that prohibited the residential heads by using multiple spray heads; use of unvented gas heaters. Today, For more information: some use as many as a dozen spray only California still prohibits the Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance heads that, combined, consume well appliances, and that prohibition may Gas Appliance Manufacturers Assoc. over 10 gpm [38 lpm].) soon be repealed—the legislation Arlington, Virginia 703-525-7060 x240 The new Delta H Okinetic show- allows the appliances but requires 2 www.ventfreealliance.org erhead is not cheap, carrying a list price of $50 (with typical discounting through plumbing supply distribu- tion channels). In the third quarter of Product News & Reviews 2006, Delta plans to introduce a con- sumer version of the showerhead that will be sold through big-box retailers, New Delta Showerhead shield sprayers, according to Paul such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. Patton, senior product development EBN editors tested two prototypes Advances State of the Art manager at Delta. An oscillation of the H Okinetic showerhead and process controls the water droplets. 2 A new product introduced at found the product to be quite sat- “We tell the water how big the drop- the 2006 Kitchen and Bath Show isfying. When standing right next let should be and how fast it should in Chicago demonstrates how to the showerhead, come out,” said Patton. sophisticated engineering can dra- one feels a pulsating The water leaves the matically improve the performance fl ow, but the pulsat- showerhead through of a seemingly mundane product: the ing is unnoticeable a four openings, and showerhead. In late April, the Delta foot away. The show- the droplets are fairly Faucet Company introduced a water- erhead is very quiet. large, resulting in good effi cient showerhead with H2Okinetic Even when used in heat retention and ex- Technology™ that uses only 1.6 gal- a rural home with cellent body wetting. lons per minute (gpm; 6 lpm) at 80 a well and pressure pounds per square inch (psi; 550 kPa) By comparison, most tank that maintains of water pressure yet delivers a force- Photo: Delta Faucet Company low-fl ow showerheads Delta’s advanced new H2Okinetic only 40 to 45 psi (280– ful, satisfying shower. This represents either create very small showerhead uses just 1.6 gallons 310 kPa) of water pres- a 36% water savings over standard droplets or aerate the (6 l) of water per minute (36% sure, performance 2.5 gpm (9.5 lpm) showerheads. Re- water. In the former le ss th an th e 2. 5 gallon [ 9 l] st an - was adequate—with ducing water use in showers saves dard), yet delivers a remarkably measured water con- case, according to Pat- satisfying shower. both water and energy. ton, the water cools off sumption of only 1.4 Delta has achieved this performance quickly after leaving gpm (5.3 lpm). – AW by partnering with Bowles Fluidics the showerhead; in the latter case, For more information: Corporation. The technology that some cooling happens, and the show- Delta Faucet Company makes this performance possible erhead is noisier. The H2Okinetics technology retains the same amount Indianapolis, Indiana comes from the automotive industry, 800-345-3358 where it was developed for wind- of heat 12 inches (300 mm) farther www.deltafaucet.com

8 Environmental Building News · May 2006 Product News & Reviews

Kohler Enters the Waterless ditional sealing fl uid has to be added that the urinal could make its way Urinal Market approximately monthly, though the into residential applications. That is frequency depends on usage pat- “absolutely” a market the company The Kohler Company became the terns. When the sealing fl uid is add- will be pursuing, according to Judd, largest company to enter the water- ed, Kohler recommends fi rst adding though acceptance of a residential less urinal market when it intro- one ounce of the cleaning fl uid to the urinal will not be rapid. urinal to dissolve deposits, includ- duced two vitreous china models The Steward carries a list price of ing uric acid crystals, then fl ushing in April 2006. The company, which $525, and the Steward S $475, though out the urinal trapway with a couple unveiled the models at the annual based on the typical distribution- buckets of water. Kitchen and Bath Show in Chicago, channel discounting, the actual joins at least four other manufactur- The Steward urinal includes a rect- selling price for most commercial- ers of waterless urinals. angular backplate that enables this building buyers is likely to be about Kohler’s Steward™ and Steward model to easily replace existing half that, according to Judd—who S urinals are the end-product of a urinals in retrofi t applications—it calls the price “very competitive” two-year development cycle in which completely covers the footprint of with other non-water urinals. The the company essentially reinvented a standard wall-mounted urinal. urinals are manufactured in Kohler’s the urinal, according to Shane Judd, The model also works well in new Sanimex, Mexico, plant and began product manager for toilets and installations. The shipping at the end commercial products at Kohler. “We much smaller, of April. The seal- started by asking ‘how would you sleeker Steward S ant fl uid carries a make the best urinal possible?’,” re- does not include list price of $130 for a one-gallon (3.7 l) counted Judd. They identifi ed splash the backplate and drain line as the biggest problem with today’s is appropriate bottle, but Judd urinals and realized that a conical only for new says the typical bowl is the best shape to prevent installations. cost to a company splash—but that you can’t have a will be $70 to $75. Kohler has been conical bowl with a fl ush urinal. “We testing the urinal With the fi rst pro- completely redesigned the shape,” at its own head- sealing duction urinals in- Judd told EBN. quarters for about fl uid stalled in late March In terms of the sanitary trap, Kohler a year, and employ- 2006, EBN was not decided to forgo the more typical ees have remarked glazed able to obtain user cartridge design. Instead, the Stew- trapway experience yet ard urinal uses a fully glazed vitre- but will report on ous trapway in which the seal is pro- the performance vided by a proprietary sealing liquid of this—and other recently intro- (see schematic inset at right). The duced waterless urinals—in a future liquid was specially developed for issue. – AW Kohler and, according to Judd, has For more information: low permeability to odors. Made pri- marily from vegetable oil, the sealing Shane Judd liquid is fully biodegradable. Kohler Company Kohler, Wisconsin Like other waterless urinals, each 800-456-4537, 920-457-4441 Steward should save up to 40,000 [email protected] www.kohler.com gallons (150,000 l) of water per year, according to Kohler, though water savings is dependent on usage. Con- ventional urinals today can use no Another Green Panel more than 1.0 gallon per fl ush (gpf; Manufacturer Calls it Quits 3.7 lpf); at least three manufacturers produce 0.5 gpf urinals. Rodman Industries, manufacturer of ResinCore1™—an FSC-certifi ed, Kohler’s maintenance manual recom- recycled-content particleboard made mends rinsing the urinal bowl daily Kohler, one of North America’s largest plumb- with phenolic resin—has announced with a proprietary biodegradable ing fi xture manufacturers, has entered the that it will shut its doors by the cleaning fl uid the company sells. Ad- growing waterless urinal fi eld with its sleek, cartridgeless Steward line. Photo: Kohler Company end of May 2006. Rodman has been

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 9 Product News & Reviews—Feature Article: Passive Survivability

producing particleboard since 1965. are unlikely to decrease. The wood Passive Survivability (from page 1) The shutdown comes on the heels of panel industry will either have to last November’s unexpected folding raise prices (and get the market to of Dow BioProducts, which manu- accept higher prices), develop new New evidence shows that the factured Woodstalk™ straw par- methods and materials, or face ever- Greenland ice sheet is melting far ticleboard panels (see EBN Vol. 14, dwindling margins. Weyerhaeuser, faster than expected. This and the No. 12). Like Woodstalk, ResinCore1 the nation’s largest timber products calving of large ice sheets in Antarc- leaves the market despite growing company, an nounced last year t hat it ’s tica (some as large as small states) sales. “Sales were going up, especial- getting out of the wood panel game raise the specter of significantly ly since Dow Bio closed,” according altogether—its medium-density fi - higher sea levels. With 53% of the U.S. to Norman Chambers, national sales berboard (MDF) and particleboard population living on land defi ned as manager for Fiberesin Industries, mills in the U.S. and Ireland are for the coastal zone, rising sea level is Inc., Rodman’s parent company. sale. Like Weyerhaeuser, Rodman is a major concern. The University of Employees who were anticipating a hoping a buyer will emerge—soon. Arizona Department of Geosciences strong year were surprised in Febru- In the meantime, the company has Environmental Studies Laboratory ary when the board of directors gave been trying to maximize operations website dramatically illustrates ris- its workforce and customer base 60 during its remaining days to meet ing sea level: www.geo.arizona.edu/ days’ notice. “After the announce- as much demand from its existing dgesl/ (click on “Dynamic maps ment, we booked about four months’ customers as possible, and it is work- of areas susceptible to sea level worth of business in about three ing with them to line up replacement rise . . . ”). days,” Chambers says. product from other manufacturers Low-lying areas prone to tropical So what drove these businesses to and suppliers. storms and fl ooding are not alone in pack it in? Very simply: rising pro- “Clearly, green engineered panels are being vulnerable. An extensive ice duction costs. For starters, wood a growing market,” Brian McLeod, storm in eastern Canada in 1998 left 4 fi ber has become more expensive. A senior vice president of Panel Source million people without power for an report from Weyerhaeuser Company International, Inc., told EBN. He does extended period and forced 600,000 indicates that the 2005 industrial not believe that the recent closures people from their homes—which prices for softwoods and hardwoods were caused by lack of demand for could not be heated without electri- were up about 5% and 30%, respec- environmentally preferable sheet city. A in Chicago killed tively, since 1999. Transportation costs goods, but he anticipates that some more then 700 people in their homes have risen even faster. “In the last opponents of FSC and LEED® in the or apartments in 1995; a more severe couple years we’ve had to go farther forest products industry will spin the heat spell in 2003 killed 30,000 people afi eld looking for wood, especially closings to appear that way. “Every in Europe. A widespread power out- FSC-certifi ed materials,” Chambers time you have something like a Dow age in the eastern U.S. and Canada told EBN, while the costs per mile BioProducts situation, a Rodman in 2003 left 50 million people—one- have risen dramatically. Because situation, those interests will jump seventh of the U.S. population and the company has to buy more wet up and say ‘I told you so.’ But that’s one-third of the Canadian popula- product, the energy costs for drying not the truth.” Chambers agrees tion—without power; fortunately, have also increased, reports Cham- that there’s a strong and growing weather conditions were moderate. bers. Finally, rising energy costs market for green engineered wood also affect the resins used in panel Adding to these risks is terrorism. products—but notes that the costs Following the 9/11 attacks in the manufacturing; the phenol used in of producing them have to be borne ResinCore1’s binder is derived from U.S., Americans will forever be aware and that the market will accommo- of their vulnerability to terrorism. petroleum, which has been skyrock- date only so much. He cites Chinese eting in price. The overall cost to Power and natural gas distribution agrifi ber-board plants that haven’t systems are particularly exposed produce and deliver a wood-based entered the U.S. market yet. “Even- composite panel, according to Jack and susceptible to interruption, with tually,” he says, “it’s going to come large centralized trunk lines running Winterowd, senior scientifi c special- from somewhere.” – MP ist for Weyerhaeuser, has gone up through remote areas. The extensive more then 60% since 2002, with the For more information: power outage in 2003, caused by sharpest rise occurring over the last a circuit overload or malfunction, Fiberesin Industries, Inc. several months. demonstrated this risk; well-placed Oconomowoc, Wisconsin explosives could even more effec- The costs of constituent materials, 262-567-4427 www.fi beresin.com tively cut off power to large areas. transportation, and process energy

10 Environmental Building News · May 2006 Feature Article: Passive Survivability

“The blackout in the Northeast in the This made us won- summer of 2003 and Katrina should der about the schools be enough to make it clear that we around the country have a serious problem,” notes Da- that are commonly vid Eisenberg, of the Development designated as shel- Center for Appropriate Technology ters, as well as our (DCAT) in Tucson, Arizona. houses and apart- ment buildings. If Often neglected in discussions about storms are becom- terrorism is the risk of cyberterrorism. ing more intense and “By hacking into control systems of more common, and the utility grid,” according to Joel if our energy distri- Gordes, of Environmental Energy bution systems or Solutions in West Hartford, Con- energy supplies are necticut, “it is possible to incapacitate becoming more vul- the system for as long as a week with nerable, shouldn’t lingering effects remaining for as we be designing long as 18 months.” our buildings to be Finally, we are vulnerable to energy able to function—at supply shortages. The petroleum age least minimally to will effectively end well within the provide basic liv- expected lifetimes of buildings be- ability—in the event ing designed and built today. Most of power outages or resource experts and policy mak- interruptions in fuel ers assume that by the time petro- or water supply? leum “runs out,” alternative energy Shouldn’t passive sources will be available to replace survivability, we that lost energy. However, during the asked ourselves, be

period of transition to next-genera- a basic design crite- Rendering: Ethan Gibney, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tion fuels, or if replacement fuels do rion of buildings in not become available quickly enough this day and age? A dramatic increase in the frequency and severity of tropical storms affected the Gulf Coast in the decade from 1995 to 2004 compared to displace dwindling supplies of with the previous ten-year period. Ocean surface temperatures in fossil fuel, there may be significant Achieving the most recent period were 1°F to 2°F (0.5°C to 1.1°C) warmer, energy shortages. Natural gas, heat- Passive driving this increase in storm activity. ing oil, and electricity derived from Survivability fossil fuels could all become scarce or prohibitively expensive. In some ways, the failure of con- open and well-ventilated “dog- ventional buildings to maintain trot” homes of the Deep South are Defining Passive survivable conditions can be thought examples, as are the high-mass Survivability of as a failure of design. “If they adobe buildings of the American lose only electricity,” notes build- Southwest. In preparing for a series of charrettes ing researcher Terry Brennan, of The house designs of some animals on Gulf Coast reconstruction for the Camroden Associates, Inc., in West- Greenbuild conference in November display even better examples of pas- moreland, New York, “few buildings sive survivability. Among the best 2005, the term passive survivability in the U.S. can provide as much are termite mounds of Africa and emerged as an umbrella concept to comfort as my backpacking tent; if Australia (see photo, page 12). “With convey the idea of buildings that the gas lines and water lines go, the a single ganglion for a brain, using maintain livable conditions in the situation is even worse.” no electricity or fossil fuels, termites event of extended power outages, construct dwellings that maintain interruptions of fuel supply, or loss Some strategies for passive surviv- temperature, humidity, and ventila- of water and sewer services. High ability can be found by looking back tion better than most buildings,” temperatures in the Superdome— at our building heritage—vernacular says Brennan. the city’s emergency shelter—had designs that were in place before put evacuees at risk, contributing to electricity and readily transportable Marc Rosenbaum, P.E., of Energy- uproar across the country. fuels became available. The wide- smiths in Meriden, New Hampshire,

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 11 Feature Article: Passive Survivability

wide range of passive survivability differ somewhat by building type; measures, including high levels of the need for a high-performance insulation, passive solar features, , for example, is and natural ventilation. The design greater in smaller buildings that are team specifi ed the heating system to skin-dominated (where heating and have a very low electrical draw—just cooling loads are determined pri- 250 watts operate the pumps and marily by energy fl ow through the fans for the entire building—so that building envelope) than it is in large, they can use a photovoltaic-charged load-dominated buildings. battery pack to operate the natural- A number of the most important gas heating system in the event of a design and construction strategies power outage. for achieving passive survivability While maintaining livable thermal in new buildings are addressed in conditions generally gets the most the checklist on page 13. attention relative to passive surviv- ability, water is also very important. Passive Survivability and Termites maintain remarkably constant “We can live without many things,” Building Codes thermal conditions in their mounds, such as notes New York City developer Jona- this one in Australia. Photo: Dreamstime than Rose, “but water is essential.” David Eisenberg, whose organiza- A good start, suggests Brennan, is tion, DCAT, has been working to in- to install composting toilets and tegrate aspects of sustainability into says generators are the survivability waterless urinals, neither of which building codes for the past ten years, focus in large buildings, but these require water to operate. points out that the purpose state- are really designed for short-term ment in the International Building power outages. “It’s rare that anyone While passive survivability features Code states that codes should “safe- is looking for 24 hours of continu- can be incorporated into virtual- guard public health, safety, and gen- ous operation.” With typical build- ly any building, these features are eral welfare from hazards attributed ings, Rosenbaum hasn’t seen any most important for buildings that to the built environment.” “When a planning for longer outages, which are lived in or likely to be used as building is unable to provide a safe are among his arguments for incor- emergency shelters: houses, apart- and habitable environment,” says porating daylighting and operable ment buildings, schools, hospitals, Eisenberg, “it fails to meet this stan- windows. emergency-service buildings, and dard of responsibility.” He believes government buildings. The strategies that this should apply whether all of Fortunately, we are beginning to pay attention. “Disaster tolerance is of growing interest to many groups,” Marc Rosenbaum on passive survivability at his own house says John Straub, Ph.D., an engineer and building science expert at the EBN Advisory Board member Marc Rosenbaum shared with us how he has addressed passive survivability in his New Hampshire home: University of Waterloo in Ontario. “I like the term ‘robust designs,’ since On my own house, I wanted a highly robust product. I have a drilled well and a sub- mersible pump, but I also ran a second pipe into the basement that can be used with a this encompasses weather, energy, hand pump. Because the static level of the well is close to the ground level, I can have extreme people, changing times, water without electric power. The house is heated by a woodstove, and water is heated etc.” Straub argues, for example, that by either a passive solar water heater (thermosiphon) or a passive heat exchanger in stairwells should be built with win- the woodstove. Daylight illuminates all rooms. I use an electric range for air quality dows, and offi ces should be daylit reasons, but I have a single-burner gas cooker that I can use in a power outage. A root cellar in the basement provides some level of food storage. and have the potential for natural ventilation. “High insulation and One challenge I haven’t solved yet is power. I have a grid-tied photovoltaic system, but high mass with some passive solar when the grid goes down I can’t get power from the system. I want to set things up so I don’t have a battery bank but could use the power when the sun shines regardless of gain and summer shading will dra- the grid being operational. This feature doesn’t need to be automated—it could be a matically improve survivability,” manual changeover. I think that having power a few hours every other day would allow Straub told EBN. much of life to be fairly uninterrupted. In many places around the world, electricity is not available at all times, but provided for a known period each day. One could pump A 21,000 ft2 (2,000 m2), fi ve-story apart- water, operate tools and computers, freeze ice, etc. during those times. ment building that Straub helped Then there is the matter of where food comes from after the fi rst few days . . . design, and lives in, incorporates a

12 Environmental Building News · May 2006 Feature Article: Passive Survivability

Passive Survivability: A Checklist for Action

Design and construct buildings to withstand reasonably expected storm events and fl ooding. One should assume that Create storm-resilient storm events will become more common and more intense in the future, and that regions prone to severe storms will buildings. expand in area. More stringent design and construction standards, such as the Miami – Dade County Building Code, should be adopted widely.

Most tall buildings, with their dependence on electrically powered elevators and their reliance on air conditioning, usually cannot be used in the event of power outages. The occupant density in tall buildings generally precludes Limit building height. providing a signifi cant fraction of power requirements with onsite renewable sources, and in a development pattern with a lot of tall buildings, blocking solar access of other buildings is a signifi cant concern. In Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change, the authors recommend six to eight stories as a reasonable height limit.

High levels of insulation, high-performance glazings (with multiple low-emissivity coatings and low-conductivity gas fi ll), Create a high-perfor- and airtight construction are critical in achieving passive survivability in buildings. High levels of energy performance of mance envelope. the envelope (superinsulation) are particularly important with smaller, skin-dominated buildings.

Reduce unwanted solar heat gain by paying careful attention to building orientation (situating buildings on an east-west axis with the long façades facing south and north), minimizing east- and west-facing glazings, specifying glazings Minimize cooling loads. “tuned” to the orientation (using low solar-heat-gain-coeffi cient glazings on the east and west, for example), using overhangs and other building geometry features to shade glazings, and selecting vegetative plantings that will shade the buildings (particularly the east and west façades).

In addition to reducing unwanted solar gain, design buildings to provide for natural ventilation. Even if the building is Provide for natural designed to operate with conventional air conditioning, provide operable windows, natural stack-effect cooling towers, ventilation. and other features that can provide and cooling when necessary—even if using such strategies will result in higher-than-desired humidity levels in the building.

Incorporate passive Particularly with smaller, skin-dominated buildings, provide passive solar design features, such as direct solar gain with solar heating. interior , thermal storage walls (Trombe walls), and sunspaces or other isolated-gain solar systems.

The following strategies can optimize daylighting design while minimizing unwanted heat gain: provide windows high on exterior walls; specify glazings with high visible-light transmission and a low solar-heat-gain coeffi cient; install Provide natural lightshelves to refl ect light deep into the space; install skylights with provisions to prevent overheating; paint ceilings daylighting. and walls with high-refl ectance paints; consider clerestory windows and light monitors to bring light deep into build- ings; utilize light wells and atria to extend daylighting to lower fl oors of larger buildings; in buildings with very deep fl oorplates, consider light-scoop and mirror systems to improve daylight distribution in the interior space.

To provide hot water during power outages or fuel supply interruptions, install solar water heating systems that can Provide solar water operate passively (thermosiphoning or batch/integral-collector-storage) or that operate with DC pumps powered by heating. integrated photovoltaic (PV) modules.

Capability to power a building with PVs is invaluable during outages. To be able to rely on PV power during a power Provide photovoltaic outage for nighttime electricity necessitates battery storage, which increases system cost substantially (but may be power. justifi ed for the value provided). Be sure to mount PV modules in a manner that will protect them during storms. Wire the building to isolate critical loads so that they can be PV powered when the rest are cut off.

The vast majority of gas- and oil-fi red heating equipment cannot operate without electricity. Providing the capability to Confi gure heating operate that equipment during a power outage—using either a generator or a PV power system—is clearly benefi cial. equipment to operate on To simplify switching over to PV operation during an outage, equipment should be redesigned to operate on DC power; PV power. even without battery storage, some operation of heating equipment would be possible during a 24-hour period.

Where appropriate, In more rural areas, install low-pollution-emitting wood stoves, masonry heaters, or pellet stoves (with back-up power for consider wood heat. fan) to provide space heating in the event of an extended power outage or fuel-supply interruption.

Provide water storage to serve the building during an extended loss of water. Ideally, store this water high in the build- Store water on site; ing, such as on the rooftop, to facilitate gravity delivery. In cohousing communities and planned neighborhoods, shared consider using rainwater water systems can be developed with gravity-feed to dwellings. Cisterns can be fed with rainwater and used during to maintain a cistern. normal building operation for landscape irrigation and, depending on local permitting, for toilet fl ushing—as long as an adequate reservoir is maintained for emergency use. Such cisterns can also serve fi re suppression needs.

Composting toilets and waterless urinals can be used in the event of water loss, and composting toilets can function even Install composting toilets if the municipal sewage treatment plant shuts down. In a large building with conventional toilets, such as an apartment and waterless urinals. building, consider installing one or two high-capacity composting toilets in a common area for use if water supply is cut off or the sewer system fails.

Provide for food produc- Whenever possible, provide for local food production in the site planning for a building or development. Consider tion in the site plan. setting aside the best land for agricultural uses and planting food-bearing trees and shrubs in the landscaping mix.

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 13 Feature Article: Passive Survivability

the building’s assumed utilities are ston, commissioner of functioning or not. “We should not the City’s Department be designing, approving, and con- of the Environment. structing buildings that kill people “Our progress toward when they are disconnected from greener buildings con- their external utilities,” Eisenberg tinues to grow, which, told EBN. by default, has passive survivability gains,” Eisenberg is not aware of any build- Johnston told EBN. ing codes that address passive sur- vivability. He expects that the same Gordes notes that in forces that opposed energy codes general the only pas- and indoor air quality standards will sive survivability mea- oppose anything like this getting sures that have been into the codes. “At the very least,” incorporated into he argues, “the code organizations building codes are Photo: Mark Littrell, Wilcox Group Architects should be working to make it easier, those providing storm This 700-gallon (2,600 l) cistern stores rainwater for the Camp rather than more diffi cult, to gain resilience—such as the Aldersgate Commons Building in Little Rock, Arkansas. code approval for such designs.” Miami – Dade County hurricane codes. He “Codes are very reactive and so have suggests that demand for such codes green buildings. Most of us in the not been doing anything about this may come from another major play- green building community probably as far as I know,” says Straub. When er. “I believe we may fi nd support don’t need another reason; we seek codes do address survivability, they for some aspects of green or surviv- to create green buildings because go about it the wrong way, in his able buildings within the insurance we know that they are better for opinion. “Codes prefer active sys- industry, which has an interest in the people living in them and better tems that routinely fail and need lots mitigating losses and protecting for the Earth. But getting them de- of ongoing maintenance,” he says, lives,” he says. “Just as they have signed and built isn’t always easy in “like back-up generators to run lights been champions in fi re-suppression the face of fi nancial and regulatory in windowless stairwells.” sprinklers, they may support code obstacles and just plain inertia. To A few elements of passive surviv- upgrades for many green building overcome these barriers, it may help ability are beginning to fi nd their attributes.” to make the case that these buildings way into building codes and related are more resilient and better able to regulations. The City of Chicago, for Final Thoughts protect the well-being of Americans in the aftermath of natural disasters example, has passed an ordinance When one looks through the collec- or terrorist actions. Sometimes it’s requiring all buildings to have refl ec- tion of passive survivability strategies useful to respond to people’s fears as tive roofs, according to Sadhu John- addressed in this article, it becomes well as their aspirations, and passive immediately ob- survivability does just that, without vious how closely an antisocial survivalist agenda. they match a gen- eral list of green The next step in advancing the agen- building strate- da of passive survivability should be gies. Indeed, most a collaborative effort that involves of the measures the design community, code organi- that make our zations, the insurance industry, and buildings more nonprofi t social welfare organiza- passively surviv- tions. The sustainability community able also make the could play a lead role in convening buildings more such an initiative. “Life safety should environmentally be the bottom line in this, and it responsible. would be gratifying to see a collab- orative effort develop to address this Photo: Cody Andresen, Arup Passive surviv- Classrooms at the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies in issue,” says Eisenberg. Cupertino, California, feature ceiling fans and operable windows ability strength- to maximize daylighting and natural ventilation. ens the case for – Alex Wilson

14 Environmental Building News · May 2006 From the Library

descriptions of all the common (and some not-so-common) mate- From the Library rials with pozzolanic properties. King then explains how they work, how to specify them, and how to • ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1- Design Essentials 2004, Energy Standard for Buildings work with the resulting mix on the ASHRAE’s Most Referenced Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings jobsite. The book wraps up with a Standards and Guidelines (I-P edition) summary of the performance and January 2006. CD-ROM, $499, $429 • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.2-2004, environmental benefits of using for ASHRAE members, with an annual Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise fl yash and a series of appendices updating fee of $290 for nonmembers Residential Buildings containing sample mixes and list- and $220 for members. A network • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135-2004, BAC- ings of useful resources. Best of all, version also is available. Runs only on net®: A Data Communication Protocol the entire text has King’s friendly, ® for Building Automation and Control Microsoft Windows operating sys- self-effacing, and humorous voice, tems. To order, call 800-527-4723 or Networks which makes it as easy to read as 404-636-8400, or visit www.ashrae. • ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005, The Commis- org/bookstore. sioning Process anything this technical could be. • ASHRAE Guideline 1-1996, The HVAC In January 2006 the American Soci- Commissioning Process ety of Heating, Refrigerating, and • ASHRAE Guideline 13-2000, Specifying Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., Direct Digital Control Systems – NM (ASHRAE) released a CD-ROM containing the 12 standards and guidelines most widely used in the Making Better Concrete design of mechanical systems. While Guidelines to Using Fly not inexpensive, the CD is a bargain Ash for Higher Quality, compared to purchasing each one Eco-Friendly Structures separately and less than half the by Bruce King, P.E. 2005, Green cost of a CD-ROM containing all Building Press. San Rafael, California. ASHRAE standards. Paperback, 52 pages, $20. Although they are distributed Using coal fl yash to replace 50% or on a CD, the standards are set more of the portland cement in con- up to be installed on a hard drive. Ac- crete mixes is a huge opportunity for tivation is required via the Internet designers and builders—a way to get to prevent unauthorized copies. Once better concrete with a signifi cantly the standards are installed and reg- Making Better Concrete will be of great istered, users can view, print, and smaller ecological footprint (see EBN Vol. 8, No. 6). But designing concrete value to architects who are trying cut-and-paste from them freely. The to fi gure out whether and how to standards included on the CD are: mixes well isn’t a simple matter, and using large amounts of fl yash use high-fl yash concrete and need • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2004, Safe- just enough of an understanding to ty Standard for Refrigeration Systems increases the importance of properly designing and pouring the concrete. ask their engineers good questions. • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2004, Making Better Concrete argues for Especially useful is a summary of Designation and Safety Classifi cation of the applications in which high fl yash Refrigerants using lots of fl yash, but it does so with the precautions and warnings mixes are a no-brainer (mostly those • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999, Meth- in which early strength gain is not od of Testing General Ventilation Air- of an engineer who has been doing Cleaning Devices for Removal Effi ciency it long enough to have learned some important and curing conditions by Particle Size lessons. “If you don’t plan to control are not challenging), when they are • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, water content and cure the concrete possible but require special atten- Thermal Environmental Conditions for well, throw this book away; it will tion, and when they are not a good Human Occupancy do you no good,” cautions King in a fi t. Engineers, in turn, will fi nd this • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, Venti- typical statement. book a useful introduction—though lation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality before they actually start specifying • ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2004, Ven- Making Better Concrete covers all high-fl yash mixes, they’ll need some tilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Qual- the basics, beginning with a his- of the more technical documents ity in Low-Rise Residential Buildings tory of fl yash and pozzolans and listed in the appendix. – NM

Volume 15, Number 5 · Environmental Building News 15 Heartland Chapters. Info: 215-295-2725; 26-29 • Ecobuild America and AEC - Sci- [email protected]; www.greeningthe ence & Technology, Chicago, IL. Organizer: Calendar heartland.org. Sustainable Buildings Industry Council. Information: www.ecobuildamerica.com. 22-26 • 2006 ACI Home Performance Conference, Austin, TX. Organizer: JULY MAY Affordable Comfort, Inc. Info: 724-627- 5200; [email protected]; 8-11 • The Campus of the Future: A 4-7 • The Architecture of Sustainability, www.affordablecomfort.org. Meeting of the Minds, Honolulu, HI. Shepherdstown, WV. Organizer: The Amer- Organizer: Society for College and Univer- ican Institute of Architects. Information: 30-June 3 • Natural Home Building, sity Planners. Information: 734-998-6595; www.aia.org/ev_cod_may06. Jessup, MD. Organizer: Green Building [email protected]; www.campusofthe Institute. Information: 443-733-1234; www. future.org. 11-12 • 4th Annual Greening Rooftops greenbuildinginstitute.org. for Sustainable Communities Conference, 8-13 • SOLAR 2006: Renewable Energy, Boston, MA. Organizer: Green Roofs for Key to Climate Recovery, Denver, CO. JUNE Healthy Cities. Information: 416-971-4494; Organizer: The American Solar Energy Society. Information: www.ases.org. www.greenroofs.org/boston/. 1-4 • Congress for the New Urban- ism XIV, Providence, RI. Organizer: AUGUST 16 • Negotiating a Green Mindset, Congress for the New Urbanism. Info: Boston, MA. Organizer: Green Roundtable, www.cnuxiv.org. 13-18 • 2006 ACEEE Summer Study Haworth. Information: 617-374-3740; www. on Energy Efficiency in Building, greenroundtable.org/Trainings/Green 8-10 • AIA 2006 National Convention Pacifi c Grove, CA. Organizer: American Mindset.html. and Design Expo, Los Angeles, CA. Orga- Council for an Energy-Effi cient Economy. nizer: The American Institute of Architects. Information: www.aceee.org. 16-17 • 4th Annual SUNY-ESF Green Information: www.aia.org. Building Conference, Syracuse, NY. SEPTEMBER Organizer: U.S. Green Building Council 9-11 • Eco Show 2006 and Greenbuild New York Chapter . Information: 315-470- Australia, Sydney, Australia. Organizer: 18-19 • Engineering Green Buildings 6888; www.esf.edu/outreach/pd/2006/ WSB Media Group. Information: www. Conference and Expo, Austin, TX. Sponsor: gbc/default.htm. ecoshow.com.au. HPAC Engineering. Information: 800-438- 6720; [email protected]; www.egb 16-17 • Restoration 2006: Community and 12-14 • NeoCon World’s Trade Fair, registration.com. Chicago, IL. Organizer: Merchandise Economic Recovery After a Disaster, New 19-22 • Rethinking Sustainable Con- Mart Properties, Inc. Information: www. Orleans, LA. Organizer: International City/ struction 2006, Sarasota, FL. Organizer: merchandisemart.com/neocon/. County Management Association. Info: University of Florida. Information: 352-273- 202-962-3539; www.restoration2006.org. 1172; www.treeo.ufl .edu/rsc06 . 4-16 • Eco-Architecture 2006: First 17-19 • Greening the Heartland 2006: International Conference on Harmoni- 28-30 • West Coast Green, San Francisco, Advancing Sustainable Practices, Kansas sation Between Architecture & Nature, CA. Organizer: West Coast Green, LLC. City, MO. Sponsor: U.S. Green Building The New Forest, UK. Organizer: Wessex Information: 800-419-1282; www.westcoast Council Greater Kansas City and Regional Institute of Technology, UK. Information: green.com . www.wessex.ac.uk.

More complete information and additional listings are online at www.BuildingGreen.com.

REEN PEC® DIRECTORY G S 0605 6th Edition Now Available Environmental Building News 122 Birge St., Suite 30 · Brattleboro, VT 05301 Revised and updated A publication of BuildingGreen, Inc. · www.BuildingGreen.com Nearly 2,000 listings of green building products

Guideline specifi cations

492 pages of useful information

Only $89 plus shipping $8 U.S. & Canada, $15 elsewhere Call toll-free: 800-861-0954 or visit www.BuildingGreen.com