AIA Dallas Committee on the Environment

AIA COTE 2012 Top Ten Projects Announced

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:55:00 +0000

From the AIA national office in DC:

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The projects will be honored at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington, D.C.

The COTE Top Ten Green Projects program, now in its 16th year, is the profession's best known recognition program for sustainable design excellence. The program celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact and regenerative site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.

The 2012 COTE Top Ten Green Projects jury includes: Clark S. Brockman, AIA, SERA Architects, Inc.; Steve L. Dumez, FAIA, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Architects; Scott Shell, FAIA, EHDD Architecture; Laura Lee, FAIA, Carnegie Mellon University; Paul Schwer, PAE Consulting Engineers and Sue Barnett, Sue Barnett Sustainable Design.

http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB094197

Architecture Month CEUs

noreply@blogger.com (DFWGA) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:59:00 +0000

In addition to the IgCC session we mentioned last week, there are two other SD credits coming up in April:

04/12 - Residential Energy Code Update & Software Compliance Workshop - 6 Total HSW/SD

04/19 - SBIM-Enabled Set-Based Design for Net-Zero Energy Buildings - 2 HSW/SD

Upcoming IgCC Session

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:43:00 +0000

Our friends on the Codes & Standards Committee have put a session about the 2012 International Green Construction Code together:

Codes & Standards Committee Presents: “Green Code Updates—An overview of ASHRAE 189.1-2011 and the 2012 IgCC” (1 HSW/ADA CE)

April 24, 2012

Noon to 1pm - Lunch will be provided

This session will provide an overview of two baseline regulatory policy options. ASHRAE Standard 189.1-2011, produced by the USGBC, ASHRAE and IESNA, is a comprehensive green building standard developed in model code language; it provides minimum mandatory requirements for high-performance, green buildings and complements green building rating systems. It can be used as an optional compliance path for chapters 4 through 12 of the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC). The IgCC was developed by the International Code Council (ICC) in conjunction with the AIA and ASTM. It is coordinated with the other ICC model codes and is intended for adoption and use with those codes. It provides criteria for site development and land use, material resource and conservation, energy efficiency and air quality, water resource conservation, indoor environmental quality, building O&M, and provisions for existing buildings.

Register: http://www.aiadallas.org/cde.cfm?event=382283

I'm planning on attending and I'll post highlights to the comments.

- Sam

Upcoming Spring Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:31:00 +0000

Dallas residents can form a trash-bustin' posse to help clean up city parks by participating in the 2nd annual It's My Park Day to be held on March 31st. Richardsonians (like me!) have a bit of headstart as the city will be holding the 18th annual Trash Bash on April 7th. More local events can be found under the Great American Cleanup program sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. Please post any others to the comments.

Survey to Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000

The AIA Dallas Committee on the Environment (COTE) is interested in hearing from our fellow chapter members. Please take a few moments and give us some feedback. Thanks for your time!

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COTE Special Commendation

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:04:00 +0000

The Committee on the Environment (COTE) of AIA Dallas has created a Special Commendation to recognize municipalities in North Texas that have shown exceptional vision, flexibility and cooperativeness in working with the design community on sustainable projects. Please let us know If you have worked with city staff or elected officials that have gone out of their way to understand and help achieve the goals of environmental responsibility and high-performance buildings.

Award Name: COTE Special Commendation

Goal: To convey the message that truly sustainable design requires crossing the traditional boundaries between public officials, business owners and design professionals. To reward public officials for taking chances on behalf of the environment and the design community. To increase the visibility of the AIA generally and COTE in particular to the public and municipal governments.

Eligibility: The mayor and staff of any city within the NCTCOG boundaries.

Submissions: Send a brief description of the project, the challenge faced, and how the staff involved enabled a level of sustainability that might otherwise not have been possible to dfwgreenarchitecture@gmail.com.

Review: COTE will review recommendations and verify information as necessary with the nominee and city.

The Greenest Building

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:45:00 +0000

We routinely see buildings that could be renovated or retrofitted torn down. Those buildings often have historic value that goes beyond a price-per-square-foot. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has just published an extensive study that compares the avoided impacts of renovation versus new construction across several climate and building types:

The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse

In almost every scenario, renovation is the best option.

Common Threads

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:10:00 +0000

It's probably not news to many of you, but I just came across the Patagonia Common Threads program. The pledge could not be simpler but the implications are profound:

I'd like to become a partner in the Common Threads Initiative to reduce excess consumption and give the planet's vital systems a rest from pollution, resource depletion and greenhouse gases.

Patagonia agrees to build useful things that last, to repair what breaks and recycle what comes to the end of its useful life.

I agree to buy only what I need (and will last), repair what breaks, reuse (share) what I no longer need and recycle everything else.

They show an understanding of the fundamentals of conservation and stewardship that goes far beyond the typical corporate greenwashing and should serve as an example for any corporate citizen. They have even partnered with eBay to help resell their used products. I'm not sure how Yvon Chouinard's efforts are regarded in the business world, but they certainly rank highly with me.

- Sam

Upcoming NCTCOG Public Meetings

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +0000

The North Central Texas Council of Governments is holding public meetings next week that may be of interest to the environmentally minded:

Monday, Dec. 12
6:30 pm
Richardson Civic Center
411 W. Arapaho Road
Richardson, Texas 75080

Tuesday, Dec. 13
10:30 am
Ella Mae Shamblee Library
1062 Evans Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76104

Thursday, Dec. 15
6:30 pm
West Irving Library
4444 W. Rochelle Road
Irving, Texas 75062

Per their release, topics include:

COTTON BELT INNOVATIVE FINANCE INITIATIVE UPDATE
At the request of Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the Regional Transportation Council led efforts to identify viable funding sources for an innovative funding plan to construct, operate and maintain passenger rail service along the 62-mile Cotton Belt corridor. All agencies were involved in evaluating the viability of funding sources. Staff will summarize potential funding sources and next steps to further refine the project implementation plan.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES NORTH TEXAS UPDATE
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is among the top six cities in the US ready to embrace electric vehicles, according to Ford and GE studies. Staff at the North Central Texas Council of Governments have been working with utility companies, local governments, school districts, transit partners, first responders, local businesses and others to ready the region for plug-in electric vehicles. Staff will provide an update on the initiative.

OZONE SEASON SUMMARY
North Texas faced one of the toughest ozone seasons in recent years. With more than 70 days at or above 100 degrees, the unusually extreme heat may have contributed to the atypical ozone season, following several years of steady improvement. Staff will summarize how the region's air quality fared this year and what it means for meeting current and future air quality standards as set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO THE LIST OF FUNDED PROJECTS
A comprehensive list of funded transportation projects through 2014 is maintained in the transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Projects with committed funds from federal, state and local sources are included in the TIP. To maintain an accurate project listing, this document is updated on a regular basis. The current set of project modifications will be presented for public review and comment.

The Road to Abilene

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:33:00 +0000

This summary video is all that is available online, but it still hints at how groups of people often make, or at least assent to, collective decisions that none of them agree with:

In an effort to make sure COTE isn't also on the road to Abilene, we did a somewhat impromptu affinity diagram exercise at the October meeting. I cleaned the results up and this is what we got:

We seem to share an interest in community education and active, hands-on outreach that no one had previously brought to the table.

- Sam

PS: My apologies to the residents of Abilene as the video's authors do seem to imply that no one would ever want to visit your town. I have, if only to compare a Beehive steak to the Fort Griffin original.

Big Picture

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:57:00 +0000

The Boston Globe's long running photojournalism site The Big Picture recently posted a photo set about food and the environment. I found 18, 19, 22 and 28 to be particularly evocative.

Feeding 7 billion and our fragile environment

- Sam

Hold Your Breath

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:49:00 +0000

Architects generally love concrete. It has the flexibility to reflect our differing design intentions while retaining a character of it's own. Concrete does not come without baggage, primarily with respect to cement.

Many of us in North Texas may have thought the voluntary shuttering of four of the dirtiest wet-process concrete kilns in the country by TXI was good news. They've found a way to turn that on end and have used the emissions those plants would have produced to justify added emissions at their dry kilns still in operation. This includes burning types of waste that are technically non-hazardous, but won't find their way into many fireplaces ("shredded car waste, whole tires, carpeting and plastic garbage"). If you think the state should represent it's citizens interests, it appears the TCEQ helped keep this out of any established public review process. If you favor federal intervention, the EPA seems to have taken to keeping lists of violators rather than prosecuting them. The advocacy group Downwinder's at Risk only found about it by chance.

- Sam

Short D-Magazine story: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2011/11/15/txi-gets-permission-to-burn-even-more-hazardous-waste/

More detailed Dallas Area Residents for Responsible Drilling post: http://dallasdrilling.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/whores-of-texas-are-upon-you-all-the-live-long-day/

November Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:34:00 +0000

Our monthly meeting is tomorrow at noon at the DCFA. Please bring a lunch and join us!

Fueling Up

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:22:00 +0000

The national average for gas at the pump has been north of $2.00 per gallon since early 2005. Anything with nearing the $3.00 mark feels like a bargain to me. I'm sure it comes as no news to those of us paying the bill, but our friends at the Ford Motor Company are finally paying attention. A study they commissioned indicates mileage has now become one of the key factors in new car purchasing decisions.

MPG Matters: Study Confirms Growing Desire for Fuel Efficiency (via the PRNewswire).

What does this mean for sustainable building? I'm not sure. My hope is that the corporate mainstream is beginning to see a real competitive advantage in higher energy performance rather than just something they can market.

- Sam

An Accidental Circumstance

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:11:00 +0000

I just finished The Great Bridge, David McCullough's 1972 opus about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. One quote struck me as particularly relevant. When asked to compare the Brooklyn Bridge to the Great Pyramid of Cheops, young Roebling wrote:

To build his pyramid Cheops packed some pounds of rice into the stomachs of innumerable Egyptians and Israelites. We today would pack some pounds of coal inside steam boilers to do the same thing, and this might be cited as an instance of the superiority of modern civilization over ancient brute force. But when referred to the sun, our true standard of reference, the comparison is naught, because to produce these few pounds of coal required a thousand times more solar energy than to produce the few pounds of rice. We are simply taking advantage of an accidental circumstance.

It is fascinating that, in 1883, an engineer would have such a firm grasp on the energy dependence of construction. Roebling lived to 1926 and I'd love to know what he thought of the nascent petroleum based economy. Perhaps he would have some useful advice for us now that this accidental circumstance seems to be drawing to a close.

UPDATE - Energy Fail - No CBECS Results for 2007, Maybe Ever

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:56:00 +0000

In case it didn't reach your inbox, the AIA Government and Community Relations committee is putting out a call to action regarding the cuts to funding for the Energy Information Administration, CBECS and Energy Star. We mentioned this back in June:

Energy Fail - No CBECS Results for 2007, Maybe Ever

Please take a moment to contact your representatives to prevent what I can only describe as penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Restore Funding for CBECS Now!

WOPR

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:12:00 +0000

WOPR, the War Operation Plan Response computer, was the silent star of my favorite 1983 futuristic-teen-apoclypse-action-adventure movie, WarGames. There were a couple other actors, but trust me, WOPR was the star. He (I'm assuming) would be proud of the work recently completed by SAFE, Securing America's Future Energy. Their recent gaming scenario also ended with the destruction of Western civilization. They simulated a terrorist attack on the mamoth oil processing facility at Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. Things didn't go well as it was quickly revealed that our entire transportation industry relies on oil! I'm pretty sure they could have looked out any window in North Texas and arrived at the same answer. My conclusion; our society is very much an interconnected web of enormous complexity, much like the ones found throughout nature. We power a great deal of our web through hydrocarbons. That will continue to be a source of instability in ways we may not be able to recognize and certainly can't predict.

National Geographic via Infectious Greed:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/07/110714-oil-shockwave-war-game-simulation/

DI: New Articles

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Design Intelligence posted six new articles Wednesday morning. I've only had a chance to skim them. However, they all offer insight into green building and sustainability:

From Green Buildings to Green Neighborhoods - Bert Gregory

Sprawl Repair: From Auto-Scale to Human-Scale - Galina Tachieva

Going Green: Taking the Long View - Scott Simpson

Sustainability Leadership: From Stagnation to Liberation - James P. Cramer

Learning From Legacy - Steve Burrows

If I ever get caught up on my reading, I'll post on the individual articles. Until then, please read up and comment away!

Energy Fail - No CBECS Results for 2007, Maybe Ever

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:09:00 +0000

This got lost (at least to me) in the grind of the daily news cycle a few weeks ago, but it could impact architects and engineers trying to raise energy perfomance substantially. CBECS, the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, is quite a mouthful. That data undergirds the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program. It is widely used in other energy efficiency programs. Apparently, a cost-cutting gamble taken a few years ago hasn't paid off and the results for the 2007 study aren’t usable.

CBECS home at the Energy Information Administration

New York Times story

What's worse, the 2011 program is in jeopardy. This may leave us with the 2003 data as the last objective benchmark for commercial building perfomance. Many other EIA initiatives are also on the chopping block. ASHRAE has spoken up to defend this funding. You can look at the programs that may be discontinued and decide for yourself if this sounds like a wise way to save money in a world of increasingly scarce energy resources:

Press Release from the Energy Information Administration

Proposed Changes to Landscape and Tree Preservation Ordinance

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:32:00 +0000

A heads-up courtesy of our friends at AIA Dallas Communities by Design:

When: June 2nd, 2011at 12pm
Where: City Design Studio @ Dallas City Hall 2B North, 1500 Marilla St
Lunch: Brown Bag
Cost: No Charge
CEUs: 1 Sustainable Design
RSVP: aiadallascxd@gmail.com

Presented by Mr. Steve Houser, Dallas Historic Tree Coalition

The Urban Forest Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity on matters of environmental stewardship, specifically concerning the care and planting of trees and the urban forest by advocating sound arboricultural and urban forest management practices. The UFAC has presented a plan requesting Dallas elected officials to consider modifying Article X: The Tree and Landscape Ordinance. Changes proposed are based on input from developers, architects, the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, multifamily builders, and others. The proposed changes encourage tree preservation, modify tree removal requirements, and allow city staff more flexibility. Come listen to Mr. Houser describe these changes and more. You do not need to be an AIA/D member to attend.

Earth Day 2011

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:13:00 +0000

Loyal readers, please be sure to visit Earth Day 2011 in the Dallas Arts District over the next two days. Our contribution, the H-2-0 Hive, is located at Crockett and Flora, across from the Meyerson Symphony Center.

For anyone visiting us from the event, thanks for avoiding one more hand-out in the trash by following our QR code link. We're excited about being able to participate. You can check out some facts about water bottle use and recycling at The Water Project.

You can also see a counter-point from Bottled Water Matters.

Live Green Expo

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Looking for advice on organic gardening, energy conservation, local crafts or some family fun? Head to the Plano Centre this Saturday (April 16th) for the 2011 Live Green Expo. The event covers most aspects of sustainability but focuses on personal and residential applications. There were over 15,000 attendees last year, and it's free.

Mentorship Opportunity!

noreply@blogger.com (Alli) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Get involved!

AIA DALLAS – YAF (reverse) MENTORSHIP PROGRAM –

A concept that formed in 1999, by Tom Mathison AIA at the Michigan chapter, a Mentoring Program is an association of architect mentors who voluntarily meet with interested architecture and design students to share real-world experiences and life lessons, develop friendships, and offer guidance as the students prepare for a career in the design professions. The Program identifies students and mentors with like interests and brings them together in a student-mentor relationship. For students, this is a chance to take a glimpse into the world beyond graduation and an opportunity to help develop a preferred career path by using the wisdom and experience of an architect mentor. For mentors, it is a chance to share valuable career and life experiences with the next generation of professionals. The target audience is college juniors and seniors, though no one is excluded. It is entirely voluntary. There is no cost, no college credit, no mandatory assignments, and no promise of a job. It is not a substitute for or a competitor with IDP.

This is also a program intended for architects of all experience levels; from seasoned practitioners to emerging professionals and fellows. The program is intended to promote collaborative learning by bringing people with different career experiences and perspectives together in both structured and casual settings.

Made in the USA: 1SolTech

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:15:00 +0000

Richardson is home to the headquarters and manufacturing facility of 1soltech, one of the very few solar panel companies within the U.S. They source many of their components domestically.

1SolTech

Set Your DVR - Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

noreply@blogger.com (sam) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:15:00 +0000

This show is re-airing on KERA at 3am on April 25th, 2012:

It's not Plan B from Outer Space, It's Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization. Thursday night, March 31st at 7pm, KERA's Journey to Planet Earth series will air a 90 minute program based on Lester Brown's book, currently on it's third edition. You can also download the full text from the Earth Policy Institute.