Photo by AP Wideworld Workers deliver new equipment for flooded building systems in lower Manhattan. Downtown New York City went dark during Superstorm Sandy because of a utility substation failure. Related Links: Urban Green Council While debate intensifies over long-term solutions to deal with storm surges in coastal New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the real estate sector is brainstorming for near-term solutions that would make the individual building the last line of defense."It's time to consider stricter requirements for flood-proofing boilers, generators and electrical equipment or [to require] water systems that use sensor-based technology that can work during a
Related Links: NYC Building-Energy-Use Reg Steps Toward Saving Energy Work Continues on Updated Commercial Building Energy Survey (subscription req.) SOM Website: Freedom Tower & BIM Wikipedia: Moore's Law Backgrounder Dept. of Energy SEED Program Computing power has grown 100 times over last 10 years, helping to create rapid and profound changes in the tools of building design and construction. But as sophisticated building- information-modeling tools help create ever more complex buildings, why aren't they doing more to design buildings that have greater energy efficiency?These were some of the key points—and challenges—that building experts outlined during Architectural Record's "Innovation Conference 2012"
Related Links: N.Y.C. Greener Greater Building Plan Green-building boosters are lauding the disclosure last month of private-sector building energy-use data for nearly 1.8 billion sq ft of space in New York City. The data, collected as part of the city's "Greener, Greater Buildings Plan," is seen as a positive step toward energy conservation.The report is an eye-opener, especially for small and midsize building owners, says Kevin Hamilton, CEO of NuEnergen, a White Plains, N.Y., energy consultant. "They can see in black and white what they are consuming and … they can start to think about what to do to conserve,"
Related Links: VIDEO from FIDIC 2012: Why are you an engineer? FIDIC Report Highlights Ratings, Risk and Sustainability in the new FIDIC report An old Korean proverb says, "Even monkeys may fall from trees." In other words, even experts make mistakes, including, perhaps, experts on sustainable design and construction.With the sustainability landscape populated by dozens of decision-making tools and rating and certification systems, engineers and building and infrastructure developers may believe the existing methods guarantee a simple, failure-proof means of attaining sustainability. But a rating system is no substitute for rigorous decision-making. That was a key concept driving the report
Related Links: HP Labs Architectural Record HP Labs, the research arm of computer technology giant Hewlett-Packard,is giving back to the environment. The lab has set a goal to develop a method for designing and operating a data center that would consume no net energy from the public utility grid over the lifetime of the facility."This would take into account the building's embedded energy and operational energy," says Cullen Bash, director of ecosustainable systems for HP Labs, Palo Alto, Calif.For the project to be a success, the data center would have to have a two-year payback period for the up-front investment
photo courtesy of skanska modular RISING Factory-built data centers can save owners 30% to 40% on up-front capital costs because they are the right size for current demand and can grow in response to increased future demand. photo courtesy of integrated design group rows of racks Dense computer servers and related equipment generate heat that must be constantly ejected to avoid meltdowns. Related Links: EPA's Energy Star Program The Green Grid ASHRAE Uptime Institute Gartner Inc. Data centers in the U.S. gulp an estimated 388 billion liters of potable water every year. Experts say that's enough water to fill 155
Related Links: Engineering News-Record Uptime Institute Well over half of the respondents to a recent survey of 1,100 data center owners and operators around the globe said that saving energy is a major priority for their organizations. Eighty-two percent said saving energy translates to cost-savings. Yet most companies do not have financial incentives optimized to affect real change.These are some of the findings of the Uptime Institute's second annual data center industry survey, conducted in March and April.Information technology organizations that take a systematic approach to saving energy will get the most benefit, says the survey. They need to consolidate
Related Links: Standard 201P, Facility Smart Grid Information Model A proposed standard that would provide a common basis for consumers to describe, manage and communicate electrical energy consumption and forecasting is open for an advisory public review until Sept. 3, according to ASHRAE. The group is developing Standard 201P, Facility Smart Grid Information Model, with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. “Historically, electricity consumption has been viewed as a collection of dumb loads at the end of a distribution system," with almost no interaction between the loads and those responsible for electricity generation and distribution, says Steve Bushby, chairman of the
Photo by istockphoto.com Pilot program lets buildings qualify for LEED based on lower requirements. Related Links: U.S. Green Building Council EPA's Energy Star program Members of the buildings sector are applauding the U.S. Green Building Council's decision to delay the release of the next version of its popular green-building rating system, called LEED. In the meantime, debate rages on over the content of the draft revision. Consequently, USGBC is holding an unprecedented fifth public comment period on the latest draft, from Oct. 2 to Dec. 10.The delay follows a torrent of comments, some 22,000 so far, that greeted the fourth
Related Links: Rooftops Slowly, but Steadily, Start to Sprout Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Green roofs are gaining acceptance in dozens of countries, joining other forms of green infrastructure that are being used to mitigate environmental problems of urban centers.For example, vegetated roofs “are very good at managing stormwater. Most extensively planted green roofs will hold the first inch of rainfall and slow any additional rainfall, thus reducing peak flows and lowering the stress on combined sewer overflows,” says Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (CRHC).The group is a professional association with both corporate and
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