In a recent survey of more than 10,000 building professionals, CertainTeed

Portland builder Hammer & Hand and designer Scott|Edwards Architecture announced today a green building project that offers a new model for affordable transformation of existing commercial buildings energy performance. The Glasswood commercial Passive House retrofit will create office space that consumes 80% less energy than its conventional counterparts at an added cost of just $ 15/SF. For the first time in the United States the Passive House building energy standard will be applied to the retrofit of a commercial structure.

Our building sector consumes nearly half of US energy, says Sam Hagerman, co-owner of Hammer & Hand and President of the Passive House Alliance US. Choose your poison. Whether its global climate change, dependence on foreign oil, or rising energy prices, we need to retrofit our buildings so that their performance is worthy of the 21st century.

The question until now has been, how?

Thanks to recent advances in building science and our understanding of how buildings function as dynamic systems, builders and designers can now address this question effectively. Passive House and PHIUS+ certification sit at the vanguard of this application of knowledge and technique.

The term Passive House comes from the German Passivhaus, which literally translates as Passive Building. The standard combines advanced energy modeling with a suite of relatively straightforward construction and design principles to revolutionize the performance and comfort of buildings, from single family homes and apartment buildings, to schools and commercial structures.

Though scores of Passive House projects have been completed or are underway across the US, a Passive House retrofit of a commercial building has never been done before.

We have a unique opportunity here to both upcycle an existing, historic building, said Peter Grimm, architect with Scott|Edwards Architecture, and to fundamentally transform the way it performs and functions, both from an energy perspective and a human one.

The Glasswood project employs the core principles of Passive House design:

Extensive insulation,
Elimination of thermal bridges that transfer heat or cold across the building envelope,
Airtight construction,
Continuous ventilation that recovers heat or cool energy,
High performance doors and windows,
Optimized solar and heat gains, and
Sophisticated modeling.

While the science and modeling behind Passive House is advanced, the suite of techniques used to get there is elegantly simple, said Hagerman. Its this simplicity that allows for the cost-effective transformation of a buildings performance and comfort. Glasswood promises to provide actionable lessons to builders and designers of commercial spaces across the country.

Details about the Glasswood Passive House retrofit, including updates, progress videos, and site photos, can be found by visiting Hammer & Hands website at http://hammerandhand.com/glasswood-passive-house-retrofit

About Hammer & Hand

Hammer & Hand is dedicated to stewardship of the built environment through craft and science, everything from traditional kitchen remodels to home energy retrofits to cutting-edge Passive House structures. Based in Portland, Oregon, the remodeler and builder can be reached at http://hammerandhand.com or by phone at 503-232-2447.

About Scott|Edwards Architecture

Scott|Edwards Architecture is a Portland, Oregon based architecture firm built on the premise that innovative design solutions result from a collaborative effort between architect, client and craftsperson. The firm leads its clients on an exploration of possibilities guided by traditional principles of design clarified through a contemporary perspective. S|E A can be reached at http://seallp.com or by phone at 503-226-3617.

The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) will present the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with its 2012 Keystone Award at the 23rd annual Accent on Architecture Gala in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 9, 2012. AAFs Board of Regents presents the Keystone Award annually to an individual or organization from outside the architectural discipline for exemplary design leadership that improves lives and transforms communities.

USGBC is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. Over 44,000 projects are currently participating in USGBCs LEED green building certification system, totaling over 8 billion square feet of construction space in 50 states and 120 countries.

According to Ron Bogle, president and chief executive officer of AAF, The leadership of the U.S. Green Building Council has transformed our thinking about design. They have touched practically every building type on every continent, and their impact is potent. For example, with the launch of the Center for Green Schools, USGBC has shifted the center of gravity and brought laser focus to the global discussion on green and sustainable schools.

AAF Board of Regents Chair G. Sandy Diehl III said, USGBC and its programs have elevated the cause of sustainability to a new level in architecture. USGBC provides educational programs on green design, construction and operations for professionals from all sectors of the building industry. In addition, in creating Greenbuild, USGBC now hosts the largest international conference and expo focused on green building. For them, green isnt a buzzword. Its a vital goal that must be pursued through aggressive strategies with measurable and substantial impact.

On behalf of the entire USGBC family, we are deeply honored that AAF has chosen our organization as the 2012 recipient of its prestigious Keystone Award, said Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer and founding chair, USGBC. In ways both small and large, architecture plays a huge role in how we relate to the world around us and with each other, and a sustainable approach to this work builds on architectures long tradition of creating buildings that both protect us and nourish us in countless ways.

AAFs Keystone Award was established in 1999. Past recipients include former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. of Charleston, S.C., the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Save Americas Treasures, the philanthropic Pritzker family of Chicago, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The 2011 Keystone Laureate was Amanda M. Burden, chair of the NYC Planning Commission and director of the NYC Department of City Planning.

USGBC will receive the Keystone Award at the 2012 Accent on Architecture Gala, which will take place on Friday, March 9, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The annual gala, presented by the American Architectural Foundation, is the nation’s preeminent celebration of leadership in architecture and design. At the event, AAF, in association with The United States Conference of Mayors, will also present the 2012 Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award for Leadership in Urban Design to Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. In addition, Architectural Record will present its Good Design is Good Business Patron Award to Haworth, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of office furniture and organic workspaces, as well as its Good Design is Good Business Architecture Award to the international architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM). Approximately 500 guests will attend the gala at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION

Established in 1943 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that educates the public about the power of architecture to improve lives and transform communities. Through national programs including the Sustainable Cities Design Academy, Great Schools by Design, the Mayors Institute on City Design, and the Architecture + Design Education Network, AAF promotes design leadership and literacy at the local level, where everyday decisions can have a transformative impact on the places that shape our lives and our society. Each year AAF is on the ground in more than 75 cities across the country, helping local leaders to use design as a catalyst for innovation and action.

Media Contact:

Robin Buckley

703.533.9805 | 703.201.3524 (mobile)

rbuckley(at)archfoundation(dot)org

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More Green Energy Press Releases

Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, a leading provider of sustainable roofing and building envelope solutions, is proud to announce that it has won five 2011 RoofPoint Excellence in Design Awards. This is the inaugural year for the awards.

The RoofPoint program from the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (Center) is a voluntary, consensus-based green rating system developed to help building owners and designers select non-residential roof systems based on long-term energy and environmental benefits. RoofPoint serves as a simple, transparent and professional measure to validate that new and replacement roof systems are designed, installed and maintained in accordance with the best sustainable practices available today. Go to http://www.RoofPoint.org to learn more.

With the 2011 launch of RoofPoint, the Center established the RoofPoint Excellence in Design Awards as a way to recognize exceptional projects that meet RoofPoints mission and criteria. There were 10 categories of awards. More than 40 entries were submitted. Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance projects won Excellence in Design Awards in four categories, as well as an honorable mention.

Tremcos winning projects and their Excellence in Design Awards categories are:

The Sam Nunn Federal Center (Atlanta, Ga.), Excellence in Life Cycle Management

Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson, CEO of Yudelson Associates in Tucson, Arizona, released his annual list of green building trends for 2012, what he calls MegaTrends. Yudelson says, What were seeing is that more people are building green each year, and there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this MegaTrend or its constituent elements. However, in 2010 and 2011, the continuing slowdown in commercial real estate and the end of federal recovery funding put a crimp in new green building projects. In putting together his Top Ten trends for 2012, Yudelson took advantage of conversations with green building industry leaders in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia during the past year.

Yudelson Associates Top Ten Green Building MegaTrends include:

1.

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]]> http://bayareasolargroup.com/2010/01/do-it-yourself-kit-building-your-own-solar-panels-or-wind-power-generator/feed/ 0 http://bayareasolargroup.com/2009/12/building-your-own-solar-and-wind-power-systems-%e2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know/ http://bayareasolargroup.com/2009/12/building-your-own-solar-and-wind-power-systems-%e2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:45:23 +0000 admin http://bayareasolargroup.com/2009/12/building-your-own-solar-and-wind-power-systems-%e2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know/ In this day and age, the two most important things, which need proper attention are the environment and the economy. This is due to the fact that the environment seems to be powerless already because of the high-level of pollution nowadays and the economy is on its critical condition by now because of the increasing inflation rate every year. Thus, you have to act now and do your duty as a responsible human being. You have to do something which will benefit both the environment and the economy. As a matter of fact, one of the very best ways, which you can consider to help the two most important things here on earth is to try building your own solar and wind power systems.

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