Post by: Alan Bernstein AIA, ASLA, LEED AP

Jonathan Wirthlin, Structural Engineer, AIA Member, Structural Engineering Association of Southern California Sustainable Design Committee, and LEED AP with Coffman Engineers did an outstanding job presenting at the AIA COTE Committee Meeting of September 3, 2009.

Wirthlin focused on commercial buildings. The Engineers role creates a substantial cost impact on all projects and there are extremely couple of LEED points associated with structural engineering. By savings on supplies, additional engineering calculations and adjustments to the constructing code, the engineering for buildings can turn into greener. Wirthlin promotes the Green Globes approach rather then the LEEDS, simply because it is a lot more comprehensive in its approach.

Greener Concrete
Currently a lot of concrete products that are not “green” still have some fly ash content in them. By growing the fly ash content to 20 to 70% of the cement mixture we are decreasing the quantity of fly ash that goes to landfills. Fly ash is a byproduct of burning coal for energy, it use to be sent up into the sky just before environmental regulations finally stopped or reduced the fly ash into the atmosphere. As a result there is a lot of fly ash in the chimneys coal fire plants. (The best way to reduce fly ash is to minimize coal fire plants.) If a 50% fly ash mixture where utilized widely, it would decrease the world’s CO2 production by 4% (that is large).

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Greenworks (the sister business of Jewson), in partnership with photovoltaic solar panel specialist Solar Century, has introduced a brand new educational film to its web site.

COVENTRY, UK: The new video aims to educate and inform users on the latest developments in photovoltaic solar panel technologies and the large steps forward that have been produced to make solar panels more pleasing to the eye and in keeping with their surroundings.

The video was produced by one of the UK’s leading solar energy professionals, Solar Century and gives guidance on the price of installing a solar energy system in your house and estimates on how significantly you can expect to save on your energy bills soon after the installation.

The newest photovoltaic solar panels have been designed to mimic the size and colour of ordinary roof slates and concrete tiles, generating them less visible. This much more ascetically pleasing item will encourage far more British homeowners to fit them on their south-facing roofs. The newest solar panels can be simply installed at the same time as a new roof or can be merely added to an existing roof without too much upheaval.

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In Austin these days, like in a lot of the country, folks are going green with their constructing practices. There is a significantly bigger emphasis becoming placed on energy efficiency and issues of that nature, so construction firms are hopping on board and doing their part. So what are these green trends that we should be keeping an eye on? In order to get LEED certification, builders have to follow some of the standards set forth in terms of securing the property and employing the proper materials. Builders are going a small bit further than that proper now, though. They are creating homes with a great “green” consciousness than ever just before.

1 of the approaches that construction companies in Austin are going green is through their choice in bathroom accessories. When you are creating a bathroom, you have some alternatives in terms of putting together an energy-efficient setup. Many builders are picking to spend a little bit much more and install intelligent toilets that save water. These toilets look a lot like the old ones that most folks are used to, but the distinction is that they recognize precisely how a lot water is required to get the job completed with each flush. This has helped a lot in areas where water scarcity is an problem in the course of the hotter months.

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