January 1997
Editor--Jill Manlove Mayfield
The Green Builder News is published six time a year by the City of Austin Green Builder Program. For more information on the program, call (512)499-3545 or contact us by e-mail.
This address kicks off the 1997 Texas Sustainable Building Professional Training Seminar series coordinated by the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems.
His talk is titled "A Declaration of Interdependence: Humanity, Nature and Technology," is free and open to the public.
McDonough is the Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental award. He is the author of the Hannover Principles/Design for Sustainability, the official design guidelines for the World's Fair in 2000.
The 1997 Sustainable Public Building Training Seminar series is an opportunity for architects, project managers, contractors, facilities managers and other building professionals to learn specific skills to use sustainable design practices and resource-efficient technologies in their public building projects.
The six session series will provide detailed instruction and interactive exercises on how to make your buildings environmentally responsive and responsible, from improving indoor air quality to selecting green building materials.
Cost for each seminar is just $15. All classes meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Thompson Conference Center on the University of Texas Campus at 26th and Red River Sts., directly north of the LBJ Library. Free parking is available and lunch is "on-your-own" and is available at the Thompson Center cafeteria. For registration information, contact Gail Vittori at (512) 928-4786.
McDonough's talk and the seminar series is coordinated by the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, and is sponsored by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, University of Texas Office of the President and University of Texas School of Architecture.
Gables Central Park is a development by Gables Residential in Houston, Texas. Gables Central Park is the third luxury apartment community to be developed in Austin by Gables Residential. The company recently completed the successful leasing of Gables Town Lake, located at 2600 Lake Austin Blvd. Green Builder features will include:
Foreign countries represented included Japan, South Korea, France, Spain and several countries in Central and South America. Most notable of the foreign visitors was a contingent from the Japanese Ministry of Construction researching a "green builder" program for the Japanese building industry.
The conference featured top national and international experts on environmentally friendly building. Sessions focused on energy-saving design, using non-toxic materials, and building techniques that contribute to healthier, more cost-efficient buildings. There was also a trade show featuring more than 112 exhibits of "green" building materials and services.
The conference was sponsored by the City of Austin Green Builder Program; the Lower Colorado River Authority; Texas State Energy Conservation Office; Whole Foods Market; Steel Recycling Institute; U.S. Department of Energy; University of Texas School of Architecture; IC2 Institute and RGK Foundation; Texas Capital Area Builders Association; American Institute of Architects, Austin Chapter; and Dynamic Reprographics.
The MEC check manual, prescriptive packages and software can be downloaded at no charge from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Building Standards and Guideline Program website.
The address for this site is http://www.energytech.pnl.gov:2080/bsgp
The MECcheck products can also be ordered by calling DOE's hotline at 1-800-270-CODE.
The Veterans Land Board, which makes low-interest loans to Texas Veterans to buy land, homes, and make home improvements, is modeling its Greenbuilding Program on the City of Austin's Green Builder Program.
The program will use a point system to qualify for a lower interest rate for home construction and home improvement loans. A veteran can earn up to a full percentage point discount from regular rates by incorporating green features into their home.
For more information of the Texas Veterans Land Board Greenbuilding Program, call 1-800-252-8387
The initiative takes the sustainability agenda fostered by the Green Builder Program to a broad-based community level through a series of projects designed to enhance the social, economic, and environmental well-being of the Austin region.
A sustainability assessment of all City departments; a sustainability indicators project, green economic development, and improved neighborhood and regional relationships are some of the projects and goals of the SCI to help make Austin more livable now and in the future. Existing City programs, individuals, and interested citizens will be called upon to help make these goals a reality.
Anyone interested in receiving a written report describing the Sustainable Communities can contact Laurence at (512) 499-3504.
Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance, by John Carmody, Stephen Selkowitz and Lisa Heschong, published by W.W. Norton Company, New York, NY.
Residential Window: A Guide to New Technology and Energy Performance, offers home owners, architects, designers, and builders an overview of the state of the art today and book information necessary to evaluate windows and make intelligent choices.
John Carmody is an architect at the Building Research Center, University of Minnesota; Stephen Selkowitz directs windows and daylighting research at Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory; and Lisa Heschong, an architect, is a partner in the Heschong Mahone Group architectural research firm.
Certified Products Directory, published by the National Fenestration Council (NFRC, Inc).
This directory is published annually (and sometimes more often) to provide consumers, builders, utilities, manufacturers, and government agencies with accurate energy performance ratings for fenestration products such as windows, doors, and skylights. The directory contains descriptive information and thermal transmission data (U-factors) for over 22,000 certified products. To receive this publication contact the NFRC at:
NFRC, Inc.
1300 Spring St., Ste. 120
Silver Spring, MD 20910
phone: (301) 588-0854
Loans with a rate of 0% for 3-5 years, or 2% for 7 years, are available. Rebates up to $350 are also offered. All City of Austin residential electric customers who heat water with electricity are eligible. For more information, call the City at (512) 499-7827.
Citizens who receive City of Austin utilities can become a Solar Explorer by paying $7 per month on their utility for the installation and maintenance of 100-watt block of a larger solar PV power plant. The first power plant will be on the roof of the Town Lake Center building, located at 721 Barton Spring Rd.
Businesses, schools or organizations can get involved by hosting a site on a specific building, parking garage, or parking lot. A utility representative will review your site for suitability, and if it fulfills their requirments, will provide you with a presentation and a kit to sign up members. Each photovoltaic panel requires 257 members for installation.
The goal of the Electric Utility is to install 10 panels in 1997. For more information on the Solar Explorer program, call Leslie Libby at the City of Austin Electric Utility, (512) 322-6290.
The Green Builder Newsletter is published by the City of Austin Green Builder Program, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767. Phone: (512) 499-3545, Fax: (512) 499-2859. Inquiries and articles are always welcome.
This newsletter is also available by email. To subscribe to the mailing list, send email from the address to be subscribed to:
with the word SUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT line.
Editor: Jill Manlove Mayfield
Green Builder Staff
Doug Seiter--Manager
Susan Barnett
Laurence Doxsey
Doug Garrett
Perrie Hodge
Jill Mayfield
Pat Mazur
Mary McLeod
The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication is available in alternative formats. Please call 499-2501 for information.
Planning, Environmental and Conservation Services Department
206 East 9th Street
Austin, Texas 78701