Interior Design & Architecture
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Bahrain blows energy
BAHRAIN, United Arab Emirates – The Bahrain World Trade Center, a mixed-use commercial development, has successfully installed three wind turbine blades. This installation represents the first time that a commercial development has integrated large-scale wind turbines within its design to harness wind power and generate an alternative energy supply, according to the WTC.
The three 29m-diameter turbine blades on Bahrain’s iconic landmark are the first in the world to be integrated on such a scale into a commercial development and are forecast to provide the equivalent of 11-15% of the power for the two towers when fully operational, according to Atkins, which designed the building. The turbines are expected to operate approximately 50% of the time. For more information, see www.atkinsglobal.com |
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ASID honors green hospitality
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Hospitality Design magazine announce the first-ever Earth Minded Award (EMA) winners. The winners are:
- EMA for Hospitality Project. Keating Hotel in San Diego by Pininfarina Extra.
- EMA for Hospitality Product. Bella-Dura Fabric Technology by Bella-Dura.
- Honorable Mention. RockResorts Spa at Keystone Lodge and Spa in Colorado by Cole Martinez Curtis and Associates.
For more information, see www.hdexpo.com
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Looking up at the VA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Patients, staff, and visitors at the Loma Linda, Calif., and Dallas Veterans Administration medical centers who happen to gaze skyward in the coming months are likely to see a flurry of roof-level activity. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be installing a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system at each campus to provide clean, natural, sun-powered electricity this summer.
By using sunlight, a free renewable fuel, these systems will reduce the medical centers’ electricity costs and provide environmental benefits to the medical center, the VA, and the community.
Solar hot water energy system work is underway at the Dallas facility and at VA’s West Los Angeles medical center, and two facilities in Arizona have added solar water heating to the list of energy-efficient measures they plan to implement.
VA plans to award a contract for a wind energy pilot project at its medical center in St. Cloud, Minn., by the end of this June and a contract for a geothermal energy pilot project at the Boise, Idaho, VA Medical Center by the end of September. Both the wind and geothermal systems will be installed by September 2009. For more information, seewww1.va.gov/
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VC firms to accelerate adoption of energy technologies
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will use three venture capital firms in an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) pilot program, which aims to accelerate deployment and commercialization of advanced clean energy technologies from three DOE National Laboratories into the global marketplace.
The three venture capital firms are: Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (Menlo Park, Calif.); ARCH Venture Partners (Chicago); and Foundation Capital (Menlo Park, Calif.). DOE will provide up to $100,000 for each entrepreneur and each firm will match this funding and may contribute additional funds.
Entrepreneurs will conduct technology assessments, evaluate market opportunities, formulate preliminary business cases, and propose business structures to bring cutting-edge technologies to market.
Upon selecting a technology for commercialization, entrepreneurs in residence and their venture capital sponsors would negotiate a license to use the laboratory-developed technology. Working with their respective entrepreneur, the venture capital sponsors will form and finance a start-up business based on the licensed technology. The foundation of each start-up’s business plan would be the commercialization of licensed clean energy technologies. For more information, see www.energy.gov/news/6017.htm
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DOE funds biorefinery projects
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected three small-scale cellulosic biorefineries for serious investment. DOE plans to invest up to $86 million over four years (FY ’08 - ‘11).
The three small-scale biorefinery projects will use a wide variety of feedstocks and test novel conversion technologies to provide data necessary to commercialize full-scale biorefinery technologies. On average, commercial-scale biorefineries input 700 tons of non-food based feedstock per day, with an output of approximately 20-30 million gallons a year (MMGY). These small-scale facilities will input approximately 70 tons of feedstock a day, with an estimated 2.5 MMGY.
Expected to be operational within four years, the selected small-scale biorefineries projects will produce liquid transportation fuels such as cellulosic ethanol, as well as bio-based chemicals and bio-based products used in industrial applications. Combined with varying industry cost share among the three selected projects, more than $300 million will be invested in these three projects. These biorefineries will operate at a level equivalent to about 10% of a full-scale commercial plant.
The following three projects were selected:
- RSE Pulp & Chemical of Old Town, Maine. (DOE share: up to $30 million.). The proposed biorefinery facility will be installed in an existing pulp mill in Old Town, Maine, and will produce cellulosic ethanol from lignocellulosic (wood) extract. The project uses a proprietary process for pre-extracting hemicelluloses during the pulping process. This process has been proven on a laboratory and pilot scale, and RSE will now prove the viability of the process at the demonstration plant level. RSE Pulp & Chemical is part of the RSE renewable energy and technology-based business consortium that consists of 22 companies in the United States and Canada. Participants/investors include University of Maine Orono, Maine and American Process Inc Atlanta, Georgia.
- Mascoma Corporation of Boston, Massachusetts Proposed Plant in Vonore, Tennessee. (DOE share: up to $26 million.). The proposed plant will be located in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the Niles Ferry Industrial Park. The facility is scheduled to come online in 2009 and will use Tennessee grown switchgrass as a primary feedstock. The plant will be the first cellulosic ethanol facility at this scale in Tennessee and will be used to demonstrate technologies and concepts that will make cellulosic ethanol an economically viable industry in the future. Mascoma was founded in early 2006 with the goal of commercializing cellulosic ethanol. Mascoma is partnering with The University of Tennessee (UT) Knoxville, TN, the UT Research Foundation, and Genera Energy LLC.
- Ecofin, LLC, of Nicholasville, Kentucky. (DOE share: up to $30 million). The proposed plant will be located in Washington County, Kentucky. The biorefinery will use novel, solid-state enzymatic complexes to convert a potentially wide range of lingocellulosic feedstocks, including corncobs, to ethanol and other nutritious feed sources, minimizing waste. Ecofin, LLC is a subsidiary to Alltech Inc.
For more information, see www.energy.gov/media/ProjectOverview.pdf
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Hospitality tries to go green
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hotels have come a long way in implementing green initiatives, but they feel they still face some barriers, according to the Green Assessment Survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA).
The top 10 things hotels do well are:
- Linen reuse programs;
- Recycling paper;
- Using compact fluorescent lamps in guest rooms;
- Using compact fluorescent lamps in public areas;
- Offering towel reuse programs;
- Training maintenance staff on conservation and energy procedures;
- Recycling cardboard;
- Water-conserving retrofits for showers; and
- Tracking energy and water consumption on a monthly basis.
But there is certainly room for improvement, according to AH&LA. Specifically, hotels should focus on:
- Having occupancy senor controls for thermostats in guest rooms;
- Recycling food waste;
- Using indoor paints that are zero- or low-VOC (volatile organic chemical) or Green Seal Certified;
- Using T-8 lamps in corridors;
- Giving preferential to vendors/suppliers who offer recycled products;
- Using daily cleaning chemicals that have a MSDS health rating of “1” or less or are Green Seal Certified;
- Using T-8 lamps in back of house;
- Tracking generation of solid waste on a monthly basis;
- Using recycling programs in guest rooms; and
- Using recycling programs in recreational areas.
For more information, see www.ahla.com
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CA sees silver LEED
WASHINGTON, D.C. –2211 Michelson is the first building in California and on the West Coast to be certified for Silver status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core & Shell (LEED-CS) development program, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to real estate firm HINES.
The 12-story, 266,605-sq.ft. office tower is strategically located in the heart of the Irvine Business Complex, two blocks east of John Wayne Airport.
Green design features qualifying the building for its Silver LEED-CS certification include: innovative wastewater and water conservation technologies; reduction in use of electricity through highly efficient lighting and HVAC systems; low-emitting materials; 60% more glass than conventional office buildings providing maximum daylight within interior spaces; extensive gardens with 50 new trees; and landscaped outdoor workspaces.
Designed by architect Paul Danna, a principal of DMJM Design, the building is sheathed in architectural white metal panels and high-performance silver vision glass. The property features four penthouse corner balconies and extensive decorative building-top night lighting. The development is anchored by Wachovia Bank and is 55% leased.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm's historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes more than 1,000 properties representing approximately 435 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical, retail and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in 69 U.S. cities and 15 foreign countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
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Khankari joins Syska Hennessy
CHICAGO – Dr. Kishor Khankari has been named an associate partner at Syska Hennessy Group, a national consulting, engineering, technology and construction firm.
Khankari is an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). He joins Syska Hennessy Group’s Sustainable Design and High Performance Building Technology practice and will manage CFD undertakings nationwide to enhance high performance and sustainable facility design by offering a complete suite of simulation services, including CFD, energy and daylight modeling. His responsibilities will include working with project teams in identifying client needs and developing tools to make simulation technologies accessible to a wide variety of clients.
Prior to joining Syska Hennessy Group, Khankari was a lead consulting engineer at ANSYS, Inc., which develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies. He has a Ph.D. in computational fluid dynamics from the University of Minnesota and is an active member of ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9 Mission Critical Facilities, Technology Spaces and Electronic Equipment and also a voting member and chairman of the Research Subcommittee of ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.11 for Clean Spaces. For more information, see www.syska.com/news/pr.html
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