Great Park should follow example of energy-efficient projects in Irvine, Calif.
By Jeff Rowe, The Orange County Register, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Orange County's proposed Great Park is destined to be a green oasis -- and if some designers have their way, not just in trees.
As the mixed-use park on the old Marine base comes closer to reality, several
experts suggest the development planned for the park could be among the most
energy-efficient in the country. That's because prices have fallen as technology
has improved on fuel cells, water-recycling systems and other energy-saving
devices, such as photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight to electricity.
Just a few years ago, such fittings added cost to a building; now advances in
technology have brought the cost of green buildings down to that of traditional
structures.
"It would be irresponsible to design the Great Park and not use all the
conservation techniques available," says Malcolm Lewis, president of
Constructive Technologies Group Inc. of Irvine, which helps architects and
engineers design resource-saving buildings.
Lewis hopes his company will be busy on the Great Park. And his own building
provides a glimpse of commercial building's energy-use future. For example,
windows stretch to the ceiling to let in more sunlight, reducing the need for
electric lighting.
Some newer buildings are so energy-efficient that they not only generate
enough energy for their own uses, but they also send surplus electricity to the
utility company.
For example, on sunny days, photovoltaic panels on the National Resources
Defense Council building in Santa Monica generate more electricity than the
building can use. The surplus is sent to the utility company. The building has
earned top honors from the U.S. Green Building Council, which sets standards for
green construction.
Great Park buildings can do the same, Lewis and other experts say.
The Irvine City Council recently has been more focused on studying the idea
of forming its own utility to serve the Great Park and other new developments
than on the prospects of green buildings.
In Irvine's bar-brawl election, the city's foray into the electricity
business emerged as a divisive element. Backers, including Mayor Larry Agran,
think the city may be able to make millions if it creates its own utility to
serve the Great Park and other yet-to-be-developed areas.
Doubters fear the city could lose money. The city has spent $400,000 studying
the utility concept.
Agran says he still wants to continue studying the launch of a city-owned
utility, but he concedes emerging green building technology raises "a lot
of intriguing possibilities." Among those possibilities are studies that
indicate workers are more efficient in green buildings, says Greg Ander, chief
architect for Southern California Edison, which provides incentives to encourage
green buildings.
In some respects, green building technology amounts to just getting out of
nature's way.
At the Patagonia clothing distribution center in Reno, vents let the
accumulated hot air out of the building at night, which is replaced by cool
night air drawn in at ground level. That reduces the need for electricity to
power air-cooling systems.
At its design center in Irvine, Ford uses "daylighting" -- the
industry term for big windows and skylights that reduce the need for electric
lighting.
Ford also recycles water and uses a zero-emissions fuel cell, which provides
about a third of the electricity needed by the 450 employees at the center. But
most striking to visitors is the building's roof. Ford has covered the
100,000-square-foot roof of the design center with plants, which keeps the
building cooler in summer and retains heat in winter and extends, Ford expects,
the roof's life. The building was finished three years ago; Ford hopes the roof
will last 40 years.
Moreover, the rooftop garden absorbs carbon dioxide and provides a habitat
for birds and insects.
Some, however, say enthusiasts are ahead of reality.
"I would be cautious," said Hamid Shirvani, a Chapman University
architecture professor and expert in urban design. "It's a transitional
time to green buildings." But others say the technology already has turned
from experimental to mainstream production.
Prices for windows, fixtures and other green building elements are nearing
parity with traditional building materials, says Michael S. Brown, a Santa
Barbara-based environmental specialist and consultant to Irvine. Just a few
years ago, builders could expect to pay 20 percent more to incorporate green
features. Now, Brown says, if green building techniques are incorporated into
the original design, a green building can be constructed for the same cost as a
traditional structure.
Brown acknowledges green techniques don't have the test of time. History says
a traditional commercial roof will last for 20 years or so. But the roof garden
concept is too new and still evolving.
But, Brown says, in the long run, the energy savings should mean green
buildings make sense economically and ecologically "even if you have a few
bumps along the way."
STRIVING FOR 'GREEN': In addition to Ford Motor Co., LPA Architecture in
Irvine is the other building in Orange County that has earned green
certification.
But several other buildings in the county are pursuing green certification:
Bowerman Landfill Operations building, Irvine Constructive Technologies Group,
Irvine Fullerton Arboretum Center Hoag Memorial Hospital, Presbyterian East
Tower, Newport Beach Newmatic Engineering, Irvine Palo Verdes housing addition,
UCI O.C. Fire Authority, Irvine St. Mark Presbyterian Church interpretative
center, Newport Beach
For more information on green buildings, go to www.usgbc.org and www.sce.com
-- click on "Self-Generation Incentive."
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