November 1, 2001-Vol33n9: Solar energy focus of "Green Design 2001"

Solar energy focus of "Green Design 2001"
Conference to address role of solar energy in concept of green building design

By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

Although the idea of using solar energy in cold, cloudy Buffalo may sound silly to the uninitiated, organizers of an upcoming conference devoted to the use of solar energy in buildings say harnessing the sun is the way to go when building true "green" facilities.

"Green Design 2001: Solar Energy in Buildings," a conference focusing on the opportunities, strategies and benefits of green building design—with special emphasis on the role of solar energy in buildings—will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Buffalo Convention Center.

Walter Simpson, UB energy officer, is a conference organizer. Among the numerous conference sponsors are the Department of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Planning, and the UB Green Office.

Green design seeks to prioritize environmental and life cycle considerations in all facets of building design, construction, operation and maintenance. While green buildings should be highly energy efficient, they also should rely on energy from clean sources. Solar energy represents the cleanest approach to meeting energy needs, proponents say.

Even Buffalo—with its reputation for nasty winter weather—receives during the winter approximately 60 percent of the solar energy received by sunny Southern California, enough for effective use of solar energy, conference organizers say.

They add that the timing of "Green Design 2001" is particularly appropriate because Gov. George Pataki issued an Executive Order in June requiring all state agencies to construct only green-design buildings.

Moreover, Erie County's new Youth Detention Center will feature green-design principles, and other upcoming civic projects, such as Adelphia Communications' new office building, a new Buffalo Convention Center and the $1 billion Buffalo Public Schools capital program to build six new schools and renovate more than 60 school buildings, could incorporate those principles.

During introductory keynote lectures in the conference's morning session, three nationally recognized experts will address such topics as passive solar design (which uses building orientation, form, fenestration and thermal mass to allow sunlight to heat buildings), daylighting (the use of daylight to improve lighting quality and the indoor environment while offsetting demands for electric lighting and reducing building cooling loads) and building integrated photovoltaics (design elements and building materials that turn sunlight directly into electricity).

Professional training in detailed technical workshops will be provided in the afternoon session.

Delivering keynote sessions will be:

Dennis A. Andrejko, UB professor of architecture and a registered architect with extensive experience in passive solar and sustainable design, particularly in residential applications. Andrejko's work has been published in numerous books and journals, including Solar Age, Solar Today, Sunset Magazine, Research and Design and Progressive Architecture.

Don Aitken, principal in Donald Aitken Associates and a designer of cutting-edge, energy-efficient and solar buildings. He is executive director of the Western Regional Solar Energy Center for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Steven Strong, president of Solar Design Associates, an architectural firm with an international reputation for pioneering integration of renewable energy systems—especially solar electricity—with environmentally responsive building design. He is an expert in building integrated photovoltaics.

Also speaking with be Hillary Brown, director of New Civic Works of New York City and former director of the Office of Sustainable Design for the City of New York. Brown is an authority in integrating high-performance building practices into public works programs and the community development sector.

The registration fee for the conference, which includes lunch and an information packet, is $40. For more information, contact Erin Cala at the UB Green Office at 829-3535.