Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 13, 2004|Volume 32, Number 18

Among the works on view in "Big and Green" is this model titled "3-D Garden,"created by the company MVRDV for a proposed multi-story apartment building in Hengelo, The Netherlands. The building is designed to resemble a tree, with the balconies representing its "branches."

Exhibition features 'Big and Green' architectural designs

"Big and Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century," an exhibition focusing on 50 large buildings and structures worldwide that exemplify advances in sustainable architecture, will be on view Feb. 17-May 7 at the School of Architecture.

The impetus to make energy-conserving buildings that are safe for the health of occupants and friendly to the environment grew out of the "earth consciousness" movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. Recognizing the scarcity of non-renewable energy resources -- particularly fossil fuels -- and the hazards posed by many of the most common building materials, architects began to explore ways to apply "green" principles to small-scale structures like single-family homes.

Recently, designers and engineers have incorporated these environmental innovations into such projects as large apartment complexes, sports arenas, skyscrapers and factories. New standards to measure "sustainability" have also been developed.

"Big and Green" provides a glimpse of what is possible in sustainable architecture when creative individuals tackle the task. The exhibition is divided into five sections: "Energy," "Light and Air," "Greenery, Water and Waste," "Construction" and "Urbanism."

The "Energy" section spotlights a multi-story office building that uses a wind-turbine for power; a skyscraper partly powered by the sun and other renewable resources; and the Jets Stadium in New York, which will generate enough energy to share with the surrounding city power grid.

"Light and Air" examines advances in natural illumination and ventilation, with an emphasis on reducing dependency on air conditioning, while "Greenery, Water and Waste" looks at ways to cut down on water consumption, reuse waste-water and enlist natural organisms and plant materials into the effort.

In "Construction" the focus is on renovation, as opposed to new construction, as a way to avoid using the most common modern building materials: glass, steel, wood, plastics and concrete. The headquarters of the National Audubon Society is offered as an example of reusing and refitting an existing building, and Lloyd's of London Headquarters and the Esplanade condominium apartments in Massachusetts are showcased for their use of prefabricated modules and renewable, non-toxic materials.

The "Urbanism" section shows how cities are planned and how planning can impact the environment. This section also features inventive designs for future urban development, such as Cesar Pelli's high-rise apartment 20 River Terrace, which is examined as a prime example of environmentalism working with city planning.

The exhibition, which opened at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., was made possible by lead gifts from Jeffrey and Rona Abramson and the Abramson Family Foundation, The Durst Organization, the United States Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the United States General Services Administration Public Buildings Service. The installation for the exhibition at Yale was made possible in part by support from the Connecticut Architecture Foundation/AIA Connecticut Committee on the Environment.

"Numbers Count" symposium

A related symposium, "Numbers Count: Simulation and High-Performance Building Design," will take place at the School of Architecture on Friday-Saturday, April 2-3.

The symposium will feature well-known architects and their consultants who will demonstrate and discuss how computer simulation of air flow, acoustics, lighting and air quality are used in the design process of large-scale green buildings.

The School of Architecture Gallery is located in the Art & Architecture Building, 180 York St. It is open to the public free of charge Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call (203) 432-2288, or visit the school's website at www.architecture.yale.edu.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Levin named to review panel on intelligence operations

Scientist gets $6 million for study of Parkinson's disease

U.S. poet laureate appointed as Rosenkranz Writer-in-Residence

Yale Rep stages a 'King Lear' for the ages

Yale Rep's 'King Lear': A classic tale in an ancient setting

YHHAP: They don't just work for the homeless, but with them

Yale Art Gallery acquires floor mosaic from ancient city

Graduate School again increases stipends for doctoral students

President re-establishes Minority Advisory Council

Exhibition features 'Big and Green' architectural designs

Law practitioners to explore 'rebellious' strategies for change

Yale's NCAA self-study is available to community online

Scientists discover low level of enzyme in people with epilepsy

Event explores challenges of children in foster care . . .

Japanese puppetry to open Yale Rep's Special Event series

Panetti piece celebrating work with quartet to make East Coast premiere

Yale scholars Snyder and Gay honored . . .

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes