The term ‘building science’ is used quite often now in sustainable building circles, but much of what we understand of it can be traced back to the work of Dr. Joe Lstiburek, founder of Building Science Corporation. He is anything but your typical engineer or scientist who spends time crunching numbers or hiding away in a lab. Lstiburek has spent most of his career out in the field, testing and examining what works and what doesn’t. Many of the building standards today — from building codes to ASHRE to testing methodology — have his finger prints all over them, and his tough love criticism of building design is undercut with his wry humor and, of course, an encyclopedic knowledge of building construction.

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SAGE recently attended the sixth annual Living Future 2012, billed as an “unConference,” where the green building industry’s best minds and practitioners gather to share their expertise and passionate desires to help us move forward as a society.

It was an inspiring event. What struck me most was that the attendees were genuinely passionate about “Living Future” … not just the conference itself, but what the words actually mean. It’s all about fostering better sustainable lifestyles, making the world a better place for the children and equal rights for all. Attendees were driven by the idea that transforming the built environment towards sustainability can help us reach these goals.

The theme of this year’s unConference was Women Reshaping the World. The program and speakers focused on women who are providing proven, practical and visionary strategies that address whole earth impacts. It acknowledged women give and nurture life and that their impact is significant in the role of sustainable living.

As well, it further bridged the gender gap in what has historically been a predominantly male-directed building industry. It was impressive that more than 50% of attendees this year were women. This was different from the previous building trade conferences I’ve attended.

SAGE was the only glass vendor to exhibit. This was surprising as windows play such a critical role in sustainable architecture. The way we design buildings and communities to maintain a connection to the outdoors is critical to physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of people.

Living Future 2012 was worth the investment; the quality of attendees, shared ideas and relationships forged. We’re already making plans for next year’s unConference.

Green buildings are more than a fashion statement. Many architects, builders and clients agree that smart, sustainable buildings are becoming a necessity. Why? Because according to some estimates, buildings account for almost one-half of the world’s material and energy consumption, one-sixth of fresh water use, and a quarter of all wood harvested. As costs for sustainable materials and products drop, building green is really the most cost-effective kind of design and construction. More and more, you can’t afford not to build green.

Architecture, Domestic glass, moulded glass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Glass has always been one of the most popular and widely used building products for its ability to let light into buildings whilst providing protection against the elements. Over the past few years however, our obsession with glass has taken a new turn and its use in architecture is evolving. Architectural glass is becoming a must have in modern building and when architects set out to start developing new structures to create a dazzling city skyline, it seems as though most want to implement this style into their design.

A building may be monumental, but a place must be human-scale.  An individual building may be designed to speed up human activity (or, rather, productivity) but a successful place slows down the pace so we can connect with others and with our surroundings.  Architects must sort out the spatial contradictions.  They have little room for error because their creations will frame our behavior for decades.

From Inhabitat:

Brooklyn artist Spencer Finch’s largest artwork of his career will be revealed when the new Johns Hopkins Hospitalcomplex in Baltimore, MD opens next month…

…The 1.5 million square foot building will be a leading model of how medical care can be enhanced by colorful art and design. Finch’s work is what first greets visitors. Each aluminum panel within this massive curtain features two layers of glass through which Finch’s colorful alphabet gleams. The palette of 26 shades of colors, inspired by Claude Monet’s Impressionist landscape paintings, is meant to remind visitors of water’s calming features. Contrast is also a defining feature, with the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center wrapped in blue. The nearby Sheik Zayed Tower, for adult medical care, will shine in hues of green.

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And so many architects and engineers are starting to use natural light and heat in an effort to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

However, if you’ve ever worked in a glass building – or even in front of a glass window – you have likely experienced significant temperature fluctuations depending on the time of day and weather conditions. A brightly shining sun can cause interior temperatures to rise by nearly 40° F, which can make workers uncomfortable.

Read the rest of the story here.

Paul Hutton

Denver architect, Paul Hutton, AIA, LEED AP, is a recognized expert in daylighting and sustainable design. His firm, Hutton Architecture Studio, focuses on building designs that harvest daylight to improve occupant performance and reduce energy costs.

We first encountered Paul’s work when he was brought in to solve a particularly challenging sun control problem for the Wyoming Depart of Transportation’s new Port of Entry building in Torrington. His expertise helped reduce energy costs and improve the indoor environment, while giving agents the unobstructed views they need to do their jobs.

As a board member for AIA’s National Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE), Paul is particularly committed to exploring what benefits daylighting and green design impart in learning environments. He examines that and other pedagogical issues at the Hutton Architecture Studio Blog.

We caught up with Paul again this week to glean deeper insight into daylighting, outdoor views, sun control technologies, building codes and related issues.

Maximizing daylight in buildings has obvious economic and ecofriendly benefits like reduced lighting costs and energy consumption. But what is the latest and greatest research that says natural light and outdoor views have measurable benefits for the people indoors?

Hutton: A lot of our work is in the educational sector.  The ground breaking studies conducted by the Heschong Mahone Group starting in 1999 really shook that realm because of the reported impact of daylighting on test scores.  Those studies have been used, and occasionally misused, to justify a great variety of daylighting in schools.  Many architects now take for granted the connection between daylighting and academic performance, but we desperately need new studies to test the potential benefits of all the daylighting that has been implemented in the last decade, and to separate the truly  beneficial design concepts from those that only pose as effective daylighting.
Is there a biological basis for saying natural light trumps artificial? 

Hutton: I get asked that question a lot, and I attempt to answer it in my graduate class on daylighting at the University of Colorado College of Architecture.  The research here is a bit vague, but I believe daylighting is beneficial for humans in comparison to electric lighting for these reasons: 

Spectrum – despite lighting manufacturers’ claims of “full spectrum” lighting, no electric light source is a true replacement for daylighting.  I believe that as architects we have a responsibility to provide the best spectrum light we can for the occupants of our buildings, and I have no doubt daylight is by far the best (as well as the most affordable) source.

Variability – Within any daylighted space there will be continuous and natural variations in light level.  While drastic fluctuations can be irritating, and electric lighting should be used to even out some of this, I believe the variations are a healthy and gentle stimulant for our nervous systems.  I think it is analogous to music.  Any note, no matter how pleasing, will quickly become monotonous and then maddening if it is heard without interruption.  So it is with light – we need variation to stay engaged.

You worked with electrochromic dynamic glass in the Port of Torrington project. What are some other new technologies, techniques or strategies for optimizing daylight in buildings?

Hutton: Allow me to answer this question by explaining something about the Torrington Port of Entry project.  A key to success there was not just the use of SageGlass windows, but combining that with high quality lighting from above, or top lighting.  This top lighting was provided by means of several tubular daylighting devices, or TDDs.  This seemingly simple device has revolutionized our ability to daylight buildings by effectively combining light from the side with light from above.  TDD’s are so much more efficient and cost effective than skylights that it is easy to overlook the profound impact they have had.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you see architects or building owners make when it comes to the daylighting strategies in their design? 

 Hutton: Architects in general have no idea where the sun is in the sky, and they have little understanding of how the sun’s position in the sky affects the design of their facades.  This may sound like hyperbole, but I give my graduate architecture students a quiz every year to test it.  Few architects can take a very simple window in a south wall with an overhang, and accurately project the shadow cast across that window from a specific combination of solar altitude and azimuth.  This lack of understanding leads to all manner of inappropriate shading devices, from overhangs to sunshades to lightshelves.  Much of what appears to be sun protection on building exteriors is really just architectural ornament.

Does it matter what kind of view to the outdoors I have? For example, are woods better than parking lots? Where does a plain blue sky fit on the continuum?

Hutton: Research from more than three decades ago showed a positive link between the quality of view and patient recovery rates in hospital settings.  Essentially, the more natural elements, the greater the benefit.  So, grass, trees, shrubs, woods, ponds, and mountains are all highly desirable, whereas man-made elements such as walls are less so.  As a result, we take great care when locating windows to maximize views that include natural elements a much as possible.  Interestingly, the research also showed that views of the sky alone are less beneficial that views of the ground.  The biologist E. O. Wilson coined the term Biophilia to summarize this innate human love of the natural world.  As architects, we should honor that fundamental human need.

Some new building code standards are moving towards reducing the window-to-wall ratio in order to create a more thermally efficient building envelope. What do you think about that idea?

Actually, one of my primary concerns with the emergence of daylighting as a key sustainable strategy is the tendency of architects to overglaze in the pursuit of daylighting.  A cursory look at the design magazines will show there are more new all glass buildings than ever before.  Improvements in glass technology and performance have made it possible for architects to get away with this, but that doesn’t make it a responsible thing to do.  We have not had any problem achieving our daylighting goals with the reduced window to wall ratios.  In fact, all glass walls, or nearly all glass walls, are almost never a wise daylighting strategy, and they will lead to greater energy consumption, not less.