AEC Tech News #169
14 Jun, 2006 By: Kenneth WongIn Search of Sustainable Certification Processes: Architect reflects on certification and construction inspections and the need for more education
In Search of Sustainable Certification Processes
Architect reflects on certification and construction inspections and the need for more education in residential sustainability
Lawrence Scarpa is probably one of the few people in California who looks forward to opening his electricity bill. He uses about 330 kW (kilowatts) a year -- less than the 548 kW that the average California household reportedly uses each month (according to the Energy Information Administration's statistics for 1999). Like most of us, Scarpa chills his meat and milk in a refrigerator, washes his clothes in a washer and does his dishes in a dishwasher. So, what’s his secret? It’s his house, outfitted with a solar canopy that generates about 5,500 kW of renewable energy a year.
Under the Umbrella
Completed in April 2005, Scarpa’s two-story building
in Venice, California, has become something of an attraction.
Scarpa calls his dwelling The Solar Umbrella House, a tribute
to Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953 that served
as inspiration. The AIA/COTE (American Institute of Architects/Committee
on the Environment) named it one of 2006’s Top Ten
Green projects. In the online project-profile page, AIA observes, “Rather
than deflecting sunlight, this contemporary solar canopy
uses 89 amorphous photovoltaic panels to transform the sunlight
into usable energy, providing 95% of the residence’s
electricity. At the same time, it screens large portions
of the structure from direct exposure to the intense southern
California sun, protecting the body of the building from
thermal heat gain.” Read
more>>
First Look Review: ATI FireGL V7350 1GB RAM Graphics Card
by Ron LaFon
ATI Technologies just released two new products in its FireGL line of graphics cards: the V7300 and the V7350. Both are listed as ultrahigh-performance cards. The primary difference between the two is that the FireGL V7300 comes with 512MB of memory while the V7350, which I tested, provides 1GB of onboard GDDR3 (graphics double data rate, v3) memory. The V7350 is the first readily available graphics card to offer that much base memory.
A double-width graphics card, the FireGL V7350 requires an additional slot space when installed to accommodate its thickness. Both the V7300 and the V7350 include two dual-link DVI-I output connectors. They support single 9-megapixel monitors at a resolution of 3840×2400 or dual-display output at 2560×1600 per screen. The V7350 also supports the 16-bit per color component of HDR (high dynamic range) display. Read more>>
Mark Your Calendar: AEC Events
Webinars: Large-Format Scanning and Document Management
Tuesdays and Thursdays in June
IDEAL is offering Web presentations to discuss topics, introduce technology and
provide suggestions to help with large-format scanning and document management
problems. Read
more
2006 Design-Build Conference & Expo
October 18-20, 2006
Nashville, Tennessee
Annual conference for DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America) members and
partners. Read
more
Fall International IAI Meeting for Building Smart
October 30-November 4, 2006
Washington, D.C.
IAI (International Alliance for Interoperability) is promoting effective means
of exchanging information among all software platforms and applications serving
the AEC/FM community. Read
more
Trimble Dimensions 2006
November 6-8, 2006
Las Vegas, Nevada
Trimble’s International User Conference on Building Your Connected Site
emphasizes how process integration and intelligent positioning technologies
enable surveying, engineering and construction professionals to reduce rework,
utilize assets more efficiently, accelerate design updates as well as improve
the bidding, planning and billing cycles. Read
more
COFES 2007
April 12-15, 2007
Scottsdale, Arizona
COFES 2007 brings together executives from technology, engineering, design,
development and architectural companies to explore new engineering technology
and discuss its effects on the future of business. Read
more
For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here >>

Tech Forum: AECis the latest addition to Cadalyst's Discussion Forums. The new forum is moderated by Cadalyst Contributing Editor Ed Goldberg and brings together AEC professionals to discuss issues related to CAD and BIM (building information modeling). Check it out today!
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CAD Manager (Column) – Hire the Good and Avoid the Bad:Tips for hiring the right CAD staffers.
Cadalyst Daily Update. For all the latest news and new products, subscribe to CadalystDaily e-newsletter. Plus, every issue includes a feature you won’t find anywhere else – hardware and CAD software reviews, success stories, AutoCAD tips and much more! Here’s a sample of what you missed in the past week:
- Virtual Pass to Your Favorite Hollywood Set: Gyroscope creates interactive, panoramic 3D tours using REALVIZ Stitcher, QuickTime VR
- "Do You Do BIM?" Part 1: Building information modeling is more than new technology; know the basics and you'll be prepared for your clients' inevitable question
- "Do You Do BIM?" Part 2: New software is but one aspect of building information modeling — be sure you understand all the challenges of this new approach