ECOLOGY

YOU DON'T NEED HIGH TECH TO GO GREEN

TREE HUGGER - It is not a sophisticated building, it is a throwback. It
is the first office building in 50 years to be built in Seattle without
air conditioning. It won't knock anyone over the head with high-tech
turbines and acres of photo voltaics; It will just efficiently and
simply use 30% less energy by doing things that architects have known
about for hundreds of years.

Got sun in your face? put on sunglasses on the building to stop it
before it gets in. Want fresh air? Open the window. Want light? Make it
shallow, only 35 feet from window to courtyard. Want air circulation?
Put a hole in the middle of the donut to create a stack effect to draw
air through. Nothing to see here that wouldn't be found in a 1936
Architectural Graphic Standards. . .

Other features include "low-flow plumbing fixtures, waterless urinals, a
highly efficient hot-water heating system and perimeter hydronic radiant
heating that is individually controlled. With only one elevator, the use
of stairs will be encouraged by making them visible and accessible to
users and visitors. The exposed structure minimizes the use of finish
materials, and good indoor-air quality will be achieved by using low-VOC
paints, adhesives and carpet."

It is not the high tech, sophisticated technology that will lead to
sustainability. The way to build is to do the dumb simple things that
everybody did before we had cheap power, which makes this just about the
smartest building around.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/seattle_office.php

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