An Introduction to The Living Building Challenge: Presentation Addresses Timeless Approach to Design

When: 11:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Friday, August 17th
Where: Archi+ETC / Ayars & Ayars headquarters, 2436 N. 48th Street in Lincoln, NE
Cost: $10.00 or $8 for WasteCap Nebraska members.

Lunch will be served and registration is required. Please register from this LINK   www.wastecapne.org/events and click on “17 August- An Introduction to the Living Building Challenge- Meeting & Lunch”.

What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?  Archi+ETC and WasteCap Nebraska will host a presentation by Stuart Shell, AIA, LEED  AP entitled, “An Introduction to The Living Building Challenge”. Of special interest to architects, engineers and builders, the presentation is open to individuals interested in green building concepts as well.   
  
The Living Building Challenge provides a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic 
relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment. It is a philosophy, advocacy 
tool and certification program comprised of seven performance areas: Site, Water, Energy, 
Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty.  Since its launch in 2006, the US Green Building Council 
has fully endorsed the Living Building Challenge.  Participants can qualify for AIA CEU: 1 
Learning Unit (HSW or Sustainable Design) and GBCI: 1 CE Credit.   
 
Stuart Shell, AIA, LCI, LEED AP is Nebraska’s first Living Building Challenge Ambassador. 
He joined the Living Building Challenge Ambassador Network because the program envisions 
human development as a way to restore ecosystem diversity. He commutes by bicycle to his 
Omaha office at RDG Planning & Design where his focus is high performance buildings and 
facilities for early childhood education.  Stuart is a past board member of Landmarks, Inc. and 
currently serves on the board of Community Bike Project Omaha.

WasteCap Nebraska’s mission is to partner with business leaders to implement resource 
conservation strategies that improve profitability, community goodwill and employee pride. A 
statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, WasteCap Nebraska advances sustainable business 
practices through facilitation, training and community outreach.   
 
Architecture Etcetera is a dynamic collaboration of talented architects and dedicated staff that 
bring passion and energy to the design process. It is our mission to consistently understand our 
clients and exceed their expectations with inspirational design that takes place in a respectful, 
open, and balanced environment. 
 

Public Encouraged to Take Energy Survey: Community Conversation on Energy set for August 18

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Milo Mumgaard, Cleaner Greener Lincoln, 402-441-7376
Lisa PytlikZillig, Public Policy Center, 402-472-5678



Lincoln residents are encouraged to take an online survey on sustainable energy available on the City website, lincoln.ne.gov. The survey is part of Mayor Chris Beutler's Cleaner Greener Lincoln initiative. Those who take the survey will have an opportunity to sign up for a Community Conversation from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, August 18 at the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street.


The City partnered with the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (ppc.unl.edu) to create the survey, which simulates the decisions local policy-makers face when it comes to energy programs. The Lincoln Electrical System (LES) also provided input to the survey. The survey takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and participants are asked to rank policy priorities, the importance of current sustainability programs, the current goals of energy programs, and funding resources.

About 1,400 residents responded to a similar survey and discussion on the City budget earlier this year. Those attending the Community Conversation on energy sustainability will discuss the issues with energy experts and City department directors and managers. Milo Mumgaard, Senior Policy Aide for Sustainability in the Mayor's Office, said information gathered from the survey and discussion will help inform policy and program decisions in the future.

"It's important for residents to understand the issues the City faces when making energy program decisions, especially with funding for some programs ending in 2013," Mumgaard said. "Cleaner Greener Lincoln and the LES Sustainable Energy Program are two of the local efforts that have focused on energy and sustainability. We look forward to hearing residents' ideas as we make decisions for future energy and sustainability programs in Lincoln."

More information on Cleaner Greener Lincoln is available at green.lincoln.ne.gov. More information on the LES Sustainable Energy Program is available at les.com.

NFRC Window Energy Ratings: Important Tools for Meeting Project Specs and Building Codes

 As sustainable building becomes increasingly popular, developers, architects, builders and homebuyers  need to be confident that green components, like energy-efficient windows, perform as advertised. Just as cars have Miles-Per-Gallon ratings, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) provides uniform fenestration ratings that can be used for comparison.   

NFRC is a nationally recognized and trusted source of energy performance ratings for windows, doors, skylights, and other fenestration products. Its independent procedures are utilized in the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1-2007, the basis of Nebraska’s building energy codes. Officials enforcing these building codes rely on NFRC’s independent ratings.   

NFRC provides straightforward performance ratings for heat loss (U-Factor), heat gain (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient or SHGC), and Visible Transmittance (VT). The U-Factor measures how well a fenestration unit can prevent heat from escaping, typically ranging between 0.09 and 1.20. The SHGC, demonstrated in a number between 0 and 1, measures how well the product blocks solar heat. The smaller the U-Factor and SHGC ratings, the better the performance. VT measures how much light is transmitted through the product. It is rated between 0 and 1, and the higher the rating, the more light comes through.  

NFRC provides ratings for both the residential and non-residential sectors. For residential fenestration, NFRC lists energy performance values on temporary labels attached to products it rates. NFRC doesn’t attach labels to non-residential products built or assembled on the project site. NFRC’s Component Modeling Approach (CMA) program for non-residential fenestration can provide certified ratings on a project-specific document called a Label Certificate. The CMA program provides an innovative way for users to configure variations of fenestration products online, compare preliminary energy performance values and then certify those ratings.  

Fenestration performance values also play an important role in calculating building energy performance. NFRC provides accurate, reliable energy values that users can input into energy modeling software to determine building efficiency.   

Having an understanding of NFRC’s independent ratings can help architects, designers, contractors, and consumers select the right fenestration products for their green building projects to increase their sustainability and value.

By Tom Herron, NFRC’s senior manager, communications and marketing. You can reach him at therron@nfrc.org.

Take Action NOW to Support the Federal Governments Sustainability Goals and Support the LEED Rating System

Dear USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter Members:

In just 12 short years, we have seen the green building industry grow into an economic powerhouse in part because of the crystallization of the LEED building rating system. LEED allowed the best minds in the building industry to show the world the benefits of better products, better designs, better engineering, and better buildings. LEED has now grown into the most widely used high-performance building rating system in the world.  From those humble beginnings, today more than 12,300 commercial projects and over 20,000 residential units have achieved LEED certification.  An additional 1.6 million square feet of space is certified every day.  

The business case for LEED is unassailable.  It saves U.S. businesses and taxpayers millions of dollars every year.  Furthermore, an organization's participation in the voluntary LEED process demonstrates leadership, innovation, conservation stewardship and social responsibility – All reasons why small businesses, Fortune 100 companies, homeowners, governments and non-governmental organizations are using LEED to save money and save resources every day.      

But our rapid growth has rattled the status quo.  Currently, a lobbying campaign is trying to water down – or even eliminate – green building practices for federal buildings.     

In response to this lobbying effort, the USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter has signed onto the national USGBC support letter that will be delivered to the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) on July 25^th.

We encourage all of our members to educate themselves about this important issue and read the letter to GSA. Then, by clicking here, you can sign onto the letter and demonstrate your organization’s support of the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) sustainability goals and their continued use of the LEED rating system

Sincerely,

Chad Johansen
Vice Chair / Advocacy Chair
USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter