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Forums, exhibit focus on high-performance buildings, sustainable communities

CHAPEL HILL -- "Greening" communities – from the planned Olympic Village in China to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus – will be the subject of a forum at UNC on Feb. 11.

The event will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the newly renovated Frank Porter Graham Student Union.

A second forum, on March 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Great Hall, will focus on the "Economic, Environmental, Health and Productivity Benefits of Green Buildings and Products."

High-performance buildings – that cost less to operate and maintain, protect natural systems and improve occupants’ comfort and productivity – also are the subject of an interactive exhibit in the Student Union lobby through March 14.

At the first forum on "Sustainable Community Building," Dr. Robert Watson, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council and co-chair of the U.S. Green Building Council, will discuss his work as director of Accord 21, a project of the U.S. and Chinese governments, to "green" the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Following Watson’s address, Deborah Dunning and Jim Gleeson will share how public, private and civic representatives in Charlotte have parlayed an interest in high-performance buildings into a collaborative effort to improve the city. Gleeson, an architect with Little Diversified Architectural Consultants, is president of the Coalition for a Sustainable Charlotte. Dunning is the founding president of the International Design Center for the Environment, one of several organizations responsible for creating the green building exhibit.

Cindy Pollock Shea, UNC’s sustainability coordinator, will then discuss how sustainability has been woven into the campus master plan, which is guiding UNC’s future growth over the next several decades. UNC Facilities Services’ Sustainability Initiative received a N.C. Sustainable Business Award from Save Our State in 2003.

Designing buildings to use less energy, water and materials reduces their long-term costs and environmental impacts, Shea said. Creating more green space invites people to gather outdoors and limits storm-water runoff, she added.

On March 1, Mike Italiano, president of the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability and a founder of the U.S. Green Building Council, will discuss new building products on the market and why they are being introduced at an accelerated pace.

Three campus leaders will then explain their interest in green buildings. John Oberlin, associate vice chancellor for information technology, will discuss the role an improved built environment can play in recruiting and retaining qualified professionals. Larry Hicks, associate director of housing and residential education, will share trends in campus housing. Both new residence halls and renovations, such as Morrison Hall, are introducing more daylight, and trimming energy and water use.

Dr. Peter White, director of UNC’s N.C. Botanical Garden, will discuss plans for the new Visitor Education Center. Plans to use geothermal and solar energy, on-site storm-water capture for irrigation needs and innovative designs and materials may qualify the center as a LEED platinum building, the highest ranking available from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Parking near the student union is limited, and those attending events are encouraged to take Chapel Hill Transit. Information on Chapel Hill Transit routes can be found at www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/transit/.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/event/exhibit/green.jpg

Note: Contact Shea at (919) 843-5251 or cpshea@fac.unc.edu

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or Deborah_Saine@unc.edu