Thursday, December 01, 2005
MD Renaissance
While surfing the tube the other night, I came upon a televised meeting of the MD Planning Board. The discussion was about how to incorporate green building techniques into state building projects, mostly schools. They also noted that they were interested in adding green features to building codes.The questions seemed to imply that the board was convinced of the necessity of green features, especially energy conservation measures. There were legitimate questions of first costs and the ability of contractors to produce satisfactory results in buildings with the features. The speaker, Jen Riselli of Philly USGBC, ably answered questions about these isssues. She stated that contractors unfamiliar with green building techniques would more than likely put a premium on their bid price as a contingency for unknowns. She also mentioned that she convinced school directors to go with green products based on their durability and lower life cycle costs, and did not even mention their lower environmental impact. She wasn't sure about how to update building codes, but an audience member offered the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects as a starting point.
Riselli is also currently working on the Renaissance Redevelopment project and is acting as unofficial consultant to school renovation and building projects in Maryland.
... Baltimore County’s Renaissance initiative is a golden opportunity to turn underused or neglected parcels of land into community assets. This involves only properties within the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (URDL) and only where community residents want such redevelopment to take place. This "collaborative" design process involves full community participation in order to ensure certainty that what is planned is what will be built, thus strengthening all of our communities. ...
Audience members were offered a chance to provide information as well, although it was an unscheduled addition. A member of the newly formed non-profit group, the Green Building Institute in Jessup, MD, gave her agency as a reference. An older gentleman (I can't remember his affiliation) said that autoclaved concrete is a good building material, with both better insulation and fire-resistant qualities than normal concrete.