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Special Projects Links & Resources Archive
Special Projects
Mission Statement
Improve the building industry and society's capacity to provide a constructed environment that is sustainably planned, designed and built.
Description
COTE Projects range widely in their scope. They typically call on all COTE participants for support. They often extend over several weeks,
months or even years, although some projects may be as short as a single workshop or meeting. COTE frequently teams with other
organizations on projects to help create 'Design Tools,' raise professional and public awareness on sustainable development, and
provide special education to design professionals and industry.
If you would like to participate in a COTE project contact:
Doug Pierce (612) 851-5065 douglas.pierce@perkinswill.com
AIA Minnesota COTE Active Project List:
State of Minnesota Sustainable Building Design Guidelines & Database
Project Links:
CSBR home page
www.csbr.umn.edu/index.html
Project Description (CSBR)
www.csbr.umn.edu/b3-sbdg.html
Project Website
www.b3-sbdg.umn.edu/
Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide v1.0
www.msdg.umn.edu/
Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide v2.0
www.msdg.umn.edu/2.0RFP-Labs/
LEED Rating System
www.usgbc.org/
Sustainable Building Material Database Development
Project Links:
CSBR home page
www.csbr.umn.edu/index.html
Project Description (CSBR)
www.csbr.umn.edu/materials_database.html
Oikos Green Building Source
www.oikos.com/
Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide- Materials Strategy Page
www.msdg.umn.edu/MSDG/materials.html
Twin Cities Green Map Project
Important Links:
The Twin Cities Green Map
http://o2-usa.org/UMW/TCGreenMap/index.html
The NYC online map
www.greenmap.org/nyc/
Green Map homepage
www.greenmap.org
Online Green Maps Closer to Home:
Milwaukee Green Map
www.wisconline.com/greenmap/milwaukee/
State of Minnesota Sustainable Building Design Guidelines & Database
B3 Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond Project
COTE Involvement: Project Review and Input
COTE Point Person: Douglas D. Pierce, AIA
(612) 851-5065
Douglas.pierce@perkinswill.com
The AIA Minnesota Committee on the Environment will be providing input on an important project for the State of Minnesota. In 2001,
Minnesota passed legislation that will require all new state funded buildings to follow sustainable building design guidelines. The goal
is to build more functional and efficient structures, both materially and financially that provide for a productive indoor environment. The
guidelines are to address economic, environmental and community performance. The Guidelines must be ready by January 15, 2003.
The guide that results from the 'B3' Project will eventually replace the existing Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide. The Center for Sustainable
Building Research at the University of Minnesota (CSBR) is developing the Guidelines portion of this project. The Guide is part of the Buildings,
Benchmarks & Beyond (B3) Project that also includes Project Management led by LHB Engineers and Architects, Public Building Benchmarking
led by The Weidt Group, and Project Delivery Process led by the Adams Group.
The first phase of guideline development is to review existing guideline systems and collect feedback from people with familiarity or experience
with sustainable guidelines. The 'B3' Survey was distributed to COTE Participants on September 11, 2002 with Responses due on
September 24, 2002. The goal of the B3 Survey is to collect experiences of the benefits and drawbacks of various systems from the point of
view of clients, design professionals, contractors, building users and others involved in the building process. Feedback and public input will
be solicited in two stages: at the beginning evaluation stage of the project, and at a later stage, when draft guidelines are underway.
Incorporating the thoughts and experience of COTE participants in both stages is very important, as the result will affect all those involved
in designing State buildings.
Examples of existing sustainable guidelines include LEED green building rating system, created by the US Green Building Council and the
Sustainable Building Design Guide, maintained by the University of Minnesota, among others.
Sustainable Building Material Database
COTE Involvement: Project Development Partner with the CSBR and CSI
COTE Point Person: Douglas D. Pierce, AIA
(612) 851-5065
Douglas.pierce@perkinswill.com
The Minnesota Sustainable Building Materials Database (MSBMD) will provide resources that promote the use of sustainable materials and systems
by educating potential users on their costs, availability, and actual in-place experience, enabling potential users to make informed and timely decisions.
The AIA Minnesota Committee on the Environment and the Minnesota chapter of the Construction Specifier's Institute are partners with the Center
for Sustainable Building Research in developing the Minnesota Sustainable Building Materials Database (MSBMD). The Internet database will include
information gathered from regional sources and projects, presented in a format accessible to both the general public and more sophisticated design
and construction professionals. Evaluation criteria will be based on life cycle concepts including extraction, production/manufacture, transportation,
installation, use and maintenance, and reuse/disposal.
The MSBMD will include evaluative information to assist users in making informed decisions that affect procurement. The MSBMD will clearly lay
out the criteria used for evaluation of specific materials, products, systems, and services, the process followed, and the results of the evaluation.
Understanding this process and the criteria used will enable government, communities, individuals, and businesses to procure more resource efficient,
recycled content, and less toxic products, as well as encouraging them to incorporate sustainable guidelines in their RFP's for professional consulting
services and pre-qualification of contractors.
The database evaluation process, in conjunction with developments related to the B3 project for guidelines, will include information on the full life
cycle implications of selected materials, products, and systems, providing users with pertinent information necessary to achieve the goal of reducing
the amount and toxicity of waste generated by consumers, business, or a specific community. The project is currently awaiting input from those
developing the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guidelines in order to ensure the process and product is only done once. It is in the interest of the
Database to be viewed as a support tool to implement requirements of the Guidelines. Because the Guidelines are being developed, wherever
possible, using "performance" criteria in measurable applications, the original design for the Database may need to be redeveloped. There are
also new tools for system evaluation (ATHENA 2.1) which are available and which can provide significant input for product and component evaluation.
Taking time to make certain this process is fully integrated will benefit both the State in ensuring Guideline compliance and practitioners seeking a
tool to guide their implementation of the Guidelines.
Twin Cities Greenmap Project
COTE Involvement: Help Identify Green Buildings and Construction Resources
Schedule
Contact the Twin Cities Green Map Project
The Twin Cities Green Map Project Description:
- An educational tool about sustainable communities and eco efforts - plans for improvement and featured success stories,
- A chance to highlight what's going on right now - from community gardens, to our extensive bike trails and public waterways, to innovations in eco and sustainable architecture,
- A community building tool to help people get the most out of all the Twin Cities has to offer Metro wide or just next door,
- And a chance to show off all the good things the Twin Cities has done to help develop and maintain our natural spaces.
How can you help Twin Cities Green Map? We are asking COTE members to "suggest a site" by recording it on
http://o2-usa.org/UMW/TCGreenMap/suggest.html.
Submit suggestions for Sustainable examples under the following headings:
- Built (and future) Projects,
- Firms,
- Research/Design Consultants,
- Local suppliers/manufacturers of architectural "green or sustainable" products,
- Contractors/Builders.
Please include the name, location, specific attributes and contact information (contact person and phone number)
with your submittal. Advocates, Advisors, and Researchers are needed.
If you can't work on the project, please take a few moments to pass this info on to a friend! See
"Suggest a Site" at http://o2-usa.org/UMW/TCGreenMap/suggest.html
Last Updated: 2/25/2005
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