Sustainability to be codified outside LEED Three major construction-oriented groups have formed a joint committee to create a minimum standard for high-performance, sustainable buildings. Representatives of the U.S. Green Building Council; American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers; and Illuminating Engineering Society of America met in August to launch Standard 189P, intended as a minimum ASHRAE-type standard in the mold of the widely used Standard 90.1, “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” USGBC president Rick Fedrizzi says 189P would function as a baseline, with the USGBC’s own LEED rating system continuing as a tool for the “top 25%” of building practices. For more: http://www.ashrae.org/publications/detail/2667. Scripps Research Institute continues Jupiter plans After hitting a regulatory brick wall in West Palm Beach, Scripps Florida is moving ahead with plans for an expansive research campus at an alternate site in nearby Jupiter. In September, scientists began moving into Scripps’ second temporary facility on the Florida Atlantic Univ. campus in the Abacoa neighborhood. Palm Beach County paid $13 million to build the lab; Florida Atlantic will reimburse the county after taking over the building when Scripps leaves. Construction at Scripps’ permanent 100-acre Jupiter site should start this winter, with initial move-in targeted for 2009. For more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/sfl-scrippscoverage,0,5969743.storygallery?coll=sfla-home-headlines. Novartis makes splash in Shanghai Novartis continues development of its worldwide research infrastructure with plans for a new biomedical R&D center in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, focusing on infectious causes of cancer endemic to China and Asia. A 5,000-m2 start-up building should be ready by spring 2007, followed by the July 2007 groundbreaking of a 38,000-m2 lab that will ultimately support ~400 scientists. Initial investment in the projects, which will foster cooperation with academic institutions, is estimated at $100 million. For more: http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=23179. LBNL creates data center guide The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has created a dedicated website offering tools and information on saving money and promoting efficiency in data center design. High-performance data centers are increasingly important to lab facilities but often entail serious power challenges, with energy costs up to 100X greater than those of other building types. For more: http://hightech.lbl.gov/DCTraining/top.html. In related news, Ecos Consulting and EPRI Solutions recently released information about pioneering data-center demonstrations at Sun Microsystems, using DC power provided either as direct high-voltage DC or converted from AC at the rack level and distributed directly to servers. The HVAC savings from eliminating typical AC to DC conversion methods are estimated at 10% compared with a baseline case. For a free PowerPoint download describing the project, also courtesy of LBNL: http://hightech.lbl.gov/dc-powering/. Tool boosts construction waste recycling The federal government is facilitating the recycling of construction waste with a new Construction Waste Management Database service, part of the General Services Administration’s popular Web-based Whole Building Design Guide. The tool is designed to link recycling firms with potential clients, and lists the services provided by specific companies. Users can search for recyclers by state or ZIP code, and select from a lengthy list of materials they wish to recycle. According to the EPA, ~136 million tons of construction and demolition waste are generated annually in the U.S., representing up to 45% of the total waste stream depending on region. The tool aims to divert a much greater percentage of this material from landfills. For more: www.wbdg.org/tools/cwm.php. Sun lab simulates light Lab consultants increasingly use wind tunnels to analyze air supply and exhaust issues, and a new facility at Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, may offer the same advantage for studying illumination. The new “sky dome,” funded in part with a National Science Foundation grant, simulates the effects of time of day, season, and weather conditions on sunlight, allowing project teams to analyze varied building design and orientation choices. For more: http://www.ocolly.com/read_story.php?a_id=31048. Publication names green Top 10 Recycled-content interior molding, high-efficiency tintable glazing, and “smart” irrigation controls are among the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2006, cited in an annual awards program administered by BuildingGreen Inc. Recommended products are selected by BuildingGreen’s editors from among the submissions to the annual GreenSpec Directory. For more: http://www.buildinggreen.com/press/topten2006/index.cfm.