Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008 - (Page 8)

Letters More on the ‘green fad’ I read the letter by Kevin Dickens, “When the green fad fades,” August 2008 (page 8), with interest. It carries a message of frustration with the current fad of green design and its influence on mechanical and electrical engineers. I am one who thinks that the green or sustainable practice is the only recipe for future energy and economic stability. If we have carefully selected the optimal system, right-sized it, selected efficient equipment, and used advanced controls, we truly have done all we can. What I find myself doing is campaigning for a very efficient building envelope as the way to get those LEED Energy and Atmosphere credits. In the end, the architect holds the key to significant energy savings. The green movement is really an awakening to a different paradigm in architecture and, to some extent, mechanical design practice. All of the energy modeling is a pain to do, but it should be a confirmation of what we did anyway. Good design practice will not go out of style, but it may get a revision as technology advances our toolset. I believe we have an obligation to be proactive about identifying the source of permanent energy conservation, i.e., the building envelope. Once an efficient design is installed, making sure it runs as intended is the other ingredient. STEPHEN A. RICKS, PE, LEED AP SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER, COFFMAN ENGINEERS INC., SEATTLE other conditions in different parts of the lower 48 are extensive. Finally, the statement totally disregards the utter failure of national level policy and codes in the United States over the past 40 years to do anything substantive about climate change. We should thank the Californians for going ahead because waiting for a national level code is not practical. Frankly, the National Assn. of Home Builders is not the place to look for green buildings. They have not pioneered anything in that area. Meanwhile, the solar and other energy pioneers have been on their own for quite some time. DAVE THOMAS, MSCE, PE FAIRFAX, VA Letters Send your letters to Michael Ivanovich, editor-in-chief, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523, or via e-mail to michael.ivanovich@ reedbusiness.com. Letters should be no longer than 200 words, and may be edited for space, style, spelling, and grammar. Energy woes ahead If you look at the numbers, you will quickly grasp the fact that we cannot conserve our way out of our energy situation. What is even sadder is the fact that we have known about what must occur to alleviate this problem for more than 50 years. Our lack of proper action has traditionally given way to those looking for an easier solution. We have reached the point where to not act will have unacceptable consequences and to act is beyond the scope of our current way of doing things. Reality is not going to change, so I would suggest we need to get a grasp on the scale of what must happen. We have yet to begin, and we should have done so long ago. HUGH COLEMAN KELSO, WASH. California’s green code I have to express disagreement with the statement “the development of state-by-state codes, instead of a national policy, will hinder the overall process of developing more green buildings” from the Consulting-Specifying Engineer news story, “First statewide green building code released,” August 2008 (page 16). This is patently false, and disregards the need for any green code to fit the locality, the state, and the region. Just because architects deal planet-wide, does not mean that those who seek optimums for their locality have to. In fact, the disparities between climatic and Fax this! I really enjoyed reading the Consulting-Specifying Engineer article “Can’t you just fax it to me?” August 2008 (page 45), and the topics it touched on. Back when CAD drawings began to be fashionable, I was involved in supplying engines to a wide range of customers. Many of the engineers were comfortable simply receiving a paper drawing of a new model they would be working with. At the time, this was sufficient to begin to formulate a new design in their head. Having all this information on a single document was equivalent to put- 8 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • OCTOBER 2008 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/reed/cse0808/?startid=8 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/reed/cse0808/?startid=45 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/reed/cse0808/?startid=16

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable Cities Under One Roof Eight Design Tips for Integration Is 'Green' Really New? Down the Drain Product of the Year Awards Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008

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