Briefly Noted

April 5, 2005
Architect Charged in MoscowWaterPark DisasterMOSCOW - The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office has formally filed charges against architect Nodar Kancheli, the designer of the roof of the Transvaal water park which collapsed on Feb. 14, 2004. “Kancheli is charged with killing two or more people due to carelessness as a result of improperly carrying out his professional duty,” the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office stated. Twenty eight people were killed in the disaster. Recently, Moscow Prosecutor Anatoly Zuyev said that a technical examination revealed that the collapse was caused by mistakes in the roof’s design and incorrect construction decisions.Interfax Information Services Preservationists: Destroyed Classic Must Be Rebuilt

Preservationists and residents of New York City’s Union Square neighborhood are demanding the reconstruction of a quirky little building by architect Morris Lapidus, the king of Miami Beach hotel design. At a recent public hearing, they urged the city Landmarks Preservation Commission to grant protected status to the distinctive three-story glass tower at
E. 14th St.
and
University Place
, even though it had already been demolished on March 8. They also want the commission to force the owner to rebuild the original tower. Architect John Reimnitz, who restored the building for a prior landlord, said he has copies of Lapidus’ original drawings, making it possible to rebuild. Preservationists are also fighting for landmark protection for another of the architect’s New York creations, the former Summit Hotel on Lexington Ave. and
E. 51st St
.Daily News, New York Extremely Green Makeover

NRDC’s new San Francisco digs, at 111 Sutter Street, were recently awarded a Gold rating in the sustainable renovation category by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Conservationists and environmentalists praised the project and added that the reasonable price tag made the rating all the sweeter. The space was renovated at a cost comparable to that of traditional renovation projects in the Bay Area.Onearth  Extremely Green High-Rise

A new 27-story building called River Terrace in New York City features “green” applications with on-site filtering and recycling of wastewater to flush toilets, high use of construction materials with recycled content, and a natural gas-fired heating-and-air-conditioning system. Robert Noble of the Tucker Sadler architectural design firm in San Diego, CA, who also chairs the San Diego Chapter of the Green Building Council, said, “High-rise designers are beginning to address worldwide concerns for natural resource depletion, energy consumption, threatened ecology patterns and global warming.”BioCycle New Tech Could Cut Office Energy Use by 70%

Cambridge, MA—New research commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), indicates that the application of new and emerging technologies could reduce the total energy consumption of office equipment by approximately 70 percent. Approaches that power down or turn off equipment when they are not in use had the highest energy saving potential. The report, “Energy Consumption by Office and Telecommunications Equipment in Commercial Buildings,” was conducted by TIAX, a collaborative product and technology development firm. Its earlier study in 2002 established the baseline energy consumption for office and telecommunications equipment. This second report identifies technologies with energy savings potential, explores the barriers that prevent their widespread adoption, and suggests next steps to achieving market penetration and utilization.Business Wire

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