T here is a movement afoot called landscape urbanism, and it is quietly pulling the rug out from under the traditional design hierarchy. Proponents of the notion argue that principles of ecological landscape design, rather than architecture or urban planning, are more capable of organizing and enhancing the city. Related Links: Landscape Architecture Rising “Landscape is usurping architecture’s historical role as the basic building block of city- making,” says Charles Waldheim, chairman of landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the coiner of “landscape urbanism.” As a result, cities are starting to hire landscape architects to lead

If a new professional designation catches on, designers and contractors involved in sustainable buildings could soon be seeking still another set of initials to put after their names. Early last month, Toronto-based Green Roofs for Healthy Cities launched a green-roof professional accreditation exam. The 100-question, multiple-choice test was offered on June 5 for the first time at the group’s annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities conference, in Atlanta. The exam focuses on knowledge areas such as green-roof design, contract management and maintenance. These topics are covered in four full-day workshops offered by the sponsoring group. Though completion of the

A new study from the National Academy of Sciences predicts that the growing use of so-called “green” refrigerants being phased in to replace ozone-depleting ones could contribute to the global equivalent of up to 45% in carbon-dioxide emissions by 2050. > Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Engineers prep for R-22 ban at recent HVAC conference. Related Links: View the National Academy of Sciences Study The use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), such as R-404a, R-410a and HFC-134a, are set to grow exponentially as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), such as R-22, continue phasing out under the Montreal Protocol. In the 1990s, HCFCs replaced more-damaging chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Need to stop flooding or reduce stormwater runoff and sewer overflows? Looking to ease demand on treatment plants and avoid the cost of expansion? Seeking cleaner air or water? Interested in recharging an aquifer, rebuilding a shoreline or remediating a brownfield? Trying to stem highway pollution? Need to rebalance a watershed or ecosystem? Slide Show Photo: SWA Group Houston’s buffalo bayou transformation turns derelict channel into urban paradise Photo: SWA Group The city’s Buffalo Bayou project involves re-engineering banks, stabilizing soil, anchoring rock and more. The park is designed to withstand natural periodic flooding. Related Links: Landscape Architects Invade Big

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority on June 25 awarded a $4.9-million contract to the Boston office of Stantec for engineering services on the 45-year old, 60-mgd West Roxbury Wastewater Tunnel. The 12-in thick cast-in-place concrete lining in the 12,500-ft long, 84-in dia. rock tunnel, which serves about 125,000 homes and businesses, is eroded due to hydrogen sulfide corrosion. J.F. White, Framingham, Mass., will inspect the tunnel, which has two portals and a 220-ft deep shaft, this fall to help determine the extent of the problem and the relining solution. "The 12-in liner is structural and as of a decade ago

State departments of transportation have met their first "use it or lose it" deadline under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, obligating half of their stimulus funds for highway projects. The number of ARRA highway and transit project starts has risen sharply in recent weeks, but actual outlays remain small, according to reports from a key House committee. Emphasizing the ARRA progress, the White House and U.S. DOT said on June 25 that $19 billion has been obligated for more than 5,300 highway and other transportation projects. ARRA requires states to obligate--commit to specifid projects--at least 50% of their highway

A design-build contract for a $6.8-million solar project to help power a wastewater treatment plant in Bakersfield, Calif., could see the light of day because of a proposed $3-million federal stimulus grant. Photo: Bakersfield Public Works Funding will come from federal stimulus grant and utility, municipal sources. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds will cover 44% of the cost of a 1-MW single axis photovoltaic tracking system on a 5-acre site adjacent to Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 3, with room to expand. “The stimulus funds were a significant factor in making the numbers pencil out,” said Art Chianello,

Of the $1.3 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds scheduled for delivery to Amtrak projects, almost $50 million will go to California projects – half for a new LA Maintenance Facility and most of the balance to meet accessibility requirements. The maintenance facility is planned as a pre-engineered metal building 820 ft long by 70 ft wide, semi-enclosed with a pit running the length of the building. It will include equipment to remove, clean and service train cars. The project will go to bid in October with construction starting in January, 2010. It could take 12 to 16

The joint tenders committee of Israel’s National Infrastructure and Finance Ministries has issued an international prequalifiying tender for an offshore liquefied-natural-gas receiving terminal. The build-own-transfer tender is one of the largest issued in recent years by the by the State of Israel. The target date set for the operation of the terminal is October 2013. The decision to proceed with the terminal is part of the government’s policy to guarantee natural gas supplies to the local economy which has been rapidly switching to gas in recent years. “The tender is for the construction, operation and maintenance of the LNG terminal

A combination of factors, including a previously unknown layer of "slime," led to the Dec. 22, 2008, layer of coal ash sludge that overflowed its aging storage facility at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant near Knoxville and contaminated hundreds of acres, according to a 1,400-page, three-foot-thick "root cause" analysis released June 25. Photo: TVA Cleanup of stricken site is well under way The analysis, conducted by Los Angeles-based AECOM Technology Corp., found that the angled geometry of the site, along with increased loads due to higher fill and the wet-placed loose ash, along with the weak slime foundation, all