Greening of the White House

by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Produced by the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) and View By View, Inc., San Francisco. Available from the AIA for $24.95 ($17.45 to members) plus $5 S&H: 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006-5292; 800/365-2724, 802/864-7626 (fax), or from CREST, P.O. Box 1036, Washington, DC 20013, 800/842-5505.

EBN

Vol. 3, No. 3). Some of the ideas generated have since been carried out, improving the energy performance and comfort of the complex. An account of these measures, along with some of the concepts and tools used to generate them, is now available in a user-friendly CD that runs on both Windows and Macintosh systems.

The CD is divided into two major sections, one about what is being done at the White House and the other about measures homeowners can take to improve the energy and environmental performance of their own homes. (Much of this latter material comes from the

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings—see Consumer Guide—100,000 Copies in Print.) These sections are augmented by video clips and searchable via a hot-linked index.

The CD’s interface is straightforward and well integrated, though not slick by this year’s standards. The content is, for the most part, aimed at a consumer audience, so professionals are likely to find it simplistic. There are a few gems, such as sample renderings from the

Radiance daylight modeling program by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, that are a treat for those who haven’t used the actual program.

Most of the text on this CD is also available for free access on CREST’s

Solstice Web site, where the CD can also be ordered. This is not a groundbreaking information resource for designers, but it has great value as an outreach tool for the general public.