February 2012
Virajita Singh's piece on "Teaching for Transformation" was posted on University of Minnesota's Techniques in Learning and Teaching (TILT) Blog

As a teacher I think about transformation as a process of entering new states of being and am struck by its power particularly as I witness it in the classroom. The world of education – of teaching and learning – has an implicit goal of transformation...." Read more at: uminntilt.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/teaching-for-transformation.

February 2012
Patrick Smith and Rolf Jacobson presenting at the 2012 Duluth Energy Design Conference & Expo

Patrick Smith and Rolf Jacobson, both Research Fellows at the CSBR, will be presenting at the 2012 Duluth Energy Design Conference & Expo, February 21- 22. Pat's presentation will focus on the analysis of utility bills for determining and tracking energy performance in multifamily buildings, using several local affordable housing developments as case studies. Rolf's presentation will investigate the characteristics of several types of high-performance residential building envelopes, including SIP panels, ICFs, and advanced framing with spray foam. Issues discussed will include R-value, moisture performance, thermal bridging, and life cycle environmental impacts.

January 2012
CSBR Launches Commercial Windows Web Site

The Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Alliance to Save Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy, officially launched www.commercialwindows.org - a state-of-the-art website that provides critical information and performance data on the energy efficiency, interior environment, and technical considerations that influence commercial window design decisions. Read full press release.

January 2012
EnergyScoreCards Minnesota

EnergyScoreCards Minnesota is seeking multifamily building owners to receive up to two years of free access to the EnergyScoreCards tool—an online service to help reduce utility spending and consumption of multifamily building. This opportunity is available in select utility service territories. Participants will also receive information about energy savings programs and opportunities. The goal of the two-year pilot project is to understand the impact of utility benchmarking - comparing building performance with similar buildings—and tracking energy and water use over time at multifamily buildings.

22 owner/managers with more than 8,700 units of housing expressed interest in our first week—join them! To learn more about the project or enroll in the program, visit the project website at www.energyscorecardsmn.com or download a flyer here.

The project is a partnership between Minnesota Housing, Minnesota Green Communities, University of Minnesota Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE), and EnergyScoreCards™—an online energy management tool for multifamily buildings. It is funded by grants from Xcel Energy and Minnesota Housing.

November 14 and 15, 2011
8:30am - 4:00pm
NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership Expert Meetings

The NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership is pleased to host two experts meetings on November 14 and 15, 2011 from 8:30am - 4:00pm. The meetings will bring together experts from Building America teams and other related programs and research activities will gather together to share information and determine future research issues and needs.

November 14: Windows Options for New and Existing Homes, 140 Nolte, University of Minnesota

November 15: Foundations: Research Results and Builder's Handbook Review, University Hotel Minneapolis (formerly Radisson)

Please register for one or both sessions.

Saturday, November 5, 2011
8:00am - 5:00pm
Sustainable Neighborhood Design Conference
100 Rapson Hall

Sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Building Research and the Metropolitan Design Center, this one-day conference will include presentations on local sustainable neighborhood projects at UMORE Park in Rosemount, the University District Alliance, The Ford Plant Site in St. Paul, and the Eco-Village in north Minneapolis.

Stellan Fryxell
Swedish architect and project manager for the renowned sustainable development, Hammarby Sjostad, near Stockholm.

Malena Karlsson
Information officer at the Stockholm Glasshouse - the information center for the Hammarby district. More about Hammarby Sjostad.

Cost: Free but Registration required

October 2011
Jonee Kulman Brigham will be presenting a poster at the University of Minnesota Student Sustainability Symposium

On Wednesday, October 26, from 2:30-6:00 pm, over forty students from eight different colleges will be sharing their sustainability research at the Student Sustainability Symposium sponsored by Institute on the Environment (IonE). To register or learn more about the event. Jonee Kulman Brigham, who is also a Liberal Studies Student at the U will be sharing the progress of research on an Institute on the Environment Mini Grant, "Art, Story and Infrastructure: A Model for Experiential Interconnection in Environmental Education."

September 16, 2011
Kerry Haglund from CSBR staff will be representing the EWC at Greenbuild

The Efficient Windows Collaborative (EWC) will be exhibiting at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, October 4-7, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. The EWC will be in booth T-9 in the South Building. Come visit if you are attending Greenbuild.

September 7, 2011
John Carmody named IonE Fellow

Fourteen University of Minnesota faculty from 13 departments and eight colleges and schools have been named resident fellows of IonE. Representing a broad range of disciplines, the new fellows join 32 others in taking on the task of building bridges across disciplines to solve environmental challenges. They begin their three-year appointments with IonE this month. Read entire press release.

August 10, 2011
University of Minnesota's Center for Sustainable Building Research's John Carmody Discusses the Latest in Efficient Window Design

Replacement Windows for Dummies recently spoke with John Carmody, Director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota to discuss some of the latest developments in efficient window design. Read the entire interview.

July 2011
CSBR partnered with Minneapolis-based groups to build one of 60 model homes in Port-au-Prince

Former President Bill Clinton, along with Haitian President Michel Martelly, attended the inauguration of the Build Back Better Communities Expo (BBBC) near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The U of M's College of Design’s Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR) partnered with Minneapolis-based groups to design, build and compete in the Haiti reconstruction project. CSBR’s home was one of 60 Clinton helped unveil during his visit.

"This project has been a wonderful opportunity to combine the expertise of the University and other partners with the passion and commitment of our students and staff to address a critical need," said John Carmody, CSBR director. "What we are trying to accomplish in Haiti is not just disaster recovery, but creating a model for a more sustainable world."

Together, CSBR, the American Refugee Committee and THOR Construction founded the Haiti Reconstruction Partnership (HRP) in collaboration with the Dania Foundation and MSAADA Architects. HRP’s objective for the project was to present a permanent housing solution to meet the needs of the Haitian people following the devastating earthquake in 2010.

To that end, HRP’s home was designed and built to be durable, sustainable, secure, and cost-effective. Its many features include: durable concrete block construction and metal roof, engineered for earthquake and hurricane resistance; flexible and expandable floor plan; 39-square-meter floor area; security grills and shutters over windows to allow natural ventilation; large front and rear porches with outdoor cooking area; and bathroom with toilet and shower.

"Our proposal draws heavily on Haiti’s most valuable resource: the resilient spirit of its people," said Jim Lutz, lecturer and co-director of the Master of Science program in architecture, sustainable design track. "The design is based on traditional Haitian homes and will provide an important means of training the next generation of builders in appropriate construction practices. The reconstruction effort will not only provide much needed housing for the people left homeless after the 2010 earthquake, but will help rebuild the devastated economy as well."

July 2011
CSBR Researchers featured in ICON Solar House Video Shorts

CSBR Researchers, Dan Handeen and Jonee Kulman Brigham are featured in the set of video shorts: "Stories From the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon," produced and directed by Audrey Robinson Favorito for the University of Minnesota. The videos capture the reflections of the University of Minnesota's ICON Solar House team on the design and construction process, the Lighting Design and Engineering Design first place awards and the challenges and issues of taking on such an interdisciplinary project over the course of two years. In addition to first place in lighting and engineering, the University of Minnesota ICON Solar House team took fifth place overall, the highest rank a first-time competing team has had since the decathlon began.

June 2011
Ninaquispe awarded the ARCC Jonathan King Student Medal

CSBR's Research Fellow Liliana Ninaquispe, MS Arch, was awarded the ARCC Jonathan King Student Medal for the best School of Architecture research paper of the year. Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), this award is given to one student per ARCC member college, school, institute, or unit. Selection of recipients is based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research. ARCC is an international consortium of architectural research centers committed to the expansion of research culture and infrastructure in architecture and related design disciplines. Ninaquispe's paper: "Totora as a sustainable insulation for adobe masonry houses in Puno, Peru" has been recently published and presented in the 11th North American Masonry Congress.

May 2011
Kulman Brigham working with Audubon Minnesota

CSBR's Jonee Kulman Brigham has been working with Audubon Minnesota's Joanna Eckles and architect, Ed Heinen on a new Bird Safe Design Guideline for the B3 State of Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (B3-MSBG). The new B3-MSBG guideline will build off of the "Audubon Minnestota's Bird Safe Building Guidelines" published last year, as well as consider new bird-safe initiatives from across the continent. The new B3-MSBG guideline is intended to limit bird strikes on buildings through affecting the design of glazing (glass) areas and allowing designers to test different alternatives to improve bird safety. The guidline is planned for release this summer and is referenced in a recent Finance and Commerce article.

Link to article»
Audubon Minnestota's Bird Safe Building Guidelines»

May 2011
CSBR Researchers Represented at Living Green Expo Art Exhibit
What: Living Green Expo
When: May 7-8, 2011
Where: Fine Arts Center of the Minnesota State Fair Grounds

Artworks of Virajita Singh and Jonee Kulman Brigham will be included in the 10th anniversary art exhibit at the Living Green Expo titled "Art as Gateway to Community Engagement: Sustaining Nature and Culture." Curated by Roslye B. Ultan, the show will feature over 50 artists exploring its theme. Both Virajita and Jonee are interested in the integration of practical/technical with cultural/expressive work as part of moving forward on sustainable transformation. More information»

March 2011
Virajita Singh Lecture
What: Solutions Volume 4
When: Friday, March 18th, 7 PM
Where: Capri Theater, 2027 W Broadway Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55411

Solutions Twin Cities is a platform for future-positive creativity in the Twin Cities. Created by Works Progress in 2007, the event continues to gather the region's most inspiring changemakers - from artists to economists, scientists to urban planners, community organizers to social entrepreneurs.

Using a rapid-fire visual storytelling format, presenters share their work with a live local audience, as well as globally through online social media. By making ideas and the people behind them accessible to the broader community, and to people and places around the globe, Solutions Twin Cities helps to educate and inspire the public, encouraging individuals to get involved in actively shaping their world.

For more information and tickets, please visit: solutionstwincities.org/event.htm

March 2011
Jonee Kulman Brigham Receives Grant
The University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment Awarded a Mini Grant for "Art, Story and Infrastructure: A Model for Experiential Interconnection in Environmental Education," led by Jonee Kulman Brigham, a Research Coordinator at CSBR. This proposal gathers an interdisciplinary team of University faculty and community partners to develop a curriculum model based on the Downstream/Upstream demonstration project. The focus topic is how to use place-based interaction with infrastructure, interpreted through art, story, and science to create an experiential and informed sense of interconnection between our points of resource use and the engineering and natural systems through which they flow. The project specifically addresses developing an urban water cycle curriculum model for preK–12 students.

More information can be found at the project website: one-downstream-upstream.blogspot.com

November 2010
CSBR Releases Site and Building Carbon Calculator
The CSBR Site and Building Carbon Calculator tool is intended to assist site developers, building designers, facility owners and operators with the calculation of their carbon footprint for their site and building development. For new projects, the tool is designed to assist architects and developers in estimating the greenhouse gas impacts of alternative design decisions in the early phases of design. The tool is also designed to determine the carbon footprint of existing buildings. The project was funded by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

October 2010
Rachel O'Malley and Dan Handeen, Research Fellows at the Center for Sustainable Building Research, will lead an interactive discussion on sustainable building practices at the Bell Museum's Cafe Scientifique. O'Malley and Handeen, along with John Carmody from CSBR have collaborated with the Bell Museum to create the new exhibit opening this month at the Bell Museum, "Sustainable Shelter: Dwelling Within the Forces of Nature," an exhibit that explores innovative home building technologies and strategies that can help restore the health and viability of natural systems.

Cafe Scientifique takes place Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 7:00 pm (doors 6:00), at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater in Minneapolis. Tickets are $5-$12; call 612-825-8949 for reservations.

September 2010
U of M’s ICON Solar House to be reassembled on East Bank campus.
As of September 19, 2010, construction has begun to reassemble the University of Minnesota’s entry to the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition, the ICON Solar House. This collaboration between University student designers, engineers, and builders achieved a fifth-place finish out of twenty international schools last fall. It is new being reconstructed in front of the Armory as part of a new Bell Museum of Natural History exhibit entitled Sustainable Shelter: Dwelling within the Forces of Nature. The exhibit will show the many ways that animals and humans create shelter, and explain how shelters relate to the environment. The ICON House will be open for visitation during Bell Museum hours as an example of some of the techniques and technologies that are presented in the exhibit.

The Bell Museum exhibit opens October 15, and a grand-opening event will take place November 11 concurrent with the AIA Rendezvous in Rapson Hall, and the opening of the Ralph Rapson exhibition in the HGA Gallery.

August 2010
Visit CSBR at the Great Minnesota Get-Together
CSBR will be at the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday, September 1, from 5pm-9pm. Come learn more about our center and get a sneak peak of Sustainable Shelter, a new exhibit about sustainable building, opening in October at the Bell Museum of Natural History. You can find us in the University of Minnesota Building, 2 blocks west of Gate 5 on Dan Patch Avenue (map).

August 2010
CSBR has partnered with the Bell Museum of Natural History to develop an exciting new museum exhibit: Sustainable Shelter—Dwelling within the Forces of Nature. The exhibit explores that ways in which the built environment interacts with natural systems through the extraction, use, and disposal of energy, water, and other precious natural resources. Exhibit runs October 16, 2010-May 15, 2011

July 2010
U to lead DOE initiative on home energy efficiency in cold climates
A public-private partnership led by University of Minnesota researchers has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to help develop cost-effective solutions that dramatically reduce the average energy use of housing while improving comfort and quality.

The project will be led by Pat Huelman of the University's Cold Climate Housing Program and John Carmody of the U's Center for Sustainable Building Research. The project incorporates scientists from a broad range of disciplines and will use research facilities throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin to help develop strategies not only for energy technologies but for making those technologies available and understandable to all communities. Read entire news release.

July 2010
U of MN ICON Solar House wins Top Projects of 2009 award from Finance and Commerce
CSBR staff Jonee Kulman Brigham and Dan Handeen have were actively involved the Solar Decathlon project. They were part of an interdisciplinary team that worked very hard to accomplish a 5th place standing in the competition in Fall of 2009. U of MN ICON Solar House team members receive Top Projects of 2009 award from Finance and Commerce at an awards presentation and reception in Minneapolis on July 15, 2010.
More information →
www.solardecathlon.umn.edu →
http://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2009 →

April 2010
City of Saint Paul Green Building Policy wins 2010 Sustainable Saint Paul Award
John Carmody and Rich Strong were part of the team to develop a set of performance standards for private development projects that receive public monies. The policy was enacted to support cost efficient sustainable energy "Green Building" guidelines to be included in projects where City investment are made. The City’s both the collaborative effort and the new Sustainable Building Policy are models for other communities. Download entire press release.

April 2010
CSBR Research Fellow Rolf Jacobson has been awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway for the upcoming academic year. As a continuation of his Sustainable Design Master’s thesis, he will be researching the durability, cost, energy performance, and life cycle impacts of cold climate residential building envelopes. Jacobson will be working with the Research Center for Zero Emissions Buildings, or ZEB. Similar to the CSBR, ZEB is hosted by the architecture department at NTNU, and is charged with conducting research and outreach on the leading edge of sustainable design. In exchange, CSBR will be hosting ZEB’s Fulbright Scholar and PhD candidate, Britt Sǿrlie. Read entire news release.

April 2010
Kerry Haglund will be presenting two papers at the BEST2 (Building Enclosure Science & Technology) Conference in Portland, Oregon in April 2010. This conference encourages all who are involved in the research, design and construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing infrastructure to put forth their very best efforts to achieve high performance buildings that significantly contribute to achieving the restructuring needed. The abstracts accepted are titled, "Window Optimization in High-performance Commercial Buildings" and "Decision-making Methodology & Selection Tools for High-performance Window Systems in U.S. Climates." The first of which is based on Kerry's June 2008 Masters of Architecture thesis.

April 2010
CSBR projec,t HERC i.m.b.y (In My Backyard), in the News.
With the opening of the new Target Field, a CSBR project is making news. Two summers ago, Hennepin County Environmental Services and Covanta Energy, invited CSBR to lead the exploration of sustainable options in redefining the exterior of the HERC (Hennepin Energy Recovery Center) facility in downtown Minneapolis neighboring the then being-constructed stadium. College of Design students Ben Beery, Cassandra Meyer, Matthew Sand, Ashley Sommer led by CSBR Sr. Research Fellow, Virajita Singh explored sustainable design options for HERC across four topic areas: sustainable messaging, sustainable landscape, sustainable architectural skin and a Green Roof. The HERC i.m.b.y report significantly influenced the County’s implementation of the project. For the U News Feature on the project go to: A HERC-ulean task.

October 2009
U Of MN Takes 5th Place in Solar Decathlon Competition
CSBR staff Jonee Kulman Brigham and Dan Handeen have been actively involved the the Solar Decathlon project. They are part of an interdisciplinary team that worked very hard to accomplish a 5th place standing in the competition. Congratulations to all!
More information →
www.solardecathlon.umn.edu →
www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2009 →

September 2009
Singh Recieves Fellowships
Virajita Singh has been awarded two fellowships for 2009-10: the Buckman Fellowship in Leadership and Philanthropy and a Multicultural Teaching and Learning Fellowship. Singh is currently involved in developing a program within CSBR that engages students from the College of Design to help communities, non-profits, and local governments interested in implementing sustainable goals.

June 2009
Grant from the McKnight Foundation
CSBR was awarded a two year grant from the McKnight Foundation to support our work on sustainable affordable housing. The funds will be used to expand our online resources, continue our technical assistance to Minnesota Housing and their funding partners; and develop 20 case studies of exemplary regional projects.
More information on the Minnesota Sustainable Housing Initiative →

June 2009
CSBR Staff Receive LEED Accreditation
CSBR staff and fellows Kerry Haglund, Dan Handeen, Rolf Jacobson, Garrett Mosiman, Rachel O'Malley, and Patrick Smith have all received USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System accreditation.

June 2009
Carmody & Mosiman Win Awards
John Carmody has won the 2009 Outstanding Outreach Award from the College of Design.
Garrett Mosiman was awarded the ARCC Jonathan King Student Medal.
More information →

May 2009
John Carmody has won the 2009 Outstanding Outreach Award from the College of Design. The Outreach Award recognizes outreach, engagement or disciplinary service scholarship by individuals and/or teams within or across disciplines that have addressed a critical civic, economic, environmental, health, social, or other related issue in Minnesota, the nation, or the world.

May 2009
Garrett Mosiman was awarded the ARCC Jonathan King Student Medal for the best School of Architecture research paper. Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), this award is given to one student per ARCC member college, school, institute, or unit. Selection of recipients is based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research. ARCC is an international consortium of architectural research centers committed to the expansion of research culture and infrastructure in architecture and related design disciplines.