Glass Facades Go
Beyond Skin Deep
By Joann Gonchar, with Peter Reina

Product developers, building owners and designers are taking a new look at high-performance glass facades as key in creating buildings with improved access to daylight, better indoor air quality and improved energy efficiency…The most promising of such switchable technologies for use in buildings is electrochromic glazing, which undergoes a reversible change in optical properties when exposed to light, according to Stephen Selkowitz, head of the building technologies department at Berkeley Lab. (02/10/03) Full story.

Microorganisms For
A Cleaner Tomorrow
By Jenny Duong

In the struggle to keep groundwater supplies free from an increasingly large assortment of industrial contaminants, researchers have turned to small but versatile new allies. Lisa Alvarez-Cohen—who holds a joint appointment in the Lab’s Materials Science Division and UCB’s Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department— along with her team have used microorganisms to clean the environment. The technique, known as in situ bioremediation, uses microorganisms to consume and biodegrade environmental contaminants on site. (02/12/03) Full story.

• Chamberlain Road will be closed to through-traffic today from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., to allow removal of trees. Chamberlain Road connects to McMillan Road at Building 71. Access and parking around Building 71 will still be available. Some parking will also be available along Chamberlain Road toward Building 90. For questions contact Bob Berninzoni at X 5576
  
• Road N to Buildings 10 and 80 will be closed to traffic today due to construction activities for the Building 6 Southside Expansion project.
  Access to the Building 10 and 80 parking lot will be closed. Road N1 and Road N next to Buildings 6 and 37 will be open to one way traffic.