2007年VOA标准英语-Green Building on the Rise

By Jeff Swicord
Washington
05 July 2007

As energy prices continue to rise, more and more housing consumers in the U.S. are looking for ways to save money on home energy costs.  VOA's Jeff Swicord reports on an environmentally friendly, green building movement in the United States.

A green building showcase of kitchen design and appliances

From high-rise apartment buildings to single-family homes, so-called "green building" is the hottest trend in architectural design today.  Simply put, green building takes into account the energy efficiency of the design and the environmental sustainability of the materials used. 

Susan Piedmont-Palladino is an architect and curator at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. She explains the concept of green building. "Green building is thinking about where it comes from and where it goes.  That goes for the material as well as the energy.  How are you getting the energy, what systems are you using to heat your house and cool your house?  And where are the waste products going to end up?"

The National Building Museum has assembled part of a green house designed by California architect Michele Kaufman as part of its exhibit on green building.  Susan Palladino points out some of its green features. "The first one to notice is this generous overhang."

Susan Piedmont-Palladino

The exterior¹ of the house is designed to maximize or limit solar exposure during different times of the year. "This overhang keeps the high summer sun off the glass.  And then the sun in the winter is, of course, a little bit lower.  The sun in the winter can slide or glide², it is The Glide House, can glide right under the overhang and warm up the interior," Piedmont-Palladino says.

The materials and design inside the house are equally important to its green character.  The exhibition emphasizes the choices people make when building, designing and furnishing a home. "Some of the furniture is eco resin³, which is a recycled material.  And all of the upholsteries, the fabrics⁴, they minimize out-gassing, minimize sort of nasty toxins⁵ that are sometimes hidden in the things we buy."

Bamboo flooring

The flooring is made of bamboo, which is the fastest-growing plant on the earth and considered a renewable resource.  The lighting⁶ in the house is all fiber-optic, which gives off less heat than a conventional light bulb. "And it consumes vastly less energy than typical lighting."

The kitchen countertops are made from recycled paper.

The U.S. Green Building Council is an organization made up of representatives from the building industry. It has come up with something called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification.  LEED Certification is a way of measuring green design performance. 

"The dishwasher and the washer are both Energy Star appliances which reduces the energy consumption…"

The Alta, a new condominium development by builder P.N. Hoffman in Washington D.C., is the first LEED certified⁷ condominium development in the city.

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Shawn Seaman

Shawn Seaman is a vice⁹ president with P. N. Hoffman.  He has been interested in the green building concept for many years.  He says it was not hard to convince his company that green was the way to go with the Alta project.

"It has actually been a benefit for the company because it has been a marketable feature.  And it separates us from the competition."

Consumer demand for green is increasing and other builders in Washington plan to offer green projects.  Susan Piedmont Palladino says the next step is to design entire green communities that are self-sufficient and generate their own renewable energy. 

1 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

2 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

3 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

4 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

5 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

7 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

8 seaman   

n.海员，水手，水兵

参考例句：

• That young man is a experienced seaman.那个年轻人是一个经验丰富的水手。
• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。