Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2009 APS March Meeting
Volume 54, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 16–20, 2009; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Session H8: The Greening of the City of Pittsburgh: The History, Science and Examples |
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Sponsoring Units: FPS Chair: Brian Schwartz, City University of New York Room: 414/415 |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:00AM - 8:36AM |
H8.00001: Devastation and Renewal: Water, Air and Land in Pittsburgh Environmental History Invited Speaker: This talk will focus on the metabolism of cities as a concept through which to view the environmental history of Pittsburgh. In many ways, the history of Pittsburgh, perhaps more than that of any other city in the nation, reflects the impact of industrialism and of urban infrastructure on environmental quality. The talk will explore these effects and attempts at remediation through a slide lecture that will examine three domains: water supply and wastewater disposal; smoke and air pollution; and land contamination. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:36AM - 9:12AM |
H8.00002: Air Quality from Early Pittsburgh to the Present: The Science of Change Invited Speaker: Throughout Pittsburgh's history over the past 250 years, coal reserves in the city and nearby have influenced its economy, demographics, and environmental quality. They have also played a major role in determining air quality in the region. For example, Pittsburgh became famous for its high particle loadings as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the first complaints about air quality in the city were recorded. Nevertheless, residents tolerated the high coal smoke levels since jobs depended on the iron works, steel mills, and other industries. When natural gas was discovered just east of the city in the 1870's and replaced coal for some applications, particle concentrations decreased. But the local supplies of natural gas ran short several years later, and as industry continued to expand in the 1890's the city went back to the use of coal as its primary fuel. The return to smoky air was met with resistance that marked the beginning of sustained public outcry and initiation of several air pollution studies. The next half century was marked by periods of occasional high and low concentration, the latter due to events such as the financial panic of 1907 and the depression of the 1930's. It was not until the 1940's that effective regulations were passed to reduce smoky conditions. Particle levels fell throughout the 1950's and 1960's, and eventually the decline of heavy industry in Pittsburgh led to relatively clean air in many parts of the city. Over the past few decades, airborne particle concentrations averaged across the Pittsburgh region have remained below their earlier levels. However, there are still ``hot spots'' of high concentration resulting from regional background coming from upwind areas and emissions of some large sources that have continued to operate in the Pittsburgh region. Furthermore, the composition of airborne particles in the city has changed from earlier times. Such particles are now the result of emissions from sources in upwind states, greater numbers of mobile sources, and the influence of control technologies that remove certain classes of pollutants but not others. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:12AM - 9:48AM |
H8.00003: Material Science and Construction Invited Speaker: We will review the new materials and technologies that are being applied in the construction of high performance (green) buildings to improve energy efficiency, Indoor Air and Environmental Quality, water conservation and reclamation, and resource conservation. We present an introduction to state-of-the-art building concepts, including ``Net-Zero'' buildings, which generate as much energy as they use, reclaim water, and minimize waste; and ``Waste as Resource,'' including waste to energy plants, biofuels, materials reclamation and recycling. The role of advanced materials and technologies, such as spectrally selective glazing, photocatalytic concrete, solar heating and cooling, and organic solar collectors will be discussed. We also give an overview of advanced analytic tools used in building design, including Computational Fluid Dynamics, energy, and lighting/daylighting computer-based simulation programs. [Preview Abstract] |
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:48AM - 10:24AM |
H8.00004: The Greening of the David L. Lawrence Pittsburgh Convention Center Invited Speaker: The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is the largest Gold LEED NC (new construction) certified convention center in the USA and the first of its kind in the world. The designation has been awarded by the United States Green Building Council through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. In this talk we discuss the unique green properties of this 1.5 million square foot Convention Center including the design and use of daylight, natural ventilation and other sustainable design and practices. No other building the size of the Convention Center (1.5 million square feet), uses natural ventilation or can illuminate an exhibition hall entirely through its windows and skylights. Approximately 75\% of the convention center's exhibition space is lit by natural daylight. The use of natural ventilation and extensive day lighting is designed to reduce energy consumption by nearly 35\% compared to traditional ventilated and lit buildings of a similar size. [Preview Abstract] |
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