Architect Generates Awareness of Photovoltaics
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1998--
Building-integrated materials that collect and direct solar energy become viable design solutions
In the 1940s, when researchers working on the development of semi-conductors for Bell Labs discovered that energy from light could be gathered and converted into direct current, the science of photovoltaics (photo-vol-tay-icks) was born.
Fifty years later, great strides have been made in the research and development of photovoltaics-or PV technology-as applications in the space and automotive industries, consumer electronics and a growing array of elegant and aesthetically pleasing building materials spur interest in the use of the clean, quiet and sustainable power of the sun.
Less expensive to produce and more versatile to use than in the recent past, PV building products such as integral roof modules, roofing tiles, shingles, and even vertical facades are being added to the architect's design palette. Integrated into a building's structural envelope, PV systems are beginning to be considered within the parameters of conventional building products. To their credit, they make a claim no other material can match--they produce energy rather than consuming it.
For the past three years, HGA architect Linda Morrissey has made the study of building-integrated photovoltaics her business. In that time she has attended conferences around the world, presented papers on her findings and incorporated PV into her designs. One of only a handful of American architects so clearly focused on the practical applications of this technology, Morrissey serves HGA and its clients as an expert resource on the use of these systems.
"The most rapidly changing aspects of the industry have to do with building-integrated applications and products," says Morrissey. "In the early years, PV was often an afterthought with a 'let's stick it on the roof or hang it off the side' approach. Today, with the growing number of products available, the architect can begin the design process with PV materials in mind."
Roof integration has become the most popular application since PV modules in that location have the highest solar exposure. Recent innovations have also made vertical curtain walls practical since integrated PV modules can, under appropriate conditions, replace facade materials such as granite or glass.
Building-integrated PV modules are most often fabricated on glass or metal substrates in the same sizes as standard construction components. Multifunctional in practice, a PV light shelf, for example, can shield and filter direct sunlight while collecting solar energy. An opaque PV roof monitor can reduce the need for daytime electric lighting by providing indirect daylight. Aesthetically, today's PV systems are available in an ever increasing variety of color, texture, reflectance and transparency.
Still, for Morrissey and the other architects who tout the benefits of PV, it's been an uphill climb to get these new products properly evaluated by designers. "Architects need to think of these as versatile, viable, beautiful materials that just happen to generate electricity, rather than engineering products used only for their energy-producing properties," says Morrissey. "If we skinned every building we designed with the most cost-effective, long-term product, they would all be stucco. We need to look at PV as more than an engineering product and recognize the intangibles it provides."
"The general market consensus politically, economically, architecturally, and especially environmentally says it's coming. With us or without out," she says. "My role is to make sure the options are known and that information is available."
Founded in 1953, HGA (http://www.hga.com) can often be found at the forefront of innovative architectural design. Complemented by its strong engineering, interior design and landscape architecture departments, the firm is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota with additional offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rochester, Minnesota. HGA specializes in the design of museums, religious and cultural facilities, corporate and industrial buildings, schools and universities, and healthcare facilities.
CONTACT:
Larissa A. Rodriguez, Public Relations Manager
LRodriguez@email.hga.com, 612/337-4327
KEYWORD: MINNESOTA
BW1222 OCT 01,1998
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