We need light outdoors at night for safety, security, productivity, and enjoyment. Guidelines and technologies available today can help meet these lighting needs while providing good quality lighting that minimizes light pollution, conserves energy, and enhances community ambience, including the effect on wildlife and our view of the starry night sky.

BIM is the process of building a 3D data-rich model of all architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical systems in the building. The model is not only used to design the building and document it for construction, it's also used as the primary tool to create and coordinate design solutions.

With the trend towards increasing complexity of the lighting and mechanical systems of today's buildings, there is a broad gap between the design intent and the actual operational performance of buildings. A technology that has emerged over the last few years to address this problem is fault detection and diagnostics (FDD).

Elevators in modern buildings are faster and more comfortable than their counterparts decades ago. But even when you are standing inside an innovative looking elevator cab, it is hard to identify the green features in the elevator and recognize their energy savings. This issue of e-News details major sustainable features in elevators and escalators and some design considerations.

On a sunny summer day, a typical roof surface can reach temperatures that are nearly 100°F above the ambient temperature. A cool roof, by contrast, stays at or near the ambient temperature due to the characteristics of its outer layer.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) introduced new Outdoor Lighting Standards in 2005 to conserve energy and reduce electricity peak demand. The Outdoor Lighting Standards regulate lighting power, controls, and allowed lighting fixture types. Illuminated signs are also covered by the Standards.

Using the integrated energy design approach, designers can cost-effectively lower building operating costs while improving workers' comfort and boosting productivity.

Toplighting provides outstanding opportunities for energy savings and improved quality of light inside many types of new and existing commercial buildings. This issue of e-News provides an overview of the benefits of toplighting, and describes brand-new requirements in California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards for Non-Residential Buildings (Title 24) related to skylights and automatic controls.

New high-intensity fluorescents outshine their high-intensity discharge competitors. They are often more efficient and feature lower lumen depreciation rates, better dimming options, instant start-up, and better color rendition.

Large retail or big box stores are looking toward energy efficiency and sustainable design strategies to provide a competitive edge and increase profitability across the nation and in California's hard-hitting marketplace.

HomeBase made a commitment to daylighting during a recent major remodeling campaign. Today, all 83 of this company's home improvement warehouse stores use extensive skylights and photocontrols.

Traditionally, skylight wells in large, low-rise commercial buildings have been custom designed and site built, an expensive and labor-intensive process. This design brief explores the benefits of a better alternative: splayed modular skylight wells specifically designed for use with suspended ceilings.

There's been a big explosion in big box retail buildings: In 1970, there were an estimated five square feet of retail space for each person in the U.S. By 2000,that figure had risen to 20 square feet per capita. Since the large retail (greater than 10,000 square feet) segment is the second greatest energy user of all commercial segments, the implications of this growth trend are significant.

Not all energy-efficiency measures are appropriate for all building types, but some are especially useful for particular buildings. This Design Brief reminds designers and builders of opportunities they should consider in each of their projects.

A few building simulation runs early in a project can lead to design solutions that, though they appear simple, significantly improve building energy performance.