FAS Housing Technology Project Reaches Turkey and Azerbaijan

FAS initiative to improve the quality of housing worldwide has led to construction of a demonstration house in Turkey and key roles in building conferenc­es in Turkey and Azerbaijan. The conferences have generated plans to transfer the FAS-initiative on energy-efficient, earthquake-resistant buildings to these countries.

The broad FAS goal has been to use the talents of scientists and engineers to intro­duce new products and designs into the inter­national building industry—an industry with a poor track record for innovation both at home and abroad. The more focused goal is to expand the use and performance of structural insulated panels (SIPs).

SIPs are a sandwich with a core of insula­tion, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), between cement or wood facings. SIPs have the potential for increasing energy efficiency, improving structural strength, and provid­ing resistance to mold and mildew—all at competitive prices. Invented more than 50 years ago by Dow Chemical Co., SIPs re­main a tiny share of the new housing market, an oversight FAS sought to change when it recognized the seismic performance of Ther­maSAVEpanels, manufactured by H. H. (Hoot) Haddock in Florence, Alabama. A two-story ThermaSAVEunit survived the most severe earthquake simulation possible on a labora­tory shake table—a performance captured by the Discovery Channel.

Turkey

The performance caught the attention of energy colleagues who recognized the poten­tial of the advanced panels in Turkey, where more than 90% of the land is in active seismic zones. (See: “U.S.-Turkey Connections”) In 2005, the FAS arranged for meetings between Haddock and Metin Lokmanhekim and Haluk Sur, senior executives of Ihlas Holding A.S., a leading Turkey construction company. The FAS, Haddock and Ihlas agreed on plans to transfer the ThermaSAVEpanel technology to Turkey. 

The plans included:

• Construction of a demonstration house in Turkey using ThermaSAVEpanels,

• Shipment of additional panels to Turkey for a series of performance tests at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), and

• Cooperation in gaining certification of the SIPs for widespread use in buildings throughout Turkey.

In December, 2005, I traveled to Turkey for FAS and the U.S. Department of Energy to move these plans forward through meetings with Ihlas and other business leaders, Turkey government officials, and university researchers.

The trip was encouraging. Ihlas selected a showcase location for the demonstra­tion house at the highest point in its upscale 675-unit Güzeksehir development on a hill overlooking the Sea of Mamara, southwest of Istanbul. The demonstration will repli­cate the design of the Lale (tulip) model, a two-story, 277.5 square meter villa—one of the five models in the development. A road is being built along the edge of the develop­ment so those visiting the demonstration villa won’t drive through the development. Ihlas is planning a 350-unit addition to the devel­opment and, depending upon the results of the demonstration, the SIPpanels could be used in the addition. The Turkey government officials were interested in cooperative efforts to improve energy efficiency and provided information about the seismic code require­ments. ITUhas a large, impressive seismic testing laboratory and the Middle East Techni­cal University in Ankara also has a seismic test laboratory. Both expressed interest in evaluating the performance of the SIPs.

The demonstration villa was completed this summer, thanks—importantly—to the persis­tence and skill of the Ihlas construction team. Many of the ThermaSAVEpanels were badly damaged during shipment from Florence to Istanbul. There were other problems. It was a learning experience. But learning occurred and the inherent advantages of SIPs were recognized—their energy efficiency, strength, light weight, versatility, and potential ease of construction.

In parallel with the demonstration, the FAS and our Turkish partners cooperated on a broadening set of issues. Haluk Sur, in addition to his Ihlas position, was the 2006 chairman of the Association of Real Estate Investment Companies (GYODER), which at­tracted some 1,000 real estate leaders from Turkey, the region and the world to its annual conference on May 2-3, 2006, in Istanbul. Rosenfeld was a keynote speaker, champi­oning California’s building energy efficiency leadership. Lokmanhekim moderated a panel that included Henry Kelly, Charles Washing­ton, DOEsenior policy analyst, and myself. We gained a chance to sell the cost-effective­ness of advanced technologies to an important audience.

We earned a reprise when we were invited to speak at the May 10-11, 2007, Turkey Forum—an annual gathering of Turkey’s political and economic leaders. Henry Kelly gave a keynote address on Global Warming. Lokmanhekim moderated a panel on energy efficiency. Joe Hagerman, Director of the FAS Housing Technology Project, described its ex­panding activities. Prof. Dr. Khalid Mosalam, University of California-Berkeley, described advanced seismic simulation research. I made a presentation prepared by Rosenfeld and me on the reshaping of the U.S. and Cali­fornia energy and environmental programs.

Azerbaijan

The FAS kept the U.S. DOE and State Department informed about these activities in Turkey and DOE recognized that energy-efficient, earthquake-resistant housing was also a high priority in a key country in the Caucasus region—Azerbaijan. A backwater republic of the USSR, since the end of the Cold War, Azerbaijan has emerged as a piv­otal country in the new “Great Game” over the oil and natural gas resources of Central Asia. A major Western goal was achieved with the construction of the Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline that brings oil from the Caspian re­gion through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to a port on the Mediterranean and to world markets. DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman spoke at the May 25, 2005, ceremony in Baku commemorating the loading of first oil into the pipeline. While oil and natural gas inter­ests are dominant, the U.S. Government also supports a broader dialogue on democracy and human rights. This was shown when Bodman—at the BTC ceremony—announced the U.S. plans to support a workshop in Baku on energy efficient building technologies.

The workshop, initially planned for last fall, was postponed to July 16-17, 2007, at the request of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, the agenda was expanded to cover a broad set of topics that Azerbaijan sees as important to its long-term economic, social and political future: energy efficiency for all residential and commercial buildings, seismic building codes, implementation and enforcement, banking and mortgage reforms, industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy, and research and development. Attended by 100 participants, the workshop appeared to tap a yearning among government, private sec­tor, university, and NGO leaders to hear and share ideas about Azerbaijan’s future.

In this broad exchange, the potential contribution of SIPs received major attention because of their potential to address a major Azerbaijan problem—the nearly 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) among its population of 8 million. The IDPs are refugees from the dispute between Azerbai­jan and Armenia and the 1991-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, who live in temporary housing and tent cities across Azerbaijan. Permanent housing would signal that they could never expect to return to their homes. SIPs offer flexibility. They can be assembled and disas­sembled, like LEGO blocks, for either tempo­rary or permanent housing, schools, health centers, and community buildings. David Gauthier, President, Winter Panel Corp., a leading U.S. manufacturer of SIPs, gave a well-received presentation on SIPs, empha­sizing their use in different building sizes and designs, temporary or permanent use, and his international experience.

The Turkey contact also served us well. Haluk Sur made a presentation on the modernization of the Turkey banking and mortgage financing systems which have fueled the healthy economic growth of the country during the past five years—reforms that are urgently needed in Azerbaijan. Metin Lokmanhekim described the growth and use of building simulation tools to design energy-efficient and healthy buildings. William T. Holmes, Principal, Rutherford & Chekene, San Francisco, spoke on seismic build­ing designs and standards. Dr. Stan Bull, Associate Director Science & Technology, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and workshop Co-chair, and Ms.Christina Ward, ORNL, overviewed the recent developments in renewable energy. Robert Gemmer, DOE’s Office of Industrial Technology, described the university-based Industrial Assess­ment Centers (IACs) as a potential model for Azerbaijan. Ms. Kimberly Grubb, ORNL, summarized the U.S. programs for visiting scientists. Ireviewed U.S. and international building standards and “Green Building” resources. On each of these topics, Azer­baijani speakers also made presentations, making the sessions information sharing events, often with stimulating Q. and A. exchanges with the audience.

The major product of the workshop was a Roadmap approved at the final session. The effort was led by Ms. Kay Thompson, Senior Economist, Office of Russia & Eurasian Af­fairs, DOE, the leader of the U.S. delegation. The Roadmap calls for continuing coopera­tion to develop codes and standards for Azerbaijan with a primary focus on seismic standards, educate and train the human re­sources essential to implementing the codes and standards, upgrade living conditions for the IDPs, including the use of SIPs, and improve seismic mapping of the Baku area. The document also calls into consideration the creation of an Industrial Assessment Center in Azerbaijan and to cooperate in developing Azerbaijan’s renewable energy resources.