AIA Dayton Golf Outing at Sugar Valley Golf CourseBellbrook, OH August 21, 2008

Sponsor Appreciation Picnic Siebenthaler’s FarmSeptember 18, 2008

AIA Ohio ConventionAkron, OHOctober 2-4, 2008

page 02page 06page 08page 10page 12-13page 15-16

RESOURCES Intern Development Program If you are a student of architecture, intern, or fi rm owner, this information will be helpful to you in learning more about the Intern Development Program (IDP) and professional development of architectural interns.Visit http://www.aia.org/idp_default for more informa-tion.

Practice of Architecture Architecture is a passion, a vocation, a calling and a business. Search here for solutions to day-to-day operational challenges while also learning how your colleagues confronted and overcame practice, design, and construction problems.Visit http://www.aia.org/prac_default for more informa-tion.

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ Member Boards Vote to Approve Changes to the Intern Development Program

Washington, DC—The Intern Development Program (IDP) took center stage at the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ (NCARB) 2008 Annual Meeting and Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, last week. Member Boards representing 51 of the Council’s 54 jurisdictions attended the meeting and approved a group of resolutions related to improvements to the program on 28 June 2008.

The most debated resolution both prior to and during the Annual Meeting, Resolution 2008-07 (also known as the “Six-Month Rule”), passed with a vote of 49-1. The rule stemmed from a 2005 study conducted jointly by AIA and NCARB that suggested regular reporting would help facilitate more accurate reporting and a better internship experience. For the last three years, NCARB Member Boards and committees have debated and discussed how to best incorporate the suggestion before bringing the rule to a vote last week.

Issue #2 - 2008

a r c h i t r a v e A CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

Jonathon and Dana Gish

celebrated their fi rst anniversary

at the AIA Dayton Dragons

game and caught a

homerun ball in the process.

W H A T ’ S N E W ? Read more about these topics at www.aia.org

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President’s Message2007 AIA Dayton ProgramsJustice ValleyAIA Dayton ScholarshipsDayton Dragon’s Game RecapGreenBytes - A Better SolarCollector

J. William Williams, AIA

President’s Message

Contributors: Bill Williams, AIA, Jim Faulkner, AIA, Jane Treiber, Dan McNulty, AAIA, Shawn HicksGraphic Editor: Jessica Graham, Matrix ArchitectsEditors: Jim Faulkner, AIA, Jane Treiber 2

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEThe second quarter of 2008 was a busy time for the Chapter and its membership. Several new initiatives and programs, including a program to assist the Dayton’s Downtown Partnership for the potential strategic reuse of some key buildings in downtown Dayton and Learning by Design, helped fi ll the calendar this quarter.

PROGRAMMINGOur monthly Architectural Basics and Bagel Seminars continue to attract a large attendance each month. The increase in attendance can be attributed to the decision of the Board of Directors to offer this program free to our members. Upcom-ing topics will include fi re-rated glazing design, building commissioning, green roofs and review of new ADA accessibility standards.

Over 50 people attended the joint AIA Dayton / Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) seminar on BIM and BIM software integration at the Hope Hotel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base on Thursday, May 8th. Valuable information on software options and integration strategies by architectural and engineering fi rms were presented. The presentations from that day’s event may be viewed on the SAME website at www.samekittyhawkpost.com under Industry Day 2008.

As a reminder, AIA Dayton members who attend at least 12 programs during 2008 will be eligible to win a Nintendo Wii Entertainment System at the Annual Membership Meeting on October 16, 2008. Applicable AIA Dayton programs include Architecture Basics & Bagels, PM meetings, hard hat tours, LEED Review Course, AIA Dayton joint meetings with SAME and CSI, National Events, Downtown Dayton Design Assistance and our annual Golf Outing.

Please check the Chapter’s website or the weekly News Brief on the latest information on future programs, seminars and hard hat tours.

DOWNTOWN DAYTON STRATEGIC REUSE PLANThe Downtown Dayton Partnership and the local architectural community, through the AIA Dayton Chapter, are teaming up for a very important project –a study of the potential strategic reuse of some key buildings in downtown Dayton. As you know, downtown has numerous buildings that are currently underutilized and are prime for potential redevelopment. Through a collaborative effort, we would like to re-imagine some of these architecturally-signifi cant and strategically impor-tant buildings and attempt to determine potential reuses for them. On July 1st over twenty people attended an informa-tional meeting at the Partnership concerning this initiative and, to date, eight fi rms have volunteered to assist in this effort.

As you know, downtown Dayton is facing some very critical issues. The health and vitality of downtown Dayton is impor-tant to the overall well-being of our region. We still need additional help and I hope we can count on your fi rm’s participa-tion in this Strategic Building Reuse Project. Please call Sandy Gudorf, Downtown Dayton Partnership, at 937-224-1518, or Tom Thickel, AIA at 937-244-1931 to get more information on this program or to volunteer to help.

FINANCIALOur Chapter’s federal tax return was fi led before the deadline on May 15, 2008 and all AIA Dayton members should be receiving a copy of the 2007 Chapter Financial Review prepared by Mt. Castle & Bean, Inc. This annual review is being provided in accordance with Chapter bylaws and if you don’t receive a copy by the end of July, please contact the Chap-ter’s offi ce.

2008 AIA NATIONAL CONVENTION RECAPThis year’s convention in Boston focused on sustainability, participation / advocacy in government, urban security, af-fordable housing, diversity and Integrated Practice Delivery (IPD). The convention attracted 23,950 registrants, and 852 exhibitors (3rd largest convention). The convention theme was “We the People” which was chosen to showcase the power

President’s Message

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J. William Williams, AIA

of Architecture on behalf of all people. Key topics from the convention were: • AIA National is promoting “Walk the Walk” and sustainable design. Our weekly News Brief provides membership with a link to this site. • New contract documents were released focusing on IPD and links provided to download information and data on IPD philosophy. • AIA continues to work with USGBC on LEED and how AIA’s 2020 program can work together, etc.

As the offi cial delegate for AIA Dayton, I attended the general sessions, candidate speeches, regional meetings and nu-merous seminars and a reception honoring our 3 new AIA fellows for the AIA Ohio Valley Region. National Leaders were voted on and the following is a list of winning candidates: • George Miller, FAIA, President Elect • Walter J. Hainsfurther AIA, two-year vice president • Pamela J. Loeffelman, FAIA, LEED-AP, two-year vice president • Stephen K. Loos, AIA, two-year term as secretary

Next year’s National Convention will be held in San Francisco, CA. If you are interested in attending, please make your room reservation now.

AIA OHIO PAC FUND“If you are not at the TABLE, then you are on the MENU!”

Please remember it’s not too late to contribute to the AIA Ohio PAC fund. In this election year, AIA Dayton is answering the challenge of AIA Ohio by asking individual members and fi rm owners to con-tribute to political campaigns to the tune of $2,500. Each Ohio chapter has been issued a challenge in order to keep the AIA Ohio PAC healthy and work-ing for the interests of the Ohio architects. To date our chapter was raised just over $1,000 towards this goal.

One option is for individuals to mail personal checks to the campaign of the state legislator of their choice, then send a copy of their cancelled check to AIA Ohio. The AIA Ohio PAC then makes a matching contribution up to $100. The second option is for individuals to contribute directly to the AIA Ohio PAC fund by sending checks to the AIA Dayton offi ce. Please contact Alan Moody, AIA at 937-223-6500 or me for additional information on the AIA Ohio PAC Fund.

NOTABLE UPCOMING EVENTSI hope to see you at the AIA Dayton Golf Outing to be held on August 21, 2008 at the Sugar Valley Country Club in Bellbrook, OH. Join over 120 AIA Dayton members and guests as we gather to have some good food, good times and contribute to the AIA Dayton Scholarship Fund. Last year’s event highlighted over $4,000 in scholarships given to area students. This year the AIA Scholarship Fund provided $8,000 in scholarships to area high school and college students. Please contact Dianna Con-boy, AIA at 937-223-2500 for more information on the AIA Dayton Golf Outing.

J. William Williams, AIAAIA Dayton President

AIA Dayton 2008 Board MembersPRESIDENT:Bill Williams, AIA Levin Porter Associates, Inc. 24 North Jefferson Street Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-224-1931 Fax: 937-224-3091 Email: bwilliams@levin-porter.comPRESIDENT ELECT:Tim Bement, AIA App Architecture 615 Woodside Drive Englewood, OH 45322 Phone: 937-836-8898, ext. 31 Fax: 937-832-3696 Email: tim.bement@App-Arch.com SECRETARY:Jim Faulkner, AIA Matrix Architects, Inc. 249 Wayne Avenue Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-224-7700 Fax: 937-224-7125 Email: jfaulkner@matrixarchitects.comTREASURER:Barry Buckman, AIA Rogero Buckman Architects 123 Webster Street Studio 4 Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-225-5122 Fax: 937-225-5123 Email: bbuckman@rbaoh.com

DIRECTORS:Matt Franklin, AIA Levin Porter Associates, Inc. 24 N. Jefferson Street Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-224-1931 Fax: 937-224-3091 Email: mfranklin@levin-porter.comMark Ruetschle, AIA Ruestchle Architects 222 Linwood Street Dayton, OH 45405 Phone: 937-461-5390 Fax: 937-461-6829 Email: mark@ruetschle.com

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS:Ward Scantlin, Associate AIA John Poe Architects 116 East Third Street Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-461-3290 Fax: 937-461-0260 Email: wscanlin@johnpoe.comDan McNulty, Associate AIA App Architecture 615 Woodside Drive Englewood, OH 45322 Phone: 937-836-8898 Fax: 937-832-3696 Email: dan.mcnulty @App-Arch.com

AIA OHIO DIRECTOR:Alan Moody, AIA, LEED AP Lorenz Williams, Inc. 434 E. First Street Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-223-6500 Fax: 937-461-2934 Email: amoody@lorwil.com

PAST PRESIDENT:William J. Kaly, AIA Lorenz Williams, Inc. 434 E. First Street Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: 937-223-6500 Fax: 937-461-2934 Email:wkaly@lorwil.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:Jane Treiber Mailing: P.O. Box 342 West Milton, OH 45383 Shipping: 28 Lowry Dr. West Milton, OH 45383 Phone: 937-291-1913 Fax: 937-698-6153 Email: jane_treiber@aiadayton.org

The resolution will require interns establishing a new NCARB Record on or after 1 July 2009 to submit training reports of no more than six-months duration within two months of the end of each reporting period. On 1 July 2010, the “Six-Month Rule” will go into effect for all interns. The resolution is dependent on a “fully tested and operational” online reporting system. Should the online reporting system not be fully tested and operational by the end of 2008, each implementation date will be pushed back and will go into effect six months after the system has been deemed fully operational by an independent tester.

The resolution was amended by Member Boards to allow parents of newborn infants or newly adopted children to receive a six-month extension of the reporting deadline upon proper application. The same extension was also applied to the Five-Year Rolling Clock for the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) through Resolution 2008-04.

Member Boards that arrived in Pittsburgh hesitant about the Resolution 2008-07 said that all of their concerns had been addressed and answered by the NCARB Board of Directors, Committee on the Intern Development Program members, and NCARB staff throughout the meeting. Many delegates expressed their belief that the resolution was a step in the right direction for overall improvement to IDP and voiced their confi dence in NCARB leadership from the voting fl oor.

Other resolutions related to IDP included changes to employment duration in full- and part-time work and an increase in the number of training units interns may earn from the Emerging Professional’s Companion. A summary of all the resolutions including the votes can be found on NCARB’s home page, www.ncarb.org.

2008 NCARB Annual Meeting

Another notable event of the week was the installation of the FY09 Board of Directors (BOD). Gordon E. Mills, FAIA, of Dubuque, IA, was installed as president along with other offi cers and regional directors. The Board now includes two new representatives, a Member Board Executive (MBE) Direc-tor and a Public Director. Cynthia J. McKim, executive of the Alabama Board for Registration of Architects, was elected the fi rst MBE director and Ava J. Abramowitz, Esq., Hon. AIA, was elected the fi rst public member director.

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Program events are subject to change.Emailed News Briefs and Bulletins will confi rm all program information.

2008 AIA Dayton Programs

July17 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Evening Seminar: Build a Better Design Awards Submittal18 10:00 am – 2:00 pm AIA Ohio Board Meeting

August6 7:30 am - 9:00 am Architecture Basics & Bagels: Fire-Rated Glazing Systems7 7:30 am – 9:00 am Board of Directors Meeting21 12:30pm – 7:30pm AIA Dayton Golf Outing at Sugar Valley Golf Course28 4 hours International Building Code Session 8, WPAFB

September10 7:30 am - 9:00 am Architecture Basics & Bagels: Commissioning Services18 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Sponsor Appreciation Picnic at Siebenthaler’s Farm19 AIA Ohio Board of Directors meeting 30 Canstruction Build-Out, Dayton Art Institute

October2 - 4 AIA Ohio Convention, Akron7 Canstuction Reception, Dayton Art Institute8 7:30 am - 9:00 am Architecture Basics & Bagels: Curtain Wall & Storefront Systems9 7:30 am – 9:00 am Board of Directors Meeting16 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Annual Membership Meeting / Election of Offi cers November5 7:30 am - 9:00 am Architecture Basics & Bagels: AV Systems Integrated w/ Building Design6 - 7 AIA Ohio Board Retreat13 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm Board of Directors Retreat13 4 hours International Building Code Session 9, WPAFB20 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Focus on Design Awards Dinner @ Schuster Center

December3 7:30 am - 9:00 am Architecture Basics & Bagels: Fair Housing Accessibility Laws11 5:30 pm – 7:30pm Board of Directors Meeting/Dinner

Reminder of AIA Dayton’s ARE Lending Library

The study guides are available at the offi ces of John Poe Architects, Inc. located at 116 East Third Street in Dayton.

Please contact Ward Scantlin, Assoc. AIA for the avail-ability of the guides. He can be reached at 937-461-3290.

Please congratulate the following new AIA Dayton Chapter member:

Laura A. McCaffrey, Associate AIA, Design Forum, Centerville

Invitation From the Editor:

We are always looking for news and articles for upcoming Architrave issues. If you would like to contribute or have an event you would like to see covered, we’d like to hear about it. Please email our Graphic Editor, Jessica Graham, at jgraham@matrixarchitects.com.

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Learning by Design: Justice Valley Submitted by Dan McNulty, AAIA

THE LEARNING BY DESIGN Sum-mer Enrichment Program came to a successful conclusion Friday, June 27, with 41 students receiving their Certifi -cates of Participation. Justice Valley, the community they built, took center stage at the ceremony, with partici-pants explaining what they learned throughout the two-week long summer camp. After fi eld trips through archi-tectural offi ces, talking with design professionals from different disciplines, holding elections for mayor and city councilmen, the students worked in teams developing zoning districts and constructing a variety of buildings such as residential units, grocery stores, a university, business offi ces, police station, a jazz club and an airport. At 1/8” scale, the Box City community they constructed covered a fl oor area of over 11’-0” x 18’-0”.

Developed in collaboration with Wright Dunbar Inc, the City of Dayton, Sinclair Community College, Dayton Urban League, AIA Dayton, and many others, the purpose of the program was to

show fi fth and sixth grade students from throughout Montgomery County how communities are built and the im-portance of citizen participation. The $15,000.00 budget provided scholar-ships to allow the camp to be free to all applicants. Each student was interviewed and carefully selected to ensure an enthusiastic group willing to fully participate was assembled.

Many AIA members and fi rms partici-pated, either through opening their offi ce for tours (Lorenz & Williams; Rogero Buckman Architects), and/or talking with the students about various aspects of architecture and city design (Tim Bement, AIA; Will Kaly, AIA; Mary Rogero, AIA; Ryan Hoffman). Espe-cially welcomed were the individuals who answered a last-minute call to help teach the core curriculum- Steve Byington, Assoc. AIA, and Ward Scantlin, Assoc. AIA. The students and their families were very apprecia-tive for the opportunity to be a part of such a unique and exciting learning opportunity.

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$1000 ScholarshipKaley Bartosik - Kettering Fairmont High School

$1000 ScholarshipErin Miller - Oakwood High School

$2500 Continuing ScholarshipAnna Chifala - Miami University

2008 Scholarships: AIA Dayton Awards Scholarships To Architecture Students Submitted by Shawn Hicks, Marketing Manager

“Scholarship recipients were selected on the ba-sis of their academic achievements, artistic talent, and an essay about their educational and career goals as they relate to the fi eld of Architecture.”

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ients were selected on the ba-mic achievements, artistic talent, out their educational and career ate to the fi eld of Architecture.”

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AIA DAYTON IS PLEASED TO an-nounce its 2008 Architectural Scholar-ship recipients. AIA Dayton awarded a total of $8,000 in scholarships to a group of outstanding high school seniors and college students from the Dayton Miami Valley region.

Kaley Bartosik, a graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School, was awarded $1,000 and plans to study architecture at Miami University this fall. Erin Miller of Oakwood High School was also awarded a $1,000 scholarship, and will attend Tulane University where

she will study architecture. Drew Stanley, a 2008 graduate of Wayne High School, is planning to study ar-chitecture at The Ohio State University with the assistance of AIA Dayton’s $1,000 scholarship.

Ryan Benson and Anna Chifala were awarded $1,000 in 2007, and this year each received $2,500 to continue their architectural studies at Miami Univer-sity.

The AIA Dayton Architectural Scholar-ship Fund of The Dayton Foundation was established in 1997 to encour-age and assist students graduating or graduated from high schools in the Dayton/Miami Valley Region to pursue a degree in architecture at a college or university with an NAAB accredited architecture program. Scholarship recipients were selected on the basis of their academic achievements, artistic talent, and an essay about their educational and career goals as they relate to the fi eld of Architec-ture. The scholarships are funded through the generous donations of AIA Dayton Members, contributions from

AIA Dayton, and through a matching funds grant from AIA National. AIA Dayton doubled the amount of schol-arship funds awarded this year with the matching funds grant from AIA National.

AIA Dayton, founded in 1900, has a local membership of approximately 200 members and represents the interests of all registered architects in Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding nine counties.

$2500 Continuing ScholarshipRyan Benson - Miami University

CHECK IT OUT!

The AIA website has specifi c blog topics covering various architecture ideas and issues. The small projects and small fi rms exchange blog is just one of the many you can read at the AIA website.

http://blog.aia.org/smallfi rms/

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AIA Dayton Members Enjoy Dragon’s WinSubmitted by Jane Treiber, Executive Director

Imagine waking up Monday, July 7, after a long holiday weekend. The weather is beautiful and, it’s your fi rst wedding anniversary! You’ve got a full day of work ahead of you as a Project Manager at Brown and Bills, but after-wards—thanks to AIA Dayton--- you will take in a Dayton Dragon’s game at Fifth Third Field, complete with free tickets, free food and free beer. What could be better, you say? How about highlighting the day by catching an 8th inning three-run home run hit directly into Party Deck C in center fi eld? That was how Jonathon Gish’s day went.

According to Jon, one of the fi rst things he and wife Dana did as a couple was go to a Dragon’s game, so it was nice, he said, “to go and enjoy the memories, new and old. It was a nice evening. We both enjoyed our time at the ballpark.”

Jonathon has been with Brown and Bills Architects for about two years. He is currently working on his IDP, and he plans to fi nish his Master’s of Ar-chitecture at Miami of Ohio once Dana completes her nursing degree. The catch occurred in the bottom of the

eighth inning as the evening was wind-ing down. In Jon’s words, “There was a loud crack of the bat and a couple of seconds later everyone at the front-left table was making a mad scramble to get out of the way. The ball bounced between the fi rst and second rows of tables and fl oated up between the aw-ning braces to the balcony level where I reached out and grabbed it.”

About fi fty AIA Dayton members and guests attended the Dragon’s game July 7 against the Michigan Wildcats. The Dragon’s won handily, 9 – 1, ending the three-day series at 1 – 2. AIA Dayton ordered the Party Deck after the Board of Directors deter-mined it was time to bring back some fun events for members. Those who attended would agree it was a perfect night for a ballgame and some cama-raderie. Lowe’s gift cards, donated by Cathy Zimmerlin, McGraw Hill Dodge, went to Jay Killenback and Justin Farmer. The Dragon’s Party Deck door prize went to Bob Hausmann. And everyone received a Dragon’s visor. About 15 members participated in a tour of the ballpark prior to the game.

AIA Dayton Members Enjoy Dragon’s Wincont’d

GreenBytes - A Better Solar CollectorBy Kevin Bullis - This article was produced by Technology Review - www.technologyreview.com

A more effi cient way to concentrate sunlight could reduce the cost of producing solar power.

Looking to make solar panels cheaper, MIT researchers have created sheets of glass coated with advanced organic dyes that more effi ciently concentrate sunlight. The researchers, whose results appear in this week’s issue of Science, say that the coated glass sheets could eventually make solar power as cheap as electricity from fossil fuels.

The researchers show that the glass sheets can reduce the amount of expensive semiconducting material needed in solar panels and provide a cheap way to extract more energy from high-energy photons, such as those at the blue end of the spectrum.

“This could be the cheapest solar tech-nology,” says Marc Baldo, a professor of electrical engineering at MIT. “And I think one day, it could be competitive with coal.”

The simple, fl at sheets of glass have a number of advantages over previous solar concentrators, devices that gath-er sunlight over a large area and focus it onto a small solar cell that converts the light into electricity. Solar con-centrators in use now employ mirrors or lenses to focus the light. Because the new glass sheets are lighter and fl at, they can easily be incorporated into solar panels on roofs or building facades. They could also be used as windows, which, connected to solar cells, could generate electricity. What’s more, mirrors and lenses require me-chanical systems for tracking the sun to keep the light focused on a small solar cell. These tracking systems add

cost and can break down over the decades that solar panels are made to be in service. The fl at glass concentra-tors don’t require a tracking system.

Instead of using optics, the glass sheets concentrate light using com-binations of organic dyes specially designed by Baldo and his coworkers. Light is absorbed by the organic dyes coating one side of the glass sheet. The dyes then emit the light into the glass. The glass channels the light emitted by the dye to the edges of the glass, in the same way that fi ber-optic cables channel light over long distanc-es. Narrow solar cells laminated to the edges of the glass collect the light and convert it into electricity. The amount of light concentration depends on the size of the sheet-specifi cally, the ratio between the size of the surface of the glass and the edges. To a point, the greater the concentration, the less semiconductor material is needed,

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GreenBytes - A Better Solar Collector

and the cheaper the solar power.

The challenge of using organic dyes as solar concentrators has been that the dyes tend to reabsorb much of the light before it can reach the edges of the glass. Baldo overcame that prob-lem by using dyes that don’t absorb the light that they emit. For example, a dye might absorb a range of colors in the light spectrum, such as ultraviolet through green, but emit light in another color, such as orange, which the dye cannot absorb.

The researchers tested how much of the light emitted by the dye makes it to the edges of 10-centimeter squares of coated glass, the largest allowed by their laboratory equipment. Based on their measurements, they project that they can make solar concentrators large enough to bring down the costs of solar power to near that of con-ventional electricity, given expected reductions in the cost of solar cells. “We showed much bigger concentra-tion factors than people had shown before,” Baldo says.

The researchers also tested an inex-pensive way to improve the effi ciency of solar cells by capturing more of the energy in sunlight. Each wavelength of light, or color, has a different amount of energy. Infrared photons have the least energy, and ultraviolet photons have the most. Different types of semiconductor materials are best for different wavelengths. It’s possible to build more than one type of solar cell into a single module, but this can be more expensive than it’s worth.

The dye-coated glass sheets provide a cheap way to use more than one type of solar cell in a single solar module--one solar cell tuned to work with low-energy light, and the other to work with high-energy light. Two glass sheets are stacked. The top one absorbs high-energy light and channels it to a small solar cell matched to that light.

The other captures lower-energy pho-tons and channels those to another solar cell. Based on the researchers’ initial results, Baldo says, “you can almost double the effi ciency of your overall system if you do this.”

The researchers still need to make bigger concentrators to test their predictions. They are also working to improve the quality of the dyes, includ-ing the range of colors that they can absorb. Baldo and his colleagues have founded a company--Covalent Solar, based in Cambridge, MA--to bring the technology to market within three years. Jerry Olson, an expert in solar concentrators at the National Renew-able Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO, says that the work represents some “good steps forward.” But, adds Olson, “time will tell if the projections come true.”

Colorful concentrators: The colored plastic sheets illustrate a way to concentrate sunlight. Combinations of advanced organic dyes made into similar sheets could make solar concentra-tors more practical.Credit: Kevin Bullis

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