Energy and Buildings in the 20th Century; a project of the U.S. Department of Energy's Efficiency and Renewable Energy program.

Bringing you a prosperous future where energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable

1980-1989

1980
Bateson State Office Building
Sacramento, CA

Architect: Sim van der Ryn

This building stays warm in winter and cool in summer. Some skylights face north to bring in summertime daylight, while others face south to capture winter solar heat.

1980 Bateson State Office Building Exterior, Sacramento, CA

Additional heat in winter is provided by colorful fabric air ducts that bring hot air down from the top of the building. Two 600-ton rock bins store heat during the day and coolness at night, providing 65% of the building's cooling needs. The building also stays cool in the summer by means of adjustable canvas window shades.

1980 Bateson State Office Building Interior, Sacramento, CA

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1981 First Space Shuttle, "Columbia", a reusable space craft

1981 First introduction of the personal computer

1983 Sally Ride becomes first American woman to travel in space, on the shuttle "Challenger"

1983 Compact disk "C"

1984 Macintosh computer with mouse is launched

1988 GM "Sunraycer" solar car wins 1,950 mile race across Austrailian desert

1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall

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