Green Build Blog

The historic city of Philadelphia hasn’t been known for its skyline in a long time. Now, some developers want to change that with a proposal to construct what would be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the second-tallest building in the world.

The good news is the designers are planning on making the Philly landmark a green building, even hoping to earn an impressive gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. At least 2 gardens are even planned for rooftop spaces on the structure.

Full Article

The University also plans to build two new residence halls (in addition to the new dormitory on Race Street), a biomedical center and a skyscraper near the Cira Centre. Lastly, the administration plans to demolish Myers Hall after these changes take place, to create more of a campus atmosphere. Many students feel that this large building expansion plan presents the University with a unique opportunity to go “green.”

Full Article

Beginning Jan. 1, most new building projects in the city of Santa Cruz will be subject to green building regulations. The rules have been in place on a voluntary basis for the past year.

“This is a pretty progressive community, but we were lacking in having a functional green building program other cities have,” said Richard Stubendorff, the city’s chief building inspector.

In order to get a building permit, new homes and commercial buildings will have to include a certain amount of green-friendly components, which the program’s authors say could entail extra upfront costs but can pay off through long-term efficiencies.

Full Article

Boston is expected to become the first major US city to require developers to adhere to a strict set of so-called green-building standards, officials said today, for all projects of 50,000 square feet or more.

The Boston standards would not require that the buildings be certified under LEED. “The LEED process can be lengthy, onerous in documentation, and costly,” said James W. Hunt III, chief of environmental and energy services for the city. “Also, we don’t want to rely on a third party to do the certification process.”

Boston’s certification process will be simpler, though the environmental standards will be almost the same as with LEED. Boston’s list includes additional ways developers can choose to help qualify buildings for certification, including using cleaner diesel construction vehicles, recharging groundwater, and establishing transportation plans for future building users.

Full Article

Boston plans to amend its building code to require that all large-scale private construction be “green.”

Under the new regulations, all private construction of at least 50,000 square feet must meet the minimum criteria of the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for new projects.

While other governments have adopted the association’s standards for private construction, Boston is believed to be the first city to revise its building code to adhere to them, said Taryn Holowka, an association spokeswoman.

Full Article

Jetson Green has posted about some new green building projects:

• Blue Star Corner in the Bay Area with water-efficient plumbing and mass transit nearby.
• Shizen, a net zero energy condo building in Portland.
• 1800 Larimer, a LEED Silver skyscraper planned in Denver.
• Capitol West, a whole neighborhood development in Madison, including condos, townhomes, and lofts.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The state Department of Environmental Quality dedicated its new headquarters Tuesday, the first “green” state office building designed to save energy. The 117,000-square-foot, $17 million building, in North Little Rock, is expected to be completed and fully operational in May, the agency said.

ADEQ Director Marcus Devine said the building meets Leadership Energy and Environmental Design standards and has been certified by the Green Building Initiative.

Full Article

The development of environmentally friendly buildings can help stem the tide of global warming of the atmosphere, and so-called green building is becoming more accepted by both the development community and government entities as a tool to slow climate change, said Matt Petersen, chairman & CEO of Global Green. Peterson delivered the opening keynote address at the CPN Development Summit, held Tuesday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

While acknowledging that there are a few cynics remaining, Petersen said mainstream opinion is that “climate change is real.”

Full Article

Adobe Systems, a pioneer in desktop publishing software, has cemented its status as a pioneer in green building.

On Monday, the San Jose software company became the first in the country to receive never-before-awarded three platinum certifications for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) — the highest rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Most eco-friendly structures are built “green,'’ but Adobe decided to turn its three existing towers downtown — ranging in age from three years to 10 years and totaling almost 1 million square feet of offices and 940,000 square feet of garage space — into an environmentally friendly campus.

Full Article

Plans for the Freedom Tower and other facilities at the World Trade Center site will feature state-of-the-art energy technologies to better protect environmental resources, utilize renewable energy sources, and maximize energy efficiency.

Full Article