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.
This (somewhat dated) article is about the eight-story LEED-certified building in Beijing that houses China’s ministry of science.
In a country both energy-starved and cash-conscious, the new ministry of science building is a small wonder. It uses 70 percent less energy than similar federal buildings, and saves 10,000 tons of water a year through rainwater collection. Wise use of quality materials inside a simple, plain design also make it far cheaper to build and maintain than comparable Beijing buildings.
Last week, this building became the first in China to pass the stringent, internationally recognized LEED certification.
Full Article (via Green Tea Blog)
The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes about a 41-unit, five-story condo project in Las Vegas:
Green Valley Lofts will offer one of the most energy-efficient projects in Las Vegas, integrating sustainable design principles and advanced building technologies, Vydra said.
The developer’s goal is to drastically reduce utility costs for residents, while minimizing the effect of the building’s construction on the environment.
Using European glazing techniques for the façade, energy requirements of the building will be significantly reduced compared with conventional structures, he said.
LONDON — Independent research commissioned by GreenPortfolio, the specialist environmental relations division of Portfolio Communications, reveals that 50% of marketing and PR management believe that an organisation’s green credentials are important to customers; and 84% predict this importance is likely to grow further over the next two years as the impact of environmental issues continues to bite.
Hosts: Co-hosted by Colorado Association of REALTORS and EcoBroker International
Exhibitors: List of Exhibitors
Where: Sheraton Denver West; Lakewood, Colorado
When: December 6, 2006
Two press releases of note come on the same day from Autodesk.
First, they are predicting a lot of growth in sustainable design, after conducting a survey of architects in the United States:
“This year’s study reveals a growing commitment by architects and owners for supporting sustainable design principles,” said Jay Bhatt, vice president, Autodesk building solutions. “By enabling our customers to collaborate more effectively and estimate more accurately, Autodesk solutions help architects predict the overall lifecycle costs of their designs.”
Of the architects who responded to the survey, […] seventy-two percent have received training or continuing education on the subject of green buildings.
Full Article
Second, Autodesk is joining forces with the USGBC:
Autodesk, Inc. today announced it has entered into a strategic relationship with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) aimed at expanding the use of technology and to facilitate further adoption of sustainable design and green building. Autodesk and the USGBC plan to work on several initiatives to make sustainable design easier and more efficient through the use of technology such as the Autodesk Revit platform for building information modeling (BIM), ultimately reducing the causes of climate change by increasing the number of green buildings that emit less carbon dioxide. As the first step, Autodesk and the USGBC plan to develop an educational curriculum for architecture and engineering students.
This is mostly a press release for Axis Technologies Group, Inc., but it includes the following news:
The National Park Service Regional Office in Omaha, NE became the fifth building in the US to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold Status.
It’s still not too late to register for the Ecobuild Federal conference in Washington D.C. taking place less than three weeks from now.
Ecobuild Federal’s and AEC-ST Federal’s purpose is to assemble government building and construction professionals, private sector professionals, and our industry leaders and experts — exposing you to the most comprehensive assembly of Built Environment resources in one location.
Here is an opinion article published in the Chico Enterprise Record. It is probably a typical first reaction many advocates of green building run into when pitching a project. What arguments would you use to counter it?
Titles and “gold certificates” are well and good, but really, 20,000 square feet at a cost of $46 million? I spent a year in Saudi Arabia overseeing construction projects, and princes’ palaces didn’t cost $2,300 per square foot.
I don’t think this is something to be proud of — I’d be rather embarrassed.
As a semi-retired architect, I despise the waste of money. Cost efficiency is every bit as important as energy efficiency, and with today’s advances in artificial lighting, natural light can be cost-efficiently emulated without the burdensome solar heat gain.
I welcome a response from any university official involved with this project, or a representative of the design team in a position to allay the concerns of an interested local citizen.
– Rudy P. Paolini, Paradise
In general, green building costs more at the outset, but cuts operating costs through energy conservation. It also reduces the environmental impact of both construction and maintenance.
LEE, Florida — The Nestle Waters North America Inc. bottling facility located in Madison County, Florida has now become the first manufacturing facility in the State of Florida to be awarded the Silver Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program.