When I first saw the concept renderings, I thought I was looking at a diamond perched upon a hill.  To the contrary, the images show a new mixed-use sustainable tower concept, or "ecological tower," by Foster + Partners for Khanty Mansiysk, Siberia.  The tower rises on the foundation of two podium buildings, each diamond-cut in style to allow light to penetrate the atrium.  The apex of the tower will have a panoramic viewing platform and restaurant for guests to gaze out into the city.  Paramount to the design is the desire to facilitate solar gain (it’s cold in Siberia) and allow natural lighting.  Encompassed by a densely wooded area, the architects designed the building to minimize disturbance to the landscape. 

Good Links:
++Designs Revealed for New Ecological Tower in Siberia [Foster + Partners]
++Siberia’s Sparkling Eco Tower [WAN]

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Being Green Can Be Easy.  EcoUrban Homes Proves It.  The first of several up and coming EcoUrban homes was recently completed, and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay was on location to celebrate the grand opening.  It just so happens that this home is probably one of the greenest homes in Missouri — it has obtained LEED Platinum rating.  Located at 3140 Pennsylvania Avenue in St. Louis, this 3-bedroom, 2-bath, modular home has a bamboo stairs, fiber cement board siding, double-pane low-e windows, R-40 Icynene insulation in ceilings and floors, built-in security system and recycling center, solid wheat board interior doors, ultra-low VOC paints, dual-flush high-efficiency toilets, and Energy Star lighting and appliances, to name a few green amenities. 

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For those that follow the political realm, you may be aware that the Senate is considering a huge energy bill over the next 24 hours.  Some of the details of this bill were the subject of an opinion article in the LA Times today.  There are pros and cons of the bill affecting all sorts of energy concerns such as renewable fuels, coal-to-liquid technology, and automobile efficiency standards.  Up for consideration is the Bingaman-Reid renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requiring the nation to get 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.  An RPS requires electric utilities to include a specific percentage of clean, renewable energy in their generation portfolios, or to purchase renewable energy credits from others.  If you want to help see that the Bingaman-Reid RPS is supported, feel free to use the Power of Wind website to let your Senator know.

Every Sunday, Jetson Green features a different green skyscraper, and flat out, I’m amazed at the innovation architects and engineers are putting into these towering eco-phallics.  So, in the spirit of looking at what we can do with modern technology, I thought it would be fun to highlight an article called "Uber-Eco-Towers: The Top Ten Green Skyscrapers," by Jon Schroeder for EcoGeek.  Building on the hype from the recent sustainable skyscraper design conference (link), Jon has a list of what he’s determined to be the top ten green towers.  Here they are from top to bottom:

1. The Bahrain World Trade Center Towers
2. The Pearl River Tower
3. Bank of America Tower – One Bryant Park
4. The Lighthouse Tower
5. The CIS Tower
6. The Hearst Tower
7. The Burj al-Taqa – Energy Tower
8. Waugh Thistleton Residential Tower
9. 340 on the Park
10. The Urban Cactus

Looks like 7 of the 10 that made Jon’s cut have been featured previously on Jetson Green.  I’ll make sure to write an article on the other 3 buildings detailing their accomplishments.  Nice list EcoGeek…

::"S2" is short for "Skyscraper Sunday," a weekly article on green skyscrapers posted every Sunday::

1. Wired to Sell – Smart-home technology is becoming increasingly available with a variety of conservation and convenience features. 
2. Why Big Houses? The average, new American home is 2,400 sf; experts weigh in on America’s fascination with bigger is better. 
3. Wind Energy White Paper "In Defense of Wind," by Dallas attorney Trey Cox outlines concerns about wind energy industry’s rapid and unregulated growth. 
4. Peddling Smart Growth – call your project "smart" – even when it isn’t – and get millions in public funds.