HOK and Devrouax +Purnell teamed up to design what could be the first LEED certified Major League Baseball stadium around.*  As the new home of the Washington Nationals, the stadium has a slew of green features such as high-efficiency field lighting, a 6300 sf green roof, state-of-the-art wastewater system that uses sand filters, and an in-house recycling center.  Originally, architects estimated an extra cost of $10-20 million for certification, but it ended up being only $2 million.  Plus, the up-front costs are expected to be returned in lower operating costs.  For a frame of reference, though, the owners agreed to spend $611 million for the stadium. 

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• New affordable, eco-friendly home built in 2 weeks.
• Best Places: America’s cleanest cities. 
• Architecture firm takes the lead in LEED design.
• Remodeling green is easy on the earth. 
• Groundbreaking held for Tennessee’s first green bank.
• Titanic houses as SUVs and pickups without wheels.
• Carbon footprint of a renovation versus new construction.

*WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.

If you haven't noticed, Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill have been showing off some seriously green designs since leaving SOM* — this building is another such example.  One of their newest projects, Clean Technology Tower, builds on principles of biomimicry and utilizes technology and building systems to interact with the surrounding environment.  As you'll notice from the renderings below, wind turbines are located at the building's corners to capture wind at its highest velocity as it accelerates around the building.  The number of turbines in the structure increases as you climb up towards the apex, where there's a veritable wind farm!  Also at the top of the skyscraper, where winds are at a maximum, is a domed double roof cavity that captures air for the wind farm.  The dome itself is also clad in photovoltaic cells that harness the sun's energy.

Located near public and private transportation, Clean Technology Tower will house roughly 1.8 million sf of office and 300k sf of hotel space.  Although I'm not sure of the green skyscraper's precise location, Smith + Gill promises unparalleled views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River from the dome atrium.  Imagine working in a building where you can take the elevator to the top, watch the turbines whirl away, and see the entire city.  It doesn't get much better than that. 

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The Pasadena EcoHouse wants to be the first LEED Platinum home in the US to be made with Structural Concrete Insulated Panels ("SCIP").  The home was designed by Studio-RMA and will use SCIPs because they are strong, flexible, efficient, and non-toxic, if made with the right materials.  Of note, the home’s construction will be produced for TV to showcase accelerated construction on a budget in an environmentally friendly manner. 

LivingHomes, the expert developer of modern, sustainable prefab, strikes again with a new collaborative relationship with award-winning architecture firm KieranTimberlake Associates, designer of the incredible Loblolly House.  The duo of KieranTimberlake and LivingHomes puts incredible background knowledge of prefabrication to use, which should enable LivingHomes to build faster, cheaper, and more green homes and townhouses.  LivingHomes shoots for a minimum of LEED for Homes Silver on all projects and is guided by the Z6 philosophy: zero energy, water, indoor emissions, waste, carbon, and ignorance.  Together with KieranTimberlake, LivingHomes has announced the development of the following:

• LivingHomes Building System (“LBS”),
• Expandable Single Family Residence, and
• New LivingHomes Townhouse. 

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I’ve been following the 100k House Project since the beginning and I’m completely sucked into the process.  It’s a simple concept: low cost, modern, and green — something all houses should be.  Today, they posted all new renderings with James Hardie Vertical Panel siding in various shades of gray.  The new renderings present an entirely different look and feel that’s incredible.  Chad, I’m giving you major props on this one.  Interface Studio Architects is right on with that look.  I just wish I could buy one of them!

++New Renderings with Hardie and Stucco Siding [100k]