Within the last couple months, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and Vornado/Charles E. Smith released their shiny new design for what could be Washington D.C.'s first LEED Platinum office building.  The 365,000 sf building is planned for the corner of 17th and H Streets, NW, a prime location just two blocks from the White House.  Designed by Gensler, 800 17th Street / PNC Place will have an Eco Lobby featuring a three-story climate wall that radiantly cools the lobby with flowing water. 

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• How To: Demystifying residential wind power.
• Businesses find gold in green design.
• Taking it easy on the planet with eco-rentals.
• Is prefab housing ready for the primetime?
• Boston’s biggest property owner going all green.
• New geothermal technology could tap 120,000 MW of energy.
• Have you ever thought about living in the trees?
• New rays of hope for solar power’s future.
• Eight steps to building a green roof.

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

This solar cell tree charger by Vivien Muller is kind of interesting.  You can use it to recharge your cellphone, camera, or whatever, because it has 54 tiny photovoltaic panels and an internal battery that stores energy.  The modular parts are connected and can be rotated infinitely creating a different tree for your favorite sunny spot at home.

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Remember earlier this week when we talked about the Margarido House, you know that posh, modern home that’s about to be the first LEED-H Platinum home in Northern California?  Well, the always entertaining Sally Kuchar of SallyTV has just posted these videos and we thought it’d be fun to share.  You might know Sally from her recent work designing the Silicon Valley Dwell Nexthouse, but she’s also a regular contributor to Apartment Therapy SF and MoCo Loco.  I can’t help but watch these videos and think about the endless possibilities presented by thoughtful design and modern green materials. 

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Check these urban townhomes out.  They’re pretty interesting.  The design here is part of a development called Sky Hill, a twelve townhome community in Midtown Atlanta.  Designed by Kuo Diedrich, Sky Hill is clustered into four buildings with three townhomes each.  They’re all 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom units of ~3000 sf and have been LEED registered (not certified).  Each home has a rooftop terrace and equipped with a plant-growing system by LiveRoof.  Apparently the end units have an elevator option, which most would agree is kind of, well, you know.  But being located in an infill location with pedestrian friendly design opens up the possibility for living a greener kind of lifestyle.   

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So the big day is September 8, 2008 — the day Mr. Thomas Friedman’s next book goes on sale.  It’s called Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–And How It Can Renew America.  I have a feeling it’s going to be good, too, but I can’t pinpoint why.  Maybe it’s because Friedman does a lot of research and assesses that research with a fresh perspective.  Maybe it’s because he says new stuff — he’s not necessarily regurgitating what we hear everyday.  Maybe it’s because he takes a strong position.  Whatever it is, I have a stack of great books that I’ve been trying to get through, but this one will likely make it to the nightstand. 

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