Green Building : Jetson Green

September Monthly of Green Articles

We're quickly sliding into the winter months and conference season is definitely here.  West Coast Green kicks off tomorrow, and we'll have some choice coverage as a media sponsor for the event.  While you're waiting for that, though, make sure to check out some of our coverage from last month (links below).  Also, I want to kick out a shout to one of our new sponsors, Mr. Green Points.  Mr. Green Points has over 5,100 green product listings and can help you find reclaimed, renewable, low-emitting, recycled, and regional materials. Thanks to all our supporters!

Ten Business Benefits of Green Buildings

Leave it to Jerry Yudelson to write what is probably the clearest articulation of the business case for green buildings you could ever read.  Jerry Yudelson is the author of several books that we've given away in the past, including Green Building A to Z, The Green Building Revolution, Choosing Green, and Green Building Trends: Europe, as well as about six others worth reading, too.  He was a board member of the USGBC and chaired Greenbuild for about five years; he now heads Yudelson Associates, a consulting firm that is dedicated to "growing the business of green building."  Most recently, Yudelson authored The Business Case for Green Buildings, and this is his conclusion:

Scottsdale Firehouse Gets LEED Platinum

Scottsdale, Arizona is one of a growing number of American cities that have inserted LEED into their building code.  Scottsdale set the bar quite high with a LEED Gold requirement, but that wasn't going to limit these architects.  When father-and-son architects Lawrence and Lance Enyart of LEA Architects were chosen in 2005 to design the 14,350 square-foot firehouse, they decided to shoot for LEED Platinum.  Lance Enyart said, "Gold was the mandate, but for us it wasn't about points that we could achieve, it was about implementing strategies that were project appropriate."  

Blu Homes Acquires Iconic MKD Designs

Today, Blu Homes and Michelle Kaufmann announced that Blu Homes has purchased all the assets of mkDesigns, including the rights to several Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD) homes, such as the Glidehouse, Breezehouse, mkLotus, and mkSolaire.*  With the news, Michelle Kaufmann has joined the advisory board of Blu Homes and will consult the company in applying the MKD designs to Blu Homes' fold out modular technology.  Michelle will also start her new practice, Michelle Kaufmann Studio, where she will focus on custom, net-zero energy homes, sustainable communities, and eco resorts. 

Sneak Peek: Ideabox Fortino Prefab

Update 10/29/09: The Fortino Modern Green Prefab Debuts!

Salem, Oregon based Ideabox has been creating some buzz lately with their new home design, the Fortino, which will be revealed at the Seattle Home Show 2, October 22-25, 2009, at Qwest Field.  After a little coaxing, Ideabox was kind enough to let us see these renderings and a floor plan in anticipation of the big event.  Fortino will include 1,250 square-feet of loft-like living shared between two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen, dining room, and living room. 

Going Green Pays, Old Green Buildings, Greener Bricks, + True Sustainability

• Going green pays off.
• Turning an old building green.
• Taking the LEED in new geographies.
• Taking green homes to a whole new level.
• Sustainability: it's not about lightbulbs.
• Using coal residue to make a greener brick.
• Retrofits can cut energy use, save money.
• Making the old house do.

Congratulations to RJTAG and Ecopacker in our Confessions of a Radical Industrialist giveaway.  Congratulations also to RHurley, Happywren, and Davidclaflin in our Green School Primer giveaway.  Make sure to follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.

Three More Reasons to Hit WCG 2009

You already know that we're media sponsors for West Coast Green 2009.  If the self-sustaining show home isn't enough to get you out, maybe the living walls or Innovation Pipeline will.  Or maybe some of the keynote speakers, such as Ray Anderson, Gavin Newsom, Andrew Winston, or Cameron Sinclair, will get you out.  Who knows?!  The marketing campaign is in full swing, and we have three more reasons you should register now:

Smart Living at The 20 on Hawthorne

This summer Gerding Edlen Development opened a 51-unit apartment building in Portland, Oregon called The 20 on Hawthorne.  The 20 is over 50% leased already and LEED Silver certification is pending.  Homes range in price from $900-$2,500 and in size from 502 to 968 square feet.  Perhaps more interestingly, though, this building has a stackable, automated parking system that fetches cars in about 30-40 seconds on average.  It's pretty cool to watch. 

20 Awesome Solar-Powered Homes

Update 10/16/2009: See the completed 20 Solar Decathlon Homes of 2009.

For three weeks in October, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the biennial Solar Decathlon at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  The Solar Decathlon is a competition of 20 teams of college and university students to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.  There are 10 subjective and objective contests in these categories: architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and net metering. 

The Largest Green Wall in North America

A few months back, we reported that PNC (NYSE: PNC) was in the process of installing the largest green wall in North American on the exterior of their Pittsburgh headquarters building, One PNC Plaza.  Now, as you can see in this monstrous image, PNC has successfully installed the 2,380 square-foot living wall with 602 modular panels.  Each 2'x2' panel has roughly 24 plants, so there’s approximately 14,448 plants covering the wall of this 30-story building.  Wow!