[+] California adopts statewide green building code [SF Chronicle]
[+] State adopts nation's first state green building codes [Bizjournal]
[+] California code adopted for all new construction [GreenBiz]
A little over a year ago, we featured Shelter Architecture's 5ive and later placed it on our Top Five Super Green Modern Homes list. In a year, a lot has happened. The home is now complete. It's going to be honored with a 2008 AIA-MN Rave Award. And now, the USGBC has officially certified it as a LEED Platinum home. Congratulations on the noteworthy accomplishments! So hey, if you haven't given this home a look, take a moment to scroll down and be inspired. It's a modern, green abode that's also a healthy home. It's close to mass transit and community services, and it exceeds energy code by about 35%. It's seriously an incredible home.
It looks like the nation's first provider of green insurance coverage for the commercial sector has decided to expand that coverage into the residential sector. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company will be offering green coverage to homeowners who either own a green home or who want to upgrade their home with green features in the event of a loss. So in a loss situation, the homeowners can rebuild their home and have it certified under the LEED system.
Homeowners with green homes will be offered a five percent discount on their insurance premium. In addition, homeowners will be able to rebuild and replace as follows:
Reader and recent commenter Raedia just sent over details of her and her husband's green home being built in Vermont. They were able to secure an in-town lot and decided to design and build something that was affordable, sustainable, and stylish. In looking at the images, I think they were able to do just that. With a super-insulated structure and passive heating and cooling, the home uses less of the mechanical systems for temperature control.
This isn't really new news since the Duke Smart Home opened almost a year ago, but I thought I would pass along images and information of the home because it's another compelling example of the livability of smart green design. Realistically, the 6000 sf Duke Smart Home is more of a dormitory than a house, with roughly 10 students living in it at any given time, but it has at least a modicum of credibility with LEED Platinum certification already in hand. The students, in addition to experimenting with various green projects and modifications to the home, are ambassadors that conduct tours and explain its sustainable features. This active involvement between students, faculty, The Home Depot, and other sponsors, has created what seems to be abundant opportunities for everyone involved with the Duke Smart Home.
Plus, as evident in the following images and video, this live in laboratory has quite the considerable list of green features:
The AIA has been publishing some interesting analysis of U.S. green building programs, which I wanted to share with all you enthusiasts. In their report, Local Leaders in Sustainability, the AIA looked at 661 communities, or cities with a population greater than 50,000 people, and conducted research of each communities' green building programs. The AIA spoke with planners and other officials from 606 cities, getting a 92% response rate. They found that 92 of the 606 responding cities had green building programs -- or to put that in perspective, over 42 million people live in cities with green building programs. The report also elaborated on program trends and includes case studies of programs in Portland, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Chicago, Austin, and Atlanta.
As we noted here a few weeks ago, the draft for a new version of U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program was released for public comment and review. In general, as a LEED Accredited Professional, what I saw in the program looked good. The changes that are proposed will make improvements to the system. Below is a discussion of changes we can look forward to in the next generation of LEED.
Just a little over a year ago, on May 4, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas was smashed by a tornado that pretty much decimated everything. Since that time, the city has made news all over the world for its ambitions to rebuild everything in an environmentally-friendly way. City buildings larger than about 4000 sf will be LEED Platinum, etc. So this building, 5.4.7 Arts Center, is an example of the green reconstruction process going on in Greensburg. 5.4.7 Arts Center is the first building certified as LEED Platinum in Kansas and has some incredible green elements -- not to mention three small wind turbines twirling away above the roof line.
I just want to pass along a reminder relating to Sustainability Now, a free, virtual event highlighting the essential issues that matter right now for those creating a sustainable built environment. Although the event will be broadcast from and with an emphasis on activity in the UK, I understand some of the content will also be highly relevant to professionals here in the U.S. We've provided an article and an interview for the event, so keep your ears open for that. Click here to register for the July 1-2, 2008 virtual conference and exhibition.
[+] Green Events Page and Calendar [JG]
Just recently, Sustainable Industries announced their list of the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2008. To get that magic number of 10 products, SI accepted roughly 80 nominations and narrowed those products down based on their ability to meet the following criteria: LEED compatibility, environmental performance, value, scalability / market impact, innovativeness, and design aesthetic. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2008:
