In an article that appeared in the August 2009 issue of Buildings, John Kouletsis, executive director at Kaiser Permanente, set forth a list of eight things to do to develop sustainable buildings. These elements can be applied in the context of new construction or substantial renovations, but the key is to start doing something now. Here’s the list (with our own ad lib descriptions):
The Southface Eco Office is a state of the art building designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent. The Atlanta building has 10,000 square feet of space spread throughout three levels, as well as an upper-level green roof space. The building is the same size as roughly three-quarters of the commercial buildings in the country, yet it's different in a number of ways. Not only is it LEED Platinum certified, the highest level achievable, but The Eco Office was designed to use 53% less energy and 84% less water.
This is the question: What do you consider to be the single most important factor in determining if a home is 'green?'
According to the results of a study performed by Synovate and commissioned by FreeGreen (the semi-free house plan provider that's designed Tiny Houses, Smart Boxes, View Boxes, and more), American homeowners collectively feel that in terms of a home's greenness, energy efficiency and environmentally friendly materials rank higher on the list than healthy materials and location. Here's how homeowners answered:
Unless you live in a cave, you've probably heard about McKinsey & Company's new report called Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy. Starting in 2008, a research team from McKinsey began working with companies, experts, agencies, and NGOs to (1) understand the net present value (NPV) positive potential of energy efficiency gains, (2) identify barriers to realizing these gains, and (3) outline practical solutions to unlock the potential energy efficiency gains. This comprehensive report documents that effort.
There are roughly 85,000 supermarkets in America. Generally speaking, they are artificially lit boxes surrounded by dark asphalt and contain row upon row of doorless display refrigerators. There is, to say the least, room for improvement. Hannaford, which has about 160 supermarkets in the northeast, decided to try something completely new and on July 25th opened the first LEED Platinum certified supermarket, which is located in Augusta, Maine. With Maine's governor, John Baldacci, in attendance, the plaque was personally awarded at the opening by Rick Fedrizzi, president of the USGBC.
USGBC founder David Gottfried's super green home received a total of 106.5 points and LEED Platinum certification, but this home, The Sage, just received 110 points. It's the highest score west of the Rocky Mountains and the first LEED Platinum home in Eugene, Oregon. Designed by Arbor South Architecture, PC, The Sage is a demonstration home for the firm. It's meant to give clients and the broader public an idea of what can be achieved through sustainable design and green building. Take a look inside, it's beautiful.
Photographer John B. Carnett just launched a monthly blog called Green Dream on Popular Science. You're probably going to want to follow it. On Green Dream, Carnett's sharing his experience building a dream home using geeky, affordable, green technology. I was drawn in by one of his early articles on the framing / insulation system that he's using to eliminate thermal bridging.
The Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), which officially opens on July 16, 2009, is at the bleeding edge of green building. It's located on the 195-acre campus of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, an education and retreat center. Not only is it on track to achieve LEED Platinum, it may be the first building in America to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
According to the Union-Tribune, a $432 million project is making its way to San Diego City Council for consideration as the new San Diego City Hall. Although still in early stages, developer Gerding Edlen indicates that the design is beyond LEED Platinum, and according to some, it could be one of the greenest buildings on the West Coast if built. The 23-story building, with a design that kind of resembles a large sail, has some of the following green elements:
This newly constructed 3,200 square-foot building, Wetland Discovery Point, is the third LEED Platinum certified structure in the state of Utah, making it one of the greenest buildings around. WDP is part of the Utah Botanical Center of Utah State University and provides an indoor / outdoor learning experience for over 4,000 school children each year. The building was designed by ajc architects and built by Big-D Construction, and here are some of its green elements:
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