Green Building : Jetson Green

LEED Platinum Ross Street House

This is the Ross Street House in Madison, Wisconsin.  It's located just a mile from the University of Wisconsin campus and the first LEED Platinum home in the entire state!  I first noticed the home in an article on Cadalyst, where author Kenneth Wong discussed the use of ArchiCad software to model the home and neighboring properties for context.  Owner Carol Richard, partner in the Atlanta firm of Richard Wittschiebe Hand, also used modeling to optimize the amount of natural light brought into the home. 

SMU Bush Library Goes for Platinum

Yesterday, First Lady Laura Bush, architect Robert A. M. Stern, and landscape architect Matthew Urbanski unveiled the design of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.  Located on the east side of SMU's campus, the design will complement the consistent Georgian architecture of the rest of the university.  And when complete, the $250 million building will be LEED Platinum certified.  

Artistically Platinum at Burnside Rocket

This is a beautiful LEED Platinum building located at the corner of East Burnside Street and 11th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.  Dubbed Burnside Rocket, the building is probably most recognizable not for its red dress but for the twenty-four operable art panels -- each of which was painted by a different emerging artist -- that shade the interior spaces.  Since completion on April 2007, the popular building has been fully occupied. 

7.9 Million Reasons to Get Involved in the Green Building Industry

According to a new study by Booz Allen Hamilton and the USGBC, green building will support 7.9 million jobs and pour $554 billion into the American economy over the next four years.  Of that, $396 billion will be attributable to wage growth in green building jobs.  Green construction spending currently supports 2 million American jobs, so we're talking about growth of nearly 400%!

Rocky Mountain Institute Launches Free Online Tool Green Footstep

About a week ago, the Rocky Mountain Institute launched Green Footstep, a free online carbon calculator for reducing emissions in building construction and retrofit projects.  The website also features three case studies together with an explanation of the Green Footstep methodology.  With the tool, you can:

New Library of LEED Pilot Credits

The USGBC has unveiled a half-dozen new credits for LEED which are being investigated in a pilot program currently underway.  Pilot LEED credits include: Life Cycle Assessment of Building Assemblies and Materials; PBT Source Reduction; Medical and Process Equipment Efficiency; Innovative Ventilation; and Preliminary Integrative Project Planning & Design (2 credits).

Tempe Transit Center Covered in Green

We've seen solar-powered transit shelters, but this eco-friendly transit center with transit stops outfitted with green walls may be a first.  With the help of greenscreen green walls, the City of Tempe Transit Center is seeking LEED Platinum certification.  The mixed use facility, designed to be 52% more efficient than a traditional building of its kind, went with green walls to provide a buffer from the harsh Arizona sun and heat. 

Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) conducted a post-occupancy study of 25 LEED commercial projects in Illinois and just published the first round of results from their research.  The Regional Green Building Case Study Project is one of the first post-occupancy studies to measure energy performance, greenhouse gases emissions, water use, transportation effects, construction and occupancy costs, health benefits, and occupancy comfort on a regional scale.  Although CNT found that some LEED projects perform better than others, they also determined that investing in energy efficiency pays off. 

Like a Tree at Bernheim Arboretum

The visitor center at the Bernheim Arboretum in Clairmont, Kentucky, which was completed in 2005, continues to garner attention.  In 2007, it was awarded LEED Platinum certification.  Most recently, the visitor center has received the EPA's prestigious Lifecycle Building Challenge Award.  This is the third year that the EPA has held the challenge where entrants are judged on their building's ability to minimize waste, reduce energy consumption, and be disassembled for material reuse.  The visitor center took an award in the Building--Professional Built category and an Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Greenhouse Gas Reduction. 

Nation's First LEED Platinum Log Home

We've seen all kinds of LEED Platinum homes -- manufactured, prefab, traditional, and modern -- but this is the first LEED Platinum log home that we've seen.  It's likely the first LEED Platinum log home in the country.  The home was designed by Eric Hughes of Image Design LLC, and built by Hybrid Homes LLC out of Muskegon, Michigan.  Located on 6060 Longbridge Road in Pentwater, Michigan, the green log home features a number of green elements: