Green Building : Jetson Green

NASA's Gorgeous LEED Gold Building

This is NASA's new Jet Propulsion Laboratory Flight Projects Center in Pasadena, California.  Like several other projects we've mentioned (i.e., ENC, Susi Q Seniors, and Koll Airport), the Flight Projects Center was designed by LPA Inc, and it's a gorgeous building (see video below).  Next Monday, October 26, at 10 a.m., there will be a ceremony and ribbon cutting to celebrate what is the greenest built facility in the NASA family. 

Old Industrial Building Gets an Extreme Green Makeover

By looking at these pictures, you probably can’t tell that an old, two-story, under-performing industrial building was converted into a beautiful modern suite of office spaces.  The Koll Company hired LPA Inc. to transform the old facility and transform they did!  (You can see a before photo below.)  The LEED Silver building, now referred to as the Koll Airport Professional Center for its location near John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, is a fine example of adaptive reuse with new green elements:

Platinum Net Zero Energy Yannell House

This is the Yannell Residence in Chicago, Illinois, a home that was designed and built as an exercise in net zero energy living -- it produces at least as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.  It received LEED Platinum certification in July 2009, and has been on a roll getting media attention all over the place.  Some say it's one of the greenest houses ever built, but one thing is for sure: it has a ton of interesting green elements. 

A Platinum Green Jobs Training Ground

Hocking College -- a two-year technical college in Nelsonville, Ohio -- has trained its students for jobs in Ohio's manufacturing sector since 1968.  As these jobs began leaving the state, Hocking College saw the potential for growth in alternative energy jobs.  The school launched the Energy Institute in 2002, with just three students to offer training in advanced energy and fuel cells.  Enrollment has since increased to 125 students and the curriculum has also expanded to include hybrid and plug-in vehicle courses, as well as courses about wind and solar power. 

The school's newly completed building, located in Hocking County, reflects Hocking College's commitment to participating in the new green economy.  The 12,200 square-foot building is on track to become the first higher education building in Ohio to receive LEED Platinum certification.  

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."  

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. 

Another LEED Platinum New World Home

A few months after receiving LEED Platinum in Georgia, New World Home has now received Platinum certification for this home in Youngsville, New York.  It's the first manufactured home in New York to receive the certification and the first home of any type in the state to receive the same level of certification without needing solar panels, wind turbines, or a geothermal system.  Like the Georgia home, this one accomplishes the task with non-exotic things like tight construction, efficient mechanicals, and green materials.

Affordable Metro Green Seeks LEED Gold

Tomorrow morning, developers Jonathan Rose Companies and Malkin Properties will cut the ribbon and officially open Metro Green Apartments, a 50-unit affordable housing development in Stamford, Connecticut.  Located at 84 Henry Street, Metro Green was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and it's already 90% leased.  As the first phase of a TOD which will include a total of 238 mixed-income residential and 350,000 square feet of Class A office, Metro Green gets this development started on the right foot. 

Modern Green Concept Home in Bellevue

Owners Millie Leung and David Huang just broke ground on this modern green home in Washington.  "The Green Concept Home" is the first single-family home registered under LEED-H in Bellevue, and the owners hope to obtain Built Green certification, too.  David (of Modus V Studio) designed the home, and both Millie and David will direct its construction over the next year.  Here's the layout and what they're planning in terms of green elements:

Georgia Hotel Indigo Seeks LEED Gold

I may be going out on a limb, but of all the real property types – whether multifamily, commercial, retail, etc – hotels probably have the most consistent focus on green operations.  They’re always trying to find ways to save energy or water, and they know their footprint.  When you add LEED certification, which in this case means (anticipated) LEED Gold certification for the new Hotel Indigo in Athens, there’s an interesting combination of the already existing concern for operations and the LEED emphasis on design and construction.