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).
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.
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:
At one time, Paradise Park Children's Centre in London had a lush vertical hydroponic garden covering certain portions of the structure. That time is no more, reports The Architects' Journal, the BBC, and the London Evening Standard. The building, designed by DSDHA, called for a living wall to mitigate against planting the structure on a portion of open park space. DSDHA retained landscape architect Marie Clarke and had the green wall system installed at a cost of £100,000.
The NY Times picked up on a trend that's been gaining momentum for a long time. In "Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label," Mireya Navarro discusses the "gap between design and construction, which LEED certifies, and how some buildings actually perform." Navarro's not breaking any new ground here, especially for those ensconced in the green building world; however, like the ingredients of a hot dog, the general population needs to understand what LEED is made of.
Would you be shocked to learn that a LEED building may or may not be energy or water efficient? Don't be.
Project Profiles
