The Sidwell Friends School is the first LEED Platinum-rated K-12 school in the world, but what’s incredible is the story behind it.  First, it’s a renovation of a fifty year old facility.  Second, the renovation involved the students, so everyone was able to participate and learn about the benefits of a green building.  Matter of fact, about sixteen 5th – 8th graders studied the building, wrote about its benefits, and recorded an audio feature explaining each green feature.  Feel free to take the green building tour to learn about low-VOC materials, CO2 monitoring, natural light, native plants, the green roof and biology pond, photovoltaic panels, a heat recovery wheel, vertical solar fins, and the settling tank, etc.  This is quite the impressive interactive visual/audio tour.  Seriously, great work. 

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This articles was written by one of Jetson Green’s newest writers, Sarah Roe, an artist, art educator, and passionate environmentalist.  As you can tell from the article below, she has considerable knowledge and experience with green materials.  Welcome!

Here is one of the best looking, green countertop products on the market.  And it is beautiful!!  IceStone is made of 70-75% recycled material (glass mostly); of that, the post-consumer percentage is quite low (1-20%) but it is still a great product for LEED certification applications.  IceStone is available in a wide variety of colors, some very bright and some neutral.  My favorites are the Alpine White and White Pearl for neutrals and the Pistachio Pearl (green) for a bright accent.  This product is just as beautiful in person as you would hope for it to be.  It feels similar to Corian, even more stone-like, but it looks much more beautiful because of the array of glass moving through it.  Some colors, usually on the more expensive side, even have white iridescent pieces of shell throughout, which is a gorgeous touch. 

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Stroh Haus is a home in Switzerland made of compressed straw bale and designed by Felix Jerusalem.  As you can see from the images below, the staw bale is used not only for the external walls, but also as a sound barrier insulation on the inside.  What’s incredible, though, is that green tint, translucent sheeting on the exterior.  Quite compelling, isn’t it?  I wish I had more to say on the home, but there’s not much information, other than what I’ve seen at Architechnophilia. 

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• Most Americans and Canadians say "green" labeling just a marketing tactic.
• Harnessing the Wind to Fuel India’s Growth – as nations examine their carbon output, wind turbines provide one alternative to coal.
• Will sustainable development "shake up" architecture?
• Clean energy can’t meet growing demand, which is outstripping supply, pushing up prices, and raising the specter that some states may not meet clean-energy mandates. 
• Green Building Moves Outdoors – the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced the development of a new rating system for landscape design. 

Update 12/13/09: Platinum Lofts @ Cherokee Studios Now Complete!

There's a lot to mention with REthink Development's project called Cherokee Lofts:  history, sustainability, modern design, materials innovation, etc.  This Pugh + Scarpa-designed development is on track to be named the first, privately developed, LEED Gold Certified, mixed-use project in Southern California.  The project will have 12 loft units, all ranging in size from 1,000 – 2,000 sf, and 2,800 sf of commercial space. 

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