In the heart of Seattle, the design professionals at Mithun see a farm rising vertically into the sky.  Although it may never be built, the Center for Urban Agriculture (CUA) won “Best of Show” in the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge.  Vertically constructed on a .72 acre site, the off-grid building is designed to be completely energy and water sufficient and will include 318 affordable apartments (studio – 2 bedroom).  And on top of that, there will be greenhouses, rooftop gardens, a chicken farm, and fields for growing vegetables and grains. 

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I sat on this post for a while trying to find up-to-date information on its status but was unable to locate anything.  This is a storage facility planned for the east bank of the Willamette River.  Typical storage facilities can take up to 30 acres, but this one, designed for house boats, recreational vehicles, and storage pods, is going to be maxed out on 3 acres.  The taller tower rises 22 stories into the sky and uses a giant mechanical arm capable of lifting 40,000 lbs.  Interestingly, the project is planning construction to LEED Platinum standards and will include more than 175,000 sf of solar panels (making it the largest solar facility in the northwest).  With the estimated project costs at about $40 M, Portland City Storage also plans to rehabilitate the riverfront property adjacent to the towers. 

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A proposed million square foot, mixed-use development for Rosslyn Central Place in Arlington, Virginia (metropolitan DC area), recently received approvals.  With construction set to begin early in 2008, the objective of this development is to create an image and identify for Arlington, as well as a sense of place in the heart of Rosslyn.  This area of Rosslyn should become a hub of pedestrian activity, with various retail opportunities on the ground level.  There will be two LEED certified towers: one commercial tower will have 500,000 sf of premium space and the other tower will house 350 residential units.  The base of both towers will have about 50,000 sf of retail  amenities.  And one of the main luxuries of the development is the 10,000 sf observation deck above the commercial tower (pictured below).  The observation deck will feature 360 degree views of some of the most famous locations in the country.  See also Beyer Blinder Belle + WAN. 

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I know you could probably surf around and subscribe to a few channels here and there, but I’ve found a fun way to put the best green videos from YouTube all in one place.  Introducing the Jetson Green Video Library.  If you have the time, click the first one and it’ll take you through to the very end of all 17 videos.  And if you like a particular video, click the YouTube logo within the video and you’ll go straight to that video’s dedicated YouTube page.  Let me know if I missed one and I’ll keep the page updated with great green content.

Not only is this tower designed to be the greenest in India–it’s shooting for LEED Gold certification, but it’s going to have a little something for everyone.  On a small 3 acre site, Park Hyatt Tower will have retail, lodging, and residential apartments and penthouses.  As the models below illustrate, the retail component will be on the bottom, with the hotel and spa area in the middle, and the residential lofts near the top.  Each vertical use is sandwiched with garden level lookouts.  I bet those garden spaces have incredible views.  The 85-story (?) tower is currently under construction in South Mumbai, India, and is expected to be complete in 2010.  Environmentally speaking, the tower will incorporate solar shading, natural ventilation, daylighting, rainwater harvesting, and green interior finishes and materials.  FXFOWLE Architects designed the 882,000 sf green tower for Park Hyatt.  Via skyscraper city. 

::"S2" is short for "Skyscraper Sunday," a weekly article on green skyscrapers posted every Sunday::

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