• The Urban Revival – Cities may be the key to curbing climate crisis. 
• Fat Zones – Does where you live influence what you eat?  A new study says ZIP codes are surprisingly accurate predictors of obesity. 
• Another new study suggests that people who live in damp, moldy homes may be prone to depression. 
• A new roof and attic system being developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help owners lower summer utility bills by 8% or more. 
• Alcoa announced the start-up of a 588,000 watt, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power system at its California manufacturing facility, enabling the supply of clean and reliable renewable energy. 

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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Let’s talk about zero energy architecture and the Truro Residence.  It’s an amazing residence, currently under construction on one of Cape Cod’s beaches in Massachusetts.  Designed by Independence Energy Homes (IEH) and being constructed by Silvia and Silvia, the Truro Residence is meant to accommodate a large family and friends and still remain environmentally responsible.  When complete, it will have a tight building envelope, a geothermal heating system, solar photovoltaic system, tank-less water heaters, compact fluorescent lighting, and Energy Star appliances.  The home also will feature popular green materials such as bamboo flooring, blue-jean insulation, and natural stone.

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Pretty much everyone is talking about green roofs these days, so I thought I would round up a few of the good articles.  Just as a refresher, back in March, I wrote an article summarizing the costs and benefits of green roofing.  The benefits are numerous in comparison to the costs, but a green roof may not be right for every application.  I'll let you decide, but to get you thinking, here are some of the most thorough articles on green roofing that I've read and studied.  There's also some eye candy with each, too. 

• Green Roofs + 13 pages of pictures, Andrea Ford. 
• Green Roofs: An Introduction with Pretty Pictures, Philip Proefrock
• Green Roofs: For Healthy Australian Cities
• Green Roofs: A Primer, Lloyd Alter
• Green Roofs, Jill Fehrenbacher
• Sod Roof Doghouse, Kitty Bartholomew

Also, read other articles about projects involving green roofs in our archives.

I watched this video of the Jellyfish House by architects Lisa Iwamoto and Craig Scott, and needless to say, I was kind of blown away.  It’s quite compelling to watch, but at the same level, it’s complicated.  I can’t say I understand everything that’s going on but I like it.  Jellyfish are responsive to the environment around them, so like jellyfish, one concept with this house is that water is filtered and harvested through the actual structure of the home.  The structure uses UV light filtration, which could come down in price in the future, and titanium dioxide, which is now used for self-cleaning glass in tall skyscrapers.  This concept prototype for the future of sustainable living was designed (hypothetically) for Treasure Island, a decommissioned military base in San Francisco Bay with toxic top soil. 

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