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.

I wasn’t able to find building images or renderings, but in noteworthy news, The Weather Channel recently announced plans to seek LEED Silver certification for its new, 12,500 sf HD studio.  According to Debora Wilson, president of The Weather Channel, "Constructing a new facility in a way that is environmentally responsible sends a strong message about our commitment to helping people learn more about the issues that the public faces in regards to the environment. We are extending our ongoing mission of keeping our viewers informed and safe during severe weather to a similar role in regards to matters of safety and well-being for life on this planet."  The Weather Channel’s green building plans coincide with an overall corporate goal to be more environmentally conscious and some planned features include energy efficient lighting, low-VOC paints and sealants, and water saving fixtures and plumbing.  Completion is expected by February 2008. 

Environmentalism is all the rage right now, isn’t it?  It’s good, but we need to sift through some of the noise and clearly identify correct information.  With respect to the costs of green building, depending on who you talk to, it’s possible to get conflicting information.  To prove this point, try to survey a couple real estate pros (informally, of course) and you may be surprised by what you hear.  When I’m around seasoned real estate pros, I make it point to ask them what they think about green building.  The information is rarely consistent.  Below, we have three legitimate reports seeking to clarify the discussion on green building costs.  These reports are free, and by all means, email this post around to your real estate professional friends.  Let’s make this information viral.  Let’s get past any misunderstandings and start building better, more efficient buildings.

• Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Business Realities and Opportunities, Summary Report, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  Although focusing more on energy efficiency in buildings (as opposed to the entire environmental picture of a building), this report found, among other things, that the costs of green building are often misunderstood, and even overestimated by as much as 300%. 
• Cost of Green Revisited: Reexamining the Feasibility and Cost Impact of Sustainable Design in the Light of Increased Market Adoption, Davis Langdon.  Using the USGBC’s LEED system as a parameter, this report found that there is no significant difference in average costs for green buildings as compared to non-green buildings.
• Green Buildings and the Bottom Line: The ‘New Reality’ of Green Building, From Environmental Cause to Financial Opportunity, Building Design + Construction.  Assessing all the different product types individually, this white paper discusses the costs and benefits of green buildings and presents a 10-point action plan for consideration by all the green building stakeholders. 

I think we’re at the point where the information will start to take hold and green building practices will spread.  It will gather such momentum that all the players in the real estate world, whether lenders, investors, contractors, engineers, architects, lawyers, owners, or developers, will have a seat at the table and will push for smarter, greener decisions. 

Jefferson Green, not to be confused with Jetson Green, is one of only twelve LEED-CS Gold buildings in the country.  It’s also the first Gold commercial building and the largest and most energy-efficient LEED building in New Mexico.  AND it’s expected to be the first commercial building in New Mexico to certify under LEED-CI (this one Gold, too).  That’s a double Gold.  The three-story, 85,000 sf spec office building uses 30% less water and 45% less energy than the average local office building.  Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, Jefferson Green is a model for commercial buildings of the future.  The design called for some of the following features: underfloor air system, operable windows, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, xeric landscaping, low-VOC interior materials and applicants, IceStone countertops, Armstrong Dune ceiling tile, 3Form resin, and Forbo Marmoleum flooring.  The building received all the possible LEED points in the Indoor Environmental Quality category and almost all the possible points in the Water Efficiency category.  Nice work. 

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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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