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The Clinton Climate Initiative, New York, and U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C., have expanded their part- nership to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions from the built environment on a global scale.
A memorandum of understanding between BRE Global, Watford, U.K.; the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.; Green Building Council Australia, Sydney; and the U.K. Green Building Council, London, recently was signed to map and develop common metrics to measure emissions of carbon-dioxide...
The Washington, D.C.-based American Institute of Architects Center for Communities by Design has chosen 10.....
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Through a new memorandum of understanding, the Atlanta-based American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. and Portland, Ore.-based Green Building Initiative will work together to accelerate the adoption of sustainability principles in the built environment.
Growing up in Iowa, there were things I could count on each day: reports about hog and soybean futures, farmers discussing the weather and Paul Harvey’s broadcast. Everyone I knew listened to and trusted Harvey. During nearly 60 years as a national radio personality, Harvey’s grandfatherly voice...
For the past decade, USAA Real Estate Co., San Antonio, has managed its portfolio of more than $4.9 billion in assets with energy efficiency in mind. But the seven-time recipient of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Partner of the Year award decided to...
The roof encompasses 83,000 square feet (7711 m2) with 63,000 square feet (5853 m2) of vegetated roof on multiple levels.
At 34 floors, this is the tallest apartment building in Missouri.
Serving as a respite from the city and nearby Capitol Hill, the vegetated roof and labyrinth on the American Psychological Association’s building covers 3,600 square feet (334 m2) and cost $170,000.
Located in Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is a LEED for New Construction Platinum-rated museum; it was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C. The museum includes a 2 1/2-acre (1-hectare) vegetated roof that goes to a depth of 6 to 7 inches (152 to 179...
A new vegetated roof atop this library replaced the former leaking roof. The vegetated roof, which cost $180,000 and covers 7,188 square feet (668 m2), contains more than 17,000 sedums and grasses.
Christie Place is a luxury townhome community located north of New York. Developed by Ginsburg Development Cos., Scarsdale, and built by FM Home Improvement, East Orange, N.J., the buildings match the existing Tudor-style architecture of the Scarsdale village center.
Set amidst Air Station Prairie, a 32 1/2-acre (13-hectare) remnant of tall-grass prairie north of Chicago, the 3,000-square-foot (279-m2) center educates visitors about the history and ecology of the Illinois prairie ecosystem while serving as a showcase for cutting-edge technology and techniques...
About 52 percent of Washington is covered with impervious surfaces, such as streets, buildings and parking lots, which helped to inspire the Center for Urban Ecology to install a 7,000-square-foot (650-m2) extensive vegetated roof atop its headquarters.
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Whirlwind Building Components, Houston, has just released a complete product-line brochure.
Progressive Design Playgrounds' Outdoor Learning Environments extend the classroom into the outdoors, allowing children to explore their surroundings with sight, hearing, touch and smell.
Pure Temp, developed by Entropy Solutions, is a phase-change technology that is designed to be incorporated into insulation, floors, walls, ceiling tiles and HVAC systems.
Orion Energy Systems Inc.’s parking-lot lighting system uses fluorescent lamps that reduce energy consumption by 50 percent or more while increasing light levels in comparison to highintensity- discharge lights used in most parking lots.
The EnviroReady Roofing System from Firestone Building Products Co. LLC can be upgraded with environmental technologies, including photovoltaic and vegetated systems, up to seven years after installation.
The Eco-Clear 2003 by Active Safety Corp. is an edge-lit, photoluminescent, glow-in-the-dark exit sign.
Ashland-e Gaia Blends mosaic tile from Hakatai comprises 30 to 70 percent glass from bottles and other waste glass.
Everpure LLC has developed the MRS-Envi-RO 600 High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis System for commercial buildings.
Contact Industries’ veneer wrap is available in a variety of options, including cherry, alder, sapele, teak and others.
Armstrong Ceilings has introduced Tierra, a rapidly renewable acoustical ceiling tile.
IntelliStrong is the newest addition to PV Powered’s line of smart-string combiner boxes.
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Nativebamboo, a new addition to the Nativemesh family of mesh products from GKD, combines natural bamboo with the elegance of woven stainless steel.
The EcoPlus and EcoStep matting systems from Crown Mats and Matting are made from post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate plastic.
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On a pleasant day in one of Chicago’s suburbs, a deconstruction contractor and his crew remove an original, custom-made window for salvage from a 1923 home.
Key West, Fla., attracts thousands of tourists year-round with its pristine weather, golf courses, beaches, water sports and restaurants. Located in a historic area of the city, The Banyan Resort invites visitors to enjoy the island’s tropical delights in an eco-friendly manner.
Small wind turbines have great potential to serve increasing demand for energy generation while being a cost-effective solution for commercial and residential end-users. However, several obstacles have hindered greater use of small wind turbines. Performance specifications are not standardized, and...
An energy-efficient structure, which is defined as using 50 percent less energy than a building built to the International Energy Conservation Code 2008, is the first logical step toward reducing our buildings’ carbon footprints. When applying renewable-energy systems, or RES, to energy-efficient...
During the last presidential campaign, lobbyists took a lot of heat from candidates and the media. The word “lobbyist” conjured images of sneaky special interests cozying up to Washington, D.C., fat cats to push their agendas. In fact, one of the first acts of the new Obama administration was aimed...
During the past decade, climate change steadily has moved up the political agenda. Now, with a new administration in Washington, D.C., that has demonstrated a clear commitment to action, comprehensive climate-change legislation appears ripe for passage within the next couple of years. As a result...
On a bright Friday morning in February, Lisa Jackson, the new administrator of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, took the podium at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference in Washington. It was the closing session of the three-day conference, which was organized by the...
Vegetated roofing is experiencing a growth spurt across the U.S. Projects have been appearing on federal buildings in the nation’s capitol; on commercial projects as far west as California; and on various buildings in our nation’s heartland, where Chicago boasts the largest area of vegetated...
Jeff and Salena Gallo not only feel good about their decision to build green, they also feel better physically. Salena has asthma and both had been plagued by allergies for years, yet after moving into their new sustainable home in Minneapolis, they no longer needed to take the medications they...
While the rush to build sustainably may be somewhat tempered by the economic downturn, a 2008 study conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. General Services Administration of 12 federal buildings demonstrates that buildings designed to be sustainable deliver on their promise of resource...
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The Atlanta-based American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc.’s 90.1-2007 standard, “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings,” is recognized through special funding measures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
This book examines the practice, principles and projects of the architectural firm, Mithun.