Green Buildings

The Very Model of a Modern, Net Zero Office Building

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Very Model of a Modern, Net Zero Office Building

A 222,000 net zero office building, using existing technology, was built by the Department of Energy for its Renewable Energy Lab in Boulder, Colorado for less than the cost of a conventional office building per sq ft -- a model for the country, and the world. Read More...

A New, Green Town Rises in Kansas

Sunday, December 12, 2010
A New, Green Town Rises in Kansas

If it can happen in Kansas, it can happen anywhere. A town literally razed by a tornado decided to rebuild to top environmental standards, including several LEED accredited buildings, and is reaping the benefits in several ways. Read More...

Keeping Warm, Keeping Cool: Natural Ways and Unnatural Consequences

Monday, June 21, 2010
Keeping Warm, Keeping Cool: Natural Ways and Unnatural Consequences

Mary Ebbets never thought she’d want to be back in her old leaky farmhouse. It had taken her and her husband years to save up the money for a new house, and a lot more time to get the new house built on another part of their farm in Eastport, Maine. She loved her... Read More...

Big Fuel Cell Takes 500-Unit New Haven Condo Off the Grid

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Big Fuel Cell Takes 500-Unit New Haven Condo Off the Grid

Bruce Decker, the developer of a 360 State Street in New Haven, has provided it with a 400KW fuel cell that will light and heat the building, as well as provide hot water and warm the swimming pool, taking it off the grid. It's the first fuel cell for a large US residential building. Read More...

No Solar, No Wind, but 90% Less Energy Use for this English House

Tuesday, June 15, 2010
No Solar, No Wind, but 90% Less Energy Use for this English House

An English architect has created a genuine "passivhous," using conventional building methods like cavity wall construction. At current exchange rates, the owner will spend a little over $100 a year to heat and cool this house. Read More...

The Whole-Building Approach for the World’s Tallest

Monday, June 7, 2010
The Whole-Building Approach for the World’s Tallest

This article in the Rocky Mountain Institute's journal really spells out how the best green building approach -- the one that also yields the greatest cost savings -- is the integrated one, where all a building's systems are taken into account before the retrofit starts. Read More...

Early 20th Century Green Roofs, Wind Chimneys, Solar Shades

Monday, May 17, 2010
Early 20th Century Green Roofs, Wind Chimneys, Solar Shades

Early in the 20th Century, western architects were using green roofs, wind chimneys and solar blocking to regulate building temperatures in hot climates. Use this short article in The Times of India as a guide to reading about early users of these sustainable methods. Read More...

GREEN BOOKS

Water: Our Most Precious Resource: by Marc Devilliers. This highly readable report on the looming global water crisis is amazingly informative on water issues around the world from China to Texas.