Architecture & Design | GreenerBuildings.com

California Winery Becomes First in State to Earn LEED-Gold Certification

GreenerBuildings Staff — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:29:00 -0700

With solar power, radiant floors and other eco-friendly building elements, Hall Wines' St. Helena winery has been certified at the LEED-Gold level, one of a growing number of vineyards and wineries that are greening their operations.

Eco-Friendly Wall Coatings Reflect Well on Green Building Project

GreenerBuildings Staff — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:24:00 -0700

Eco-friendly exterior wall coatings that incorporate heat reflective technology helped a Florida office building earn a LEED-Gold green rating and won the project recognition from an industry magazine.

How is the USGBC Like Google?

Shari Shapiro — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:13:00 -0700

The USGBC recently announced that it is incorporating energy and water usage reporting requirements as a precondition for achieving LEED V3, and Google said it will debut a cloud-based operating system in the next 18 months. Both entities rolled out good ideas perhaps before their time.

Chipotle Earns the First LEED-Platinum Certification Awarded to a Restaurant

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:02:00 -0700

A Chipotle Mexican Grill in Illinois with its own wind turbine and a 2,500-gallon underground water cistern to harvest rainwater was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council at the organization's highest rating.

Climate Corps: The Benefits of Monitoring Your Building’s Performance

Lindsay McCombs — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:34:00 -0700

With falling asset values and limited access to capital, many in the real estate industry are spending their time on the next best thing to doing deals: going green. Not only do energy and water efficient buildings have relatively low operating costs, asset managers report these buildings also have high occupancy rates, quick space absorption and proud tenants.

DesignIntelligence Names Sustainability Role Models

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:47:00 -0700

Pioneer in cradle-to-cradle benchmarking William McDonough, Rocky Mountain Institute Cofounder, Chairman and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins, U.S. President Barack Obama, global architectural firm HOK, Turner Construction Co. and modular carpet manufacturer Interface Inc. are among the role models named this year by the DesignIntelligence Sustainable Design Survey.

REI Prototype Store Lands Top Sustainable Design Award

GreenerBuildings Staff — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:19:00 -0700

The Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) singled out REI's LEED-Gold certified store last week for its holistic design aesthetics and functionality, naming it the Project of the Year in its inaugural Sustainability Awards. A North Face store in Boise, Idaho, and the Founding Farmers restaurant in Washington, D.C., tied for second place.

The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:35:00 -0700

Green building experts from the 7group consultancy and integrative design pioneer Bill G. Reed provide a clear, practical manual on the whole-building approach to sustainability.

Skanska Cuts the Ribbon on Poland's First Green Building

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:39:00 -0700

Deloitte House, the first commercial structure in Poland to be certified as a green building by the European Commission, officially opened this month.

New Asda Supermarket Diverts 95 Percent of Waste, Cuts CO2 Emissions in Half

GreenerBuildings Staff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0700

A new Asda supermarket in a Liverpool suburb that diverts 95 percent of its operational waste and slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent has been awarded an "excellent" green rating from the British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology.

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:07:00 -0700

This report from the Center for American Progress and the University of Massachusetts explores how investments of $150 billion per year in energy efficiency, building retrofits, clean technologies and public transportation can create 1.7 million new jobs in the United States.

Unleashing the Next Wave of Engineering Innovation

Cameron Burns — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Bad engineering design is simply wasteful, but a Rocky Mountain Institute initiative aims to create a set of teaching tools to help engineers designs things like buildings or vehicles that use radically less energy and resources.

China Plans to Build 10,000 Green Hotels

Glenn Hasek — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:20:00 -0700

China is looking to build 10,000 green hotels in the next three-and-a-half years, starting with 1,000 before 2009 closes and upping the ante each year through 2012.

Strategies for Success in Greening Buildings

Christine Ford — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:52:00 -0700

Now more than ever, building professionals from owners to engineers are looking for ways to stay competitive in today's challenging times. The GreenBuildingsNY 2009 conference next week in New York City features discussions with industry leaders and a showcase of green products and services to help professionals get ahead of the pack.

How to Capture Green Opportunities in Commercial Office Space

Claire Woolley — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:13:00 -0700

With the economic slowdown and the resulting need to be more efficient with both resources and costs, tenants are increasingly focused on the operating costs of buildings -- whether they are looking to relocate or remain in their current space. Going green provides a way for them to save money and the environment.