Written by Keith Rockmael
Published on February 25th, 2010
No doubt the current Olympics has and continue to dazzle people with the drama (some outside of the venues) but somehow lost amongst the sports accomplishments remains the face that Vancouver touted this Olympics as the Greenest ever. It seems that China also made that claim a couple years ago. Instead of getting into a comparison of this green aspect versus that sustainable item, we took a look at the Vancouver Convention Center West, which marks the World’s First Convention Center to Achieve LEED Platinum Rating.
Yes, we’ve discussed our feeling about the LEED label and how we would like seeing more money going toward sustainable aspects versus a LEED plaque but nonetheless they built an impressive structure, which currently hosts the international media for the Olympic games. When the Olympics pack-up Vancouver will still have the dazzling sustainable structure. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Delia Montgomery
Published on February 13th, 2010
Honestly, I researched small sustainable home building options for three years and was not sold on a yurt until I realized the fabric kits are the least expensive and fastest way to build a home. That was 2008 August. Architectural plans, finances, property construction, etc. caused me to store the yurt until I moved in 2009 April. My new home was erected in three days. This is 2010 February (almost a year of yurt dwelling) and I just recently completed this fabulous book.
Read rave reviews on Amazon Books from people who may have never stepped into a yurt. They express how wonderfully written this book, YURTS Living in the Round by Becky Kemery, is. I’m here to tell you it is also excellent from an existing yurt dweller’s perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Keith Rockmael
Published on July 17th, 2009
The new flick 500 Days of Summer, which generated much buzz as the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, rolls out in limited release today. Lot’s of people are talking about it as a romantic comedy meets Memento which in film terms means that those with ADD or short attention spans might be confused by this rambunctious romantic romp. But for us, the buzz doesn’t just lie in the zigzagging sex talk but rather in the architecture talk. Even more specifically in the Green architecture talk.
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Written by Keith Rockmael
Published on April 17th, 2009
If it works for one San Fran hotel then it must work for another. No, we’re not talking about more upscale mini bar items but Greening a hotel. In this case, the Orchard Garden Hotel’s (which garnered LEED-NC certification) sister property the Orchard Hotel just nabbed LEED-EB certification.
The Orchard represents San Francisco’s only hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Hotel is the second hotel in California and fourth hotel in the world with this certification. The inspiration from these green hotels comes from its 85-year-old owner, Mrs. S.C. Huang, who has pushed her environmental agenda and created more environmentally safe and sustainable hotels after the untimely cancer-related deaths of three family members. Read the rest of this entry »
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Written by Alex Felsinger
Published on February 16th, 2009
While any structure built in a way that lessens its footprint is welcomed, some of the buildings that people try to turn green simply make no sense.
LEED certification, in all its greatness, does not take the building’s intended purpose into account; this leaves us with some hilarious, unabashedly self-contradicting buildings. Here are the ten of the most laughable green buildings:
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Written by Keith Rockmael
Published on November 7th, 2008
In the future, there will be no green building as green building will be the norm. It will be like asking an architect to design a “structurally sound” building. To us and many others that equates to a future no brainer. Until then, with many people unaware of the benefits or even the basics of Green building, then books like Green Building 101: A Basic Guide to Building and Remodeling Sustainably makes a good introduction. Even more enticing in this tight economy would be that this book costs nothing.
Green Building 101 makes for an easy intro for anyone not familiar with the green building process. Author Dawn Killough breaks the book down into categories such as energy efficiency, building materials, and construction procedures. Anyone familiar with the LEED system or Green Point Rated certification programs will be knowledable with these topics.
Those in the Pacific Northwest or specifically in Oregon might relate better to this book as the Beaver State based writer uses many specifc examples such as that Oregon is a net-metering state or Energy Star requirements for Oregon.
We think that this e-book makes for an easy and useful although rudimentary green read. Overall, it reads like a tasty appetizer to a main course. Those who want a more in-depth green building experience might check out Green Building for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed. Dummies offers more specifics and easy fixes, not to mention humor, for those who want to get their green building fix on.
In this world of news bites and short attention spans, Green Building 101 delivers what it sets out to do. It creates a snapshot for those unknowing or slightly curious about the green building world. After reading it hopefully readers will be even more motivated to actually DO something with the information.
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Written by Brian Liloia
Published on October 10th, 2008
Imagine houses with six feet-thick seaweed roofs, deep-nestled and hand-carved cave homes, and pigeon-harboring huts made of mud. Sounds a little unreal, huh? Well, this and more is all vividly documented in Built By Hand: Vernacular Buildings Around the World, a most inspiring bit of natural building eye candy I recently had the fortune of stumbling upon. Built by Hand is a hardcover collection of photographs of traditional buildings of all styles across the globe.
If you weren’t already appalled by the house design atrocity known as the McMansion, Built By Hand will make you pine ever harder for more intimate, natural, sensible, and green home designs that can be found all over the world, still being built by indigenous peoples and sometimes mimicked by enterprising, modern day natural home builders.
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Written by Dawn Killough
Published on September 11th, 2008
RSMeans recently published Green Home Improvement by Daniel D. Chiras, PhD. It includes 65 home improvement projects that can be used to “green up” a house or building. The projects range from laying bamboo flooring, to heating system upgrades, to building an addition.
The book is wonderfully written, and is meant for the average home owner, not contractors. However, I believe this book would be a good reference for contractors as well, as it presents projects in an easy to understand way that would help educate their customers as to what is involved in a particular project. Do-it-yourselfers would also like this book, as it tells you how much of a particular project you can do, gives pretty detailed instructions, and lets you know when you are in over your head and should call someone.
For those used to RSMeans’ other publications on construction costs, this book will be a bit of a disappointment. It does discuss cost, but only at a higher level for comparison of materials. The good thing is this can start the conversation with an owner about the cost effectiveness of a project, without locking in a price. It also compares apples to apples, when possible, allowing the reader to get a good idea of how much more or less expensive a project will be when compared to other alternatives.
Green Home Improvement is a good reference for both building owners and contractors on some of the possibilities available for greening up an existing building. It provides cost data, along with potential savings, in a way that makes assessing a project easy. With many alternatives to choose from, it allows for a high level comparison of project options. The variety of projects included ensures that information is available for any potential improvement.
Written by Dawn Killough
Published on August 16th, 2008
The American Institute of Architects recently launched its “GreenStep” online video series. The series presents short episodes on several green building topics. It is meant for those planning new buildings or the renovation of existing buildings, and shows how architects can help clients address their green concerns.
The schedule for the release of the videos is as follows:
- Greenstep 1: Water Conservation – already posted.
- Greenstep 2: Smart Controls – already posted.
- Greenstep 3: Radiant Heating and Cooling – already posted.
- Greenstep 4: Vegetation for Sun Control – already posted.
- Greenstep 5: The Whole Building Approach – September 2
- Greenstep 6: Green Tags – September 15
- Greenstep 7: Energy Modeling – September 29
- Greenstep 8: Green Roofs – October 13
- Greenstep 9: Daylighting – October 27
- Greenstep 10: Choosing Green Materials – November 10
- Greenstep 11: Carbon Offsets – November 24
- Greenstep 12: Deconstruction – December 8
Links to the videos can be found at http://www.aia.org/walkthewalk/.
Written by Philip Proefrock
Published on July 1st, 2008
I recently came across an online game called “Design Your Dream Home” on the Green Is Universal website. I was shocked by what I found and how bad the game really was. I prefer to focus on the positive aspects of green building, but this strikes me as so misguided that I could not let it pass unremarked.
Whoever designed this game has no understanding of real green building in any meaningful sense. Instead of providing any insight or education about green building, the game reduces design of a green house to nothing more than a couple of mouse clicks. “Choose the climate construction materials and energy sources and see how green you can be.” The oversimplification this presents is a huge disservice to visitors to the site who play the game. Read the rest of this entry »
