Category Archives: LEED
07
Jun
Jun
The building serves as an educational model for sustainable building, as it is expected to become the first Alameda County building to receive the coveted LEED Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council. From top to bottom, the designers featured green elements including a vegetated green roof, integrated roof-top photo-voltaic panels, rain gardens, natural ventilation, extensive north-facing glazing for art and activity rooms, and south-facing building recesses and projections providing shade. To reach the LEED Platinum recognition, product selection was crucial, and choosing Crossville’s tiles for interior and exterior applications provided not only the aesthetic features but also the sustainable requirements in product manufacturing to support LEED.
05
May
May
In late 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced increases in the minimum efficiency standards of residential furnaces and air conditioners. In the 30 northern states, the minimum efficiency rating of new furnaces was to be raised to 90 percent from its current level of 80 percent, starting May 31st, 2013. In the 20 southern states, the minimum efficiency of air conditioners is set to be raised from 13 SEER to 14 SEER starting January 1st, 2015 (SEER is the estimated BTU’s of cooling provided by each watt-hour of electricity, so a 14 SEER unit will use about 7 percent less energy than a 13 SEER system). These changes were expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 113 to 143 million tons, and to reduce residential energy consumption by one-fifth.
03
May
May
Future market growth for green buildings and the commensurate use of green materials will be driven by a combination of policies and regulations that prioritize energy efficiency and green design, the expansion of voluntary certification programs for green buildings, cost reductions for green materials, consumer demand, and growing evidence that green buildings confer quantifiable market advantages.
24
Apr
Apr
Known for their excellent water retention, green roofs also improve conservation and biodiversity, provide wildlife habitats, improve the thermal insulation of buildings, reduce airborne particulate and lessen the urban heat island effect.
18
Apr
Apr
The College’s goal of the 2 1/2 acre downtown location was to revitalize the existing campus with multifaceted LEED-certified buildings with sustainability focused education for both high school and adult learners. The first phase of development was to implement a two-story Adult Learning Center (15,000 S.F.) that offer a full array in-person adult basic education non-credit classes. It also provides regional support services for the College’s online students, such as testing, academic advising and tutoring services. The site improvements included learning gardens; shaded outdoor lounge area; pervious paved pathways; monuments/wayfinding; covered parking; student drop-off; and ornamental steel perimeter fencing and gates.
09
Apr
Apr
UltraTouch Denim Insulation offers ultimate thermal performance and creates a 30 to 50 percent increase in a room’s acoustical performance. The insulation does not contain formaldehyde or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). It is easy to use: a portion of the batts in each package contain perforations similar to paper towels that allow consumers to tear the insulation with their hands to get the size they need.
08
Apr
Apr
There are tons of ways buildings are going green these days and there are new methods being seen every day. The best part about this is that not only are they great for the environment, but they’re sustainable and they’re just as good as traditional methods.
18
Dec
Dec
An oversized furnace is a very wasteful shortcut taken by many LEED homebuilders and HVAC service providers. The result is that many unsuspecting homeowners are straddled with an appliance that overly dries their indoor air, wastes copious energy, and sends a lot of money right up the chimney. When it comes to heating appliances, bigger…
07
Dec
Dec
LEED is discussed a lot in sustainable ratings of buildings but there are other certifications that buildings can achieve and theses certificates and ratings are achieved through many different measurements. Many buildings are discussed with new technologies like vertical gardens and a sustainable winery. These are just a few examples of other organizations that rank sustainability:…
14
Nov
Nov
Condensation on the inside of your windows during the winter may indicate that you should look at upgrading your windows. More likely, however, water on the inside of your windows is a symptom of a completely different problem with your home.
21
Sep
Sep
The policies, while all based in real life, are only a minor part of the game of GBO Hawaii, where players can invest in green businesses across the state of Hawaii in order to help the state become more sustainable. Hawaii currently imports 90% of its food and burns imported oil for about 90% of its electricity, and state planners are desperately trying to change all that before oil prices get *really* out of control.
As people become more concerned about the state of the environment, all industries are making efforts to go green. Though progress has been made across the board, architecture is an industry that has enjoyed significant success. All over the world, cities are building eco-friendly structures and renovating their existing buildings in order to lessen the…
21
May
May
As most of us know from hearing the word too many times, sustainable building covers a very wide range of definitions. But regardless of how we might define something and spar on who has the best meaning, the idea of practicing sustainability for what we build and how we live is a measure we should put into practice as often as possible. Here is one competent analysis by guest writer, Jay-Jay Stephens concerning five of the world’s most sustainable building concepts.
12
May
May
NWGHA recently worked with Lord, Aeck & Sargent (LAS) Architecture creating 10 public-housing, energy-efficient, green apartments called Village Green in Rome, Georgia.
23
Apr
Apr
The tower at Rush University Medical Center opened in January 2012 designed by Perkins + Will. It is the largest new construction health care facility in the world to receive LEED gold certification. Its shape takes form from a butterfly but it received high sustainable remarks in tons of other areas as well including green design, construction and operation.
17
Feb
Feb
Prefabricated home developer LivingHomes has announced the launch of the new LivingHome C6, a smaller zero energy home that has been modestly priced for a small family or couple.