News

Energy Management System Released By Zen Ecosystems

October 25, 2016

Companies of Interest, Energy, Energy Efficiency

Zen Ecosystems has announced the launch of Zen HQ, a simple and cost-effective energy management solution. Zen HQ has been designed for enterprises with multiple locations using a connected platform which reduces annual energy bills by as much as 30%. Assessing US energy management for commercial structures The US EPA estimates this country’s commercial buildings waste approximately $60 billion in energy costs annually. Of the 5.5 million commercial buildings in the United States, less than 20% have installed energy management…

Workers In Green Certified Buildings Are Healthier And Happier

October 16, 2016

Health, Science

A new study by the Harvard school of public health and SUNY upstate medical university finds that workers in green certified building have higher cognitive function than their peers in non-certified buildings.

Masdar City: A Test Case for Sustainable Urban Living

October 14, 2016

Architecture, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Sustainability

Sweltering in the hot desert sun, Masdar City sits under a global microscope at the nexus of rising clean technology and the development of sustainable urban life in the glaring light of climate change. Conceived on a zero-moisture stretch of barren desert sand in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the zero-carbon, zero-waste settlement of Masdar City has diligently sustained itself through every struggle and step of progress. Masdar City: A Living, Striving Test Case for Earth’s Future As the warming effects of…

Eco-Friendly Ways to Manage Industrial Waste

October 14, 2016

Public/Private-Sector Collaboration Showcased In 2016 Smart City Challenge

October 12, 2016

arc Online Platform Will Drive Green Building Performance

October 10, 2016

Construction News, LEED

A new online platform, arc, announced at this year’s Greenbuild conference, will allow buildings to measure their energy performance against several green building rating systems, benchmark energy use against similar buildings, and make improvements. LEED-certified buildings can use arc to improve and benchmark against other certified buildings around them. Buildings that have not certified yet will be able to use arc to make incremental sustainability improvements and eventually achieve LEED certification. “The LEED rating system revolutionized the design, construction and…

Canada Tops Out World’s Tallest Wood-Frame Building

October 5, 2016

Architecture, Construction News, Government Policy, Natural Resources

Celebrating the tallest wood-frame building of its kind anywhere in the world, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr recently attended the “topping out” ceremony of the Brock Commons Residence. The new University of British Columbia student housing tower rises 18 stories to reach a stunning 178.8 feet (53 meters) tall. Under construction at the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus, the CA$51.5 million mass timber structure is a hybrid system comprised of cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor slabs, glulam…

SEIA Launches PV Recycling Program

September 30, 2016

Construction News, Energy, Solar

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) plans on collaborating with companies like First Solar, SunPower, Flex, JinkoSolar, Panasonic, SolarCity, and Trina Solar as part of a new solar PV recycling program. As SEIA published in mid-September, it has launched a first-of-its-kind national PV recycling program. Of note, this program is designed to ensure the sustainability of the US solar market. In collaborating with major solar companies and developers, SEIA has established a state-of-the-art network of recyclers who are able to handle PV…

UL Courting Solar Market With New Acquisition

September 29, 2016

Companies of Interest, Construction News, Renewable Energy

This article was originally published on Planetsave Independent global testing and certification body UL (Underwriters Laboratory) has acquired renewable energy engineering services and support firm, AWS Truepower for an unspecified sum. Underwriters Laboratory (UL) announced its AWS Truepower acquisition will strengthen its full lifecycle solutions. “There is strong alignment between the two brands,” said Jeffrey Smidt, vice president & general manager for UL Energy & Power Technologies. “UL and AWS Truepower have a shared mission and complementary businesses. As the market for renewable…

Solar Decathlon 2017 Coming To Denver

September 28, 2016

Design, Energy Efficiency, Green Homes, Solar

The US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2017 student design competition, which challenges collegiate teams to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive, will be held in Denver, Colorado in October 2017. Fourteen collegiate teams from around the world will be competing. “The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges and inspires students to become our next green energy industry leaders,” said Under Secretary of Energy for Science and Energy Dr. Franklin Orr. “The students in the…

$20,000 Tiny House Is Upending The Construction, Banking Industries

September 27, 2016

Construction News, Green Homes, Tiny Houses

Rural Studio in Alabama has spent a decade perfecting the design of a tiny house that will cost less than $20,000 to build, including labor. Their first prototype was completed in January.

Stylish Sustainability: Trondheim’s New Student Village

September 19, 2016

Architecture, Energy Efficiency, Materials, Sustainability

Meaning more than just focusing on the environment, sustainability also means creating a sense of place and belonging. Interpreting this philosophy brilliantly, MDH Arkitekter has nearly completed Moholt 50|50, an award-winning university student village in Trondheim, Norway. Envisioned as a community-focused commercial district featuring distinctive Scandinavian aesthetics, MDH Arkitekter’s minimalist approach and stylish use of natural materials is simply stunning. Trondheim’s Moholt 50|50 A miniature city in itself, the Moholt student village accommodates about 2200 students of the Norwegian University…

10 Steps to Converting your Home into a Smart Home

September 15, 2016

Cellulose Insulation – The ABCs of Green Building Materials

September 14, 2016

Energy Efficiency, Materials, Natural Resources, Recycling

Made from consumer paper products, cellulose insulation typically contains about 85 percent recycled content. Using this green building material can effectively lower the carbon footprint of your home or business property. Essentially, this is because cellulose insulation is plant cell matter that is still storing the carbon sequestered when it was alive. Responsible management of the US forestry industry has led to a sustainable supply of planted trees, which are a highly renewable resource for both building and paper products. Combining…

Meet The Men Who Put Solar Shingles On The Roof

September 13, 2016

Companies of Interest, Design, Products, Solar

Originally published on CleanTechnica Solar shingles are now gaining increasing traction in the renewable energy landscape. They are architecturally distinctive, more so than traditional rooftop photovoltaic panels. Solar shingles provide an integrated building product providing both roofing security and solar electricity in one package. As PV Magazine’s Charles W. Thurston has stated, “The nascent field of U.S. solar shingle manufacturers is beginning to expand from its small base in building-integrated PV (BIPV), leveraging their systemic reductions in installation costs, their improved…

Celebrate World Green Building Week 2016

September 12, 2016

Conferences, LEED

World Green Building Week is the annual opportunity for Green Building Councils, their members, and leaders from around the world to showcase to everyone how their actions and leadership are helping to deliver green buildings in their own countries, and to celebrate the positive outcomes they lead to. This year’s event will be held the week of September 26-October 2, 2016. The theme for the week is “Change Your Perspective,” an evolution of Better Build Green, which was introduced at COP21 in…

New Construction Materials… That Self-Repair?

September 12, 2016

Materials, Science

Opening up a new field of design for construction technology, the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is envisioning futuristic materials that repair themselves. After recently launching the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program, DARPA’s goal is to create a whole new class of construction materials. Imagine engineering living cellular systems into the structural features of traditional construction materials. The results might offer, for example, a driveway that eats oil spills; a chimney that cleans itself or heals…

Start-Ups Aim To Turn All Windows Into Solar Power Generators

September 9, 2016

Companies of Interest, Solar

Three companies in the US and the UK are working on coatings that turn windows into solar generators of electricity, saving building owners money and reducing carbon emissions.