Green district certifications have ramped up slowly over the decade since the US Green Building Council unveiled LEED-Neighborhood Development. Now communities, health advocates, and market forces are driving new developments in sustainable construction. An explosion in certified green buildings has led sustainable-infrastructure advocates to push for more neighborhoods, campuses, business districts, and cities to track…
Tag Archives: Green Design
18
Jun
Jun
HUmanihut is an Australian start-up company that makes refugee shelters that are highly portable and durable. They contain sanitary facilities as well as living and sleeping quarters.
04
May
May
AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its list of the top 10 green projects for 2016. Biosciences Research Building, Galway Ireland The design of the BRB embraces the moderate climate of Ireland. By locating low-load spaces along the perimeter of the building, the project is able to take advantage of natural ventilation as…
18
Apr
Apr
Masdar City, near Abu Dhabi, has set its sights on being the most sustainable city on the planet, and it is well on the way to meeting that goal. Development started in 2008 and is expected to continue for at least the next five years, with 40,000 people expected to live within its boundaries, and…
28
Mar
Mar
When I joined a group of journalists to visit US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, not only was I impressed with what I saw, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Wolfe, HKS sustainable design manager and a key member of the architectural team for the stadium. Our interview began with my question on the destruction of the former Hubert…
24
Mar
Mar
The winners of the Chicago AIA’s tiny house design competition were announced recently. Launched in November 2015, the competition solicited entries to address young adult homelessness in Chicago as part of the Tiny Homes Summit. The winning entry, “A House for Living In,” is composed of 11 336-square-foot units and one interior community space gathered around…
01
Feb
Feb
A study recently published in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) by Nicola Szibbo, PhD, a planner with the City and County of Honolulu, found that only 40 percent of LEED-ND certified projects included affordable housing. With very little incentive in the credit structure, many developers choose not to include affordable housing, and there…
18
Jan
Jan
GBE will be featuring three posts highlighting projects from the recently published book Designed For The Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World. The book asks the question: “What gives you the hope that a sustainable future is possible?” Featuring responses by 80 innovators spanning architecture, urban planning, landscaping, journalism, and also environmental leaders, the resulting…
23
Nov
Nov
Originally published on CleanTechnica Builders seeking a net-zero energy home showcase can look to BuiltGreen’s zHome townhome complex in Issaquah, Washington. White paper released According to a BuiltGreen white paper, the zHome development is the first net-zero energy townhome complex in the US, a project meant to spur the market toward deep green housing for the average…
20
Nov
Nov
3.0 University Place will feature 50,000 square feet of SageGlass electrochromic glass from St. Gobain. The glass will help reduce cooling costs by 50%.
01
Oct
Oct
The Friends School of Portland in Maine is the first Passive House modular school building in the state, and only the third in the country. The neighboring OceanView Retirement Community is donating solar panels for the school to use, making the facility net zero energy (NZE). “One of our core values is stewardship and we…
13
Jul
Jul
What is passive solar design? It goes by many names, though all are similar: passive design, passive solar, passive heating, Passivhaus, and passive house. Buildings using this strategy rely on the heat of the sun to moderate the temperature indoors without the need for artificial heating and cooling. How do they do it? Thermal…
01
Apr
Apr
Using the right materials is one step in ensuring good indoor air quality and a healthy home. It also takes a range of building science-based strategies—from proper ventilation and moisture control to radon mitigation and conscientious construction practices–to make sure a home is healthy. Thanks to Brandon Weiss and Evolutionary Home Builders for sharing this list…
29
Mar
Mar
The Bullitt Center in Seattle, Washington, is one of the most self-sufficient buildings on the planet. It is net zero energy and, after the water reuse system is approved by city authorities, net zero water. Net zero means that the building uses the same amount as it creates or generates – it is self-sufficient. In…
03
Dec
Dec
No, it’s a Wonkavator. An elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways, and slantways, and longways, and backways … squareways, and front ways, and any other ways that you can think of. It can take you to any room in the whole factory just by pressing one of these…
02
Dec
Dec
Since we announced SunPower’s $16,000 December giveaway, we’ve gotten a few emails about the home pictured in the article. That’s the ultra-green NEXTHouse designed by David Vandervort- a 3 bed, 2.5 bath home and shop built in Seattle, Washington. Designed to be an supremely energy-efficient home, the NEXTHouse features a number of “green” technologies like…
02
Dec
Dec
When you hear the word “cathouse”, you may or may not be thinking of well-designed, architecturally significant little shacks for your fluffy feline friends. That’s exactly what these are, however, and even though they don’t fit, 100%, into GBE’s stated mission of delivering the latest in “green”, passive, and sustainable architecture/home-improvement projects, these little cathouses…
01
Dec
Dec
Whether you’re designing a school, a large hospital, a public courthouse, or even a simple utility shed, having well though-out lighting is critical for the people who are going to use your building. Proper lighting allows people to read warning signs, follow instructions, and- most basic of all!- see what’s around them. That’s important in…