Up until now, parking garages were not able to earn green building certification (LEED does not recognize them). That has changed this week, though, with the introduction of the Green Garage Certification program by the Green Parking Council. The Green Garage Certification (GGC) program is the first of its kind, recognizing sustainable practices in designing,…
Tag Archives: Green Design
22
May
May
Biomimicry is the practice of using nature to inspire design. It has become more popular as the green building movement has grown. The Biotic-Tech Skyscraper City by GPT Architecture in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, is inspired by squid, using the qualities of transparency, flexibility, movement and protective pigmentation. The design was the Jury Winner in the Architizer A+ awards for…
19
May
May
Last week Greenwash Action released its answer to critics of the LEED green building certification program, administered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED has been under attack by proponents of the Green Globes certification program, which is administered by the Green Building Initiative. “LEED Exposed” claims…
13
May
May
If you are still working on getting your yard in shape, here are some techniques for water conscious landscaping. Xeriscaping is the art/science of landscaping with reduced need for irrigation. It offers several benefits, besides just saving water. It requires less maintenance, reduces the need for chemicals and fertilizers, increases property value, reduces air pollution,…
28
Apr
Apr
Homes that utilize skylights, in combination with vertical windows, to provide adequate levels of daylight tend to be more energy efficient, according to a study commissioned by VELUX America. Homes with skylights need less vertical windows to achieve the same amount of daylight. Less vertical windows increase the energy efficiency of a building. “While we have…
24
Apr
Apr
Will the buildings of the future be printed? Chinese construction materials company Winsun New Materials says it has printed 10 houses on its new 3-D printer that cost them about $3.2 million to develop and took 12 years to build. Winsun’s 3D printer is 6.6 meters (22 feet) tall, 10 meters wide and 150 meters…
21
Apr
Apr
Globus Cork has announced the winner of its 1st Annual Globus Cork Floor Design Competition. Ms. Carlotta Valsecchi, a student at the NY School of Interior Design (NYSID) is this year’s winner. Ms. Valsecchi is in her final year of the BFA Interior Design program at NYSID. Globus Cork Vice President Jennifer Biscoe said, “We’re happy…
17
Apr
Apr
Everyone has their heroes, their role-models, their if-I-could-be-like-anyone-it-would-be persons and I am no different. I wrote about his past accomplishments, including his cardboard cathedral and paper tube relief houses on GBE a couple of years ago and now my career hero was given the ultimate award in architecture this past month. He is Shigeru Ban…
16
Apr
Apr
Life cycle assessment (LCA) looks at the environmental impacts of a building material over the entire life of the material, from extraction to disposal. LCA attempts to quantify these impacts for the purpose of comparing materials or buildings. What is measured? LCA is a scientific study of the environmental inputs and outputs to a building…
10
Apr
Apr
In a move that brings science fiction predictions to reality, Philips is introducing its OneSpace luminous ceiling to the world. OneSpace integrates LED lights with a fabric to create a white light ceiling surface that hides the source of light completely. The result is a smooth and clutter-free ceiling that emits a uniform and glare-free light. “This innovation…
10
Mar
Mar
There are tons of inventions that may be small in scale but are big in economical value. Simply put, finding another use for an item that will go in the trash is a huge value. There are multiple web sites available to help beginner inventors get their start, such as Kickstarter, Invent Help and Indie…
06
Feb
Feb
Architecture, like all art forms, has its lovers and its critics. If a new structure did not draw attention of both, then there would be nothing new to celebrate or berate. A new residential structure built for West Bund in China is one dwelling that is causing a stir. The building is the Vertical Glass…
31
Jan
Jan
I’m inspired and intrigued when I find a designer or a firm that’s basis is found from the always changing, always amazing, purest form of systematic design: Nature. Vito Selma, furniture designer from Cebu, Philippines, takes the complex notions that nature puts forth and breaks it into simple components of lines, forms and movement. His…
30
Sep
Sep
The Story of Eagleyew: A High Efficiency Natural Building on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada I’m pleased to say that I have been building Natural Buildings for a number of years now. My work has taken me up and down the West coast of North America, with a focus in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been calling…
17
Dec
Dec
CSO Arquitectura teamed with prefab construction specialists Torsan and created Sistema Abierto de Viviendas Modulares Sostenibles (SAVMS) which translate to the “open sustainable modular housing system.”
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:…
Architecture in origami form is a remarkable concept which is hard to envision but D*Haus has come up with a house design that follows the very dynamics of the paper folding art. D*Haus’ transformation house, D*Dynamic, has yet to be built but the conception is likely to take hold. They have designed furniture, such as…
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…