In this article, we’re focusing on a really cool niche design trend that has been gaining steam in recent years – the earth sheltered home. What basically appears as an underground house, this cool new design trend might be everything you want in sustainable architecture. But for as cool as this structure looks, people generally…
Tag Archives: sustainable building
24
Mar
Mar
Being kind to the earth involves more than buying an electric car. Heating and cooling our homes and commercial buildings now creates more carbon emissions each year than the transportation sector. Using sustainable building materials can reduce the amount of energy we consume to to keep those building comfortable and save money in lower utility…
25
Jun
Jun
One Airport Square in Accra, Ghana uses an innovative brise soleil of concrete to let light in while keeping heat out, which greatly reduces the cost of cooling.
26
Jul
Jul
When planning your next building project, think about the materials you’re going to use and how you’re going to recycle and reuse any materials you have left over when you’ve finished your project.
02
Nov
Nov
For those interested in learning more about compressed earth blocks (CEBs) this is an excellent informational site of Instituto Tierra y Cal, a non-profit organization that envisions a global resurgence of healthful and sustainable rural communities
22
Sep
Sep
Costa Rica is known for the lush rain forests, beautiful beaches and amazing surf. Now they will also be known for their great sustainable buildings as well. The Boston Scientific medical device plant in Alajuela, Costa Rica, has just been recognized as the country’s first sustainable building. More are certain to follow!
17
Feb
Feb
There is plenty enough to know about all the trash we create and the wastefulness of our ways. But when you meet Colorado architect, Doug Eichelberger, you are happy to find a person who is all about solutions, putting trash to use as a building material. A visit to his Lucky Ranch reveals a very…
15
Apr
Apr
Grand Rapids, Michigan is one of the greenest cities in the country, at least if you go by the number of LEED certified buildings it has. And now it adds to its distinction with the first LEED Gold certified art museum in the country. Grand Rapids is tied with Pittsburgh and Washington at #5 on…
18
Jul
Jul
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<img src="http://www.fcnl.org/images/building/building_lg1.jpg" alt="FCNL" width="333" height="222" align="right" />Although there is a growing push for incresing sustainability for buildings, our nation's capital is lagging behind other cities when it comes to green buildings. Though there are over <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx?CMSPageID=244&CategoryID=19&">600 LEED certified buildings nationwide</a>, only 6 of them are in Washington DC.
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The <a href="http://www.fcnl.org/index.htm">Friends Committee on National Legislation</a> is a Quaker lobbying group in Washington DC. Their building is the first "green" building on Capitol Hill. The building received <a href="http://www.fcnl.org/press/releases/green_building071307.htm">bipartisan congressional recognition</a> at an event last week. They are anticipating LEED certification (which normally takes a few months after the building is substantially completed), and the building has already received other accolades, including the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarding a presidential Citation for Sustainable Design.
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