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Swift Small Wind Quietly Coming to Market in July
2008-04-11 07:45:00
Swift Wind Turbine is a quiet, rooftop mounted wind turbine. Unlike some designs you've seen previously, this one has an outer ring and five blades. The outer ring acts as...
More About: Market , Energy Efficiency , Small , Alternative Energy

The Real World Hollywood's Green Digs [PICS]
2008-04-10 08:06:00
In a break from the blue suit and red tie mentality here at JG, I thought I would share this news about The Real World Hollywood's green digs. Think MTV...
More About: Residential , Green , Materials

Mazria's Silver Bullet: Buildings That Use Less Coal!
2008-04-10 06:42:00
Increase Building Efficiency and End Our Dependence On Coal [Miami Herald]
More About: Silver , Energy Efficiency , Buildings , Alternative Energy

First LEED Certified Parking Structure Generates Most Its Own Power
2008-04-09 19:04:00
I realize that by blogging about this, I'm risking some criticism as to whether a parking structure can be green. I think it can, but I've heard mention from others...
More About: Power , Parking , Solar , Green Building , Energy Efficiency

American Plaster, a Natural Solution to Wall Treatment
2008-04-09 07:07:00
American Clay Plaster creates a natural plaster product for your walls, ceilings, and even fireplaces. It's a wonderful, environmentally friendly alternative to cement, gypsum, acrylic, and lime plasters. American Plaster...
More About: Residential , Natural , Treatment , American , Wall

iT House - an Off-Grid, High Desert Prefab
2008-04-08 16:44:00
So I stumbled upon the iT House construction blog and was completely blown away by the documentation they're posting. It's an incredible little home that was designed by Taalman Koch...
More About: Residential , Solar , Development , Grid

Cyprus Full Circle - a Fluid Four-Home Project
2008-04-08 07:16:00
Something about this project is just too compelling to not blog about it. Designed by Iosa Ghini Associati for the distant island of Cyprus , the plan calls for four family...
More About: International , Residential , Home , Project

How Green Can Monster Homes Be? Topic Renewed.
2008-04-07 07:44:00
The topic pops up every month or two. Last month, the issue of big green homes came up in the context of eco-terrorism. Five luxury homes priced over $2 million...
More About: Green Building , Green , Topic , Homes , Monster

[Video] Peter DeMaria Talks About Cargo Container Design and Sustainability
2008-04-06 11:26:00
In this super informative interview, G Living sits down with Peter DeMaria to talk about his work using containers in modern home design and construction. I was really impressed with...
More About: Video , Design , Residential , Sustainability , Materials

Solar Cities, Greenwashing Bamboo, Geothermal, + Greening Pre-Construction
2008-04-06 03:58:00
Bamboo a big tool for greenwashing. DOE spotlights new crop of solar cities. Should managers take a green Hippocratic oath? An architect's perspective on top green building innovations. The great...
More About: Solar , Construction , Cities , Bamboo , Geothermal

[Video] Leo Marmol on Green Prefab, the Future
2008-04-03 23:35:00
Damien Somerset and Nicole Bassett of Shift33 put together this video interview with Leo Marmol, innovator of green prefab. Definitely worth a view. I've always been an advocate of green...
More About: Video , Residential , Future , Green , The Future

EcoDEEP HAUS, Green Conversion from 1940s Cape Cod to Modern Home
2008-04-03 17:44:00
I recently received an email from reader Roxanne Nelson about her green transformation of a 1940s cape cod home in St. Paul, Minnesota. When done, it's going to be a...
More About: Residential , Home , Green , Energy Efficiency , Modern

CityFlats Hotel Stylishly Seeking LEED [Michigan]
2008-04-03 05:55:00
Eco-boutique CityFlats Hotel is a modern spot in Holland, Michigan that expects to get LEED Silver within the next month. When certified, it'll be one of only a few green...
More About: Green Building , Seeking

SMC Furnishings Creates Art with Reclaimed Wood
2008-04-02 16:44:00
SMC Furnishings is a small, New York-based company that creates handcrafted, high-quality furniture with earth friendly methods. In their tenth year of business, this company has been doing the green...
More About: Furniture , Wood , Sarah

BRAZO - Green, Ultra-Stylish LED Task Lamp [PICS]
2008-04-01 19:44:00
Early in grad school, I purchased a halogen task lamp for my desk studies, but I grew tired of it for two reasons: it was too hot and the light...
More About: Stylish , Furniture , Green , Ultra , Energy Efficiency

City Center Lofts, Green Container Condos by Kalkin
2008-04-01 05:02:00
I opened up the local newspaper today, and much to my surprise, there's news that the first, mid-rise container building in the U.S. is planned for downtown Salt Lake City ....
More About: Residential , Development , Green , Center

Escraper, Imbuing Green in Vertical Design [S2]
2008-03-31 07:58:00
Imagine you are tasked with creating an innovative skyscraper that takes into consideration historical and social context, the existing urban fabric, human scale, and the environment. Your skyscraper design can...
More About: Design , Skyscraper , Green , Vertical

Green Worry, LEED or Not, Impact of Green Buildings, + Carbon Footprints [W
2008-03-29 09:13:00
Green with worry. LEED is Just Not Enough. Developers expect benefits from LEED certification. The impact of the green building movement. Vegas finds gold in going green. Is this the...
More About: Green , Carbon , Buildings , Worry , Footprints

Green Buildings Financially Crush and Outperform Non-Green Buildings!!
2008-03-28 08:03:00
Flat out, this news is big! CoStar just released details of their study of LEED and Energy Star buildings, and I have to say, I was surprised by the numbers....
More About: Green Building , Development , Green , Buildings , Crush

Tehama Grasshopper, a Green Warehouse Rehab
2008-03-27 17:04:00
The April 08 issue of Metropolitan Home features an article entitled Urban Eco-tecture by green guru Eric Corey Freed. The focus of the article is an 8,500 sf warehouse in...
More About: Residential , Rehab , Development , Green , Warehouse

Independence Station, #1 Highest Scoring LEED Building
2008-02-08 16:00:00
This is going to be a cool development when it's complete.  Slated to the #1 highest scoring LEED building in the world by a fair margin (meaning: Platinum Certification at 64-66 points), Independence Station is 35% complete and should beat Oregon's strict energy code by about 74%.  Steven Ribeiro, developer and principal at Aldeia Development, energetically remarks on his project: "This retro-futuristic, mixed-use building will run on 100% renewable energy, primarily vegetable oil and the sun."  Sounds good to me.  Here's a list of some of the green features planned for Independence Station: 3rd largest solar PV installation in Oregon (130 kw) Time shifting energy system utilizing ice Extensive use of LEDs throughout the development Rainwater harvesting Greenroof and landscaped third floor courtyard Solar water heating; radiant floor heating and cooling Water-source geothermal heating and cooling Day lighting design Highly purified water ...
More About: Building

The Green Building Revolution, a Book Giveaway
2008-02-08 07:54:00
I really hate to do this, but I'm giving away a new, autographed copy of a book that I really like.  You know the drill:  leave a comment, and after 48 hours, I'll pick a winner based on the number of your comment.*  This book is particularly hard to let go, because I keep referring back to it for different pieces of information.  It's called The Green Building Revolution by Jerry Yudelson.  Yudelson is a serious expert in the industry and maintains an information-rich website at www.greenbuildconsult.com -- plug it into the feed, you'll be happy you did.  The book itself is loaded up with information, but it's not a chore to read.  It's accessible on the one hand and super thorough on the other.  Seems hard to do, but Yudelson finds a way to deliver the straight facts without leaving you lost.  Particularly, I was engrossed by three chapters:  the business case for green buildings, the costs of green buildings, and the future ...
More About: Green Building , Book

brio54, Unique Homes for Modern, Green Lifestyle
2008-02-07 16:20:00
I received an email today from one of the co-founders of brio54, a young, design-driven development firm providing unique homes for a green, modern lifestyle.  Their first prototype is in the final planning stage with construction projected to begin by late spring.  To get an idea of their design capabilities, their website has three different designs:  H1 suburban design, H2 urban infill design, and H3 high ranch rehab design (the most affordable option).  brio54 dwellings are aimed at design-conscious urbanites who are looking to build or rehab in a metro area or who are searching for a place in the suburbs (or beyond). brio54 plans a long list of green features for their homes, too, such as whole house allergen filtration, low VOC materials, on-demand water heating, dual-flush toilets, Energy Star HVAC and appliances, natural wood and stone flooring, 3Form countertops, and passive energy design.  They're also investigating the use of geothermal, photov...
More About: Lifestyle , Green , Homes , Unique , Modern

e3 House - Green Infill, Second Empire Style
2008-02-07 07:15:00
Steve Duncan and Leslie Avery, designers and owners of 3rdEmpire Design, are proud to have registered the first LEED project in Newfoundland & Labrador-Canada.  With the e3 Home, they're aiming for Gold Certification and plan on completion in September 2008.  Duncan and Avery say the home presents a unique challenge due to having to conform to local Heritage Area guidelines (because of its location in downtown St. Johns). From the renderings, you'll notice the second empire style architecture, which 3rdEmpire Design went with to complement the neighborhood.  The inside of the 3000 sf home will incorporate modern and innovative materials/technology, wherever possible, and will feature a more open design.  Proposed features include pervious hardscaping and landscaping, recycled construction waste, bamboo and cork flooring, thermostatically controlled radiant flooring, low E glass, low VOC paint, upgraded insulation, CFL and LED lighting, dual flush toilets...
More About: House , Green , Style

110 The Embarcadero, Simple and Viny Design
2008-02-06 17:20:00
This is a concept rendering for 110 The Embarcadero.  We're talking about very early stages here (this hasn't been submitted to the planning committee yet), but the San Francisco Chronicle just profiled the new design.  The building is a 10-story structure envisioned for Embarcadero and designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects for Hines.  The result, as you can see, is a glassy, viny, green mid-rise skyscraper.  I think 110 The Embarcadero is quite easy on the eye, to be entirely honest, and due to the simple design, it probably has excellent floor plates with great daylighting and views.  Can't beat the location either, with a bird's eye of both the city and the bay.  If you click over to the Chronicle article, you'll notice many of the comments take issue with the building's most prominent feature: the vines.  There are, however, environmental benefits to having that exterior greenery and I think it looks distinctive.    Th...
More About: Design , Simple

Old Warehouse Converted to Modish Green Offices
2008-02-05 19:04:00
Sometimes I wonder what kind of miracle it took to bring a deal like this to fruition.  You have this abandoned, 40-year old warehouse with contamination, structural, and code issues.  Nobody wants it.  And it's probably much easier to go somewhere else and just do what everyone else does.  You rent space or build a new building.  But Jeff Reaves, president of Group MacKenzie, and Jay Haladay, owner of Coaxis, saw major potential in this dilapidated structure now known as RiverEast Center.  They decided to buy the property and wanted to convert it to office space for each of their growing company's headquarters.  The result? At $17 million, which includes a 5% increase in the standard budget for the green features, the owners were able to renovate the building to obtain LEED Gold certification.  That's pretty incredible.  They added tons of new windows with special window glazing, daylight sensors, energy efficient fixtures, and r...
More About: Green , Warehouse , Offices

PaperStone, Earth's Multipurpose Solid Surface
2008-02-05 08:04:00
PaperStone, aka "the Earth's Surface ," is quite popular in green building projects.  It's most commonly used for countertops and currently available in three eco-options.  "Original" is made from 50% post-consumer materials, "Certified" is made from 100% recycled materials, and "Virgin" is made from virgin fiber sources.  PaperStone can also be used for a variety of other applications including partitions and exterior siding.  It has a smooth, matte surface similar to soapstone.  The Original series is available in 5 colors and the Certified series is available in 7 colors.  I prefer the colors in the Certified series -- they are a bit more modern where the Original series has a country feel.  PaperStone is highly heat resistant and almost impervious to water.  Standard panels are 60"x144" and you have the choice of 3/4", 1", or 1-1/4" thicknesses.  PaperStone costs abo...
More About: Solid

[Video] Walking Through a Modern Green Home
2008-02-05 01:47:00
GreenTeamTV is on the scene in Bend, Oregon with Cary Martinez, co-founder of Abacus GC, taking a tour through one of the homes in Newport District Modern House Project.  We wrote about Abacus GC's five-house project previously, which is pursuing LEED certification.  The video shows the developer's perspective of trying to build something to suit a lifestyle:  lighter footprint, less reliance on automobiles, and healthy, green living.  You'll also see some cool products, such as PaperStone counters, Eco-Terr tiles, wheatboard cabinets, Design Within Reach lights, and Jenn Air Professional Series appliances.  ++Newport District Modern House Project
More About: Video , Home , Green , Walking

Chartwell School Receives A+ from USGBC
2008-02-04 08:36:00
Although memories of elementary school for most of us may evoke images of stuffy classrooms, florescent lights, and playground bullies, students at Chartwell School located in Seaside, CA (near Monterey) are quite proud of their new school campus.  That’s because the USGBC recently gave them an A+ in green building.  In December, Chartwell students announced that they have the first complete educational campus to be awarded LEED Platinum, which makes them just about the greenest school campus in the country.  Congrats also to Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC for their LEED Platinum middle-school building. EHDD Architecture and general contractor Ausonio, Inc. helped Chartwell School achieve the high green building rating.  According to Chartwell, here are some of their green features:Daylighting/lighting controls – incorporates natural light to save electricity, reduce HVAC equipment, and contribute to an enhanced learning environment. 32kW photovol...

Green Infrastructure, Economics of Eco-Buildings, Rich Water Farmers, + GM
2008-02-02 22:10:00
Green building is more than efficient, it's economic. Lack of education, bureaucracy hinder green building progress. 'Green' buildings don't have to be new. Farmers make more $$ selling water to cities than using it in crops. EPA promotes green infrastructure for better water quality. A GM Exec receives LEED Platinum for 4,000 sf home. *WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.
More About: Economics , Rich , Green , Infrastructure , Water