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Keeping It Green

Page Updated:
July 3, 2024

• LEED Certification Defined

• • Finally, Green Concrete?
  

  New mixture Sequesters CO2 While Producing Strong, Durable Concrete
  
  

  July 2, 2024 -Through a simple approach, using carbonated (rather than still) water during concrete manufacturing, researchers have found a new way to sequester CO2 in concrete. Given how much of this material the world is using, this could be a much-needed boon for sustainability.

  Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials globally, yet its production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the key ingredient in concrete, is responsible for about 8% of the world’s anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

• • Beating the Heat in a Desert City

  A Blend Ancient and
  Modern Could be the Answer
  
  

  Dec. 9, 2023 -Dubai is full of futuristic, glazed skyscrapers. That’s problematic, from a sustainability perspective, in a city where temperatures regularly climb past 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several months each year. Air-conditioning can be so strong in the summer that some people wear jackets and scarves inside.

  But a growing number of architects in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is currently hosting the United Nations climate summit, are now designing buildings in more sustainable ways...

• • Cutting Petrochemicals Use In Buildings Today

  Let's Start With Buildings
  
  

  Oct. 10, 2023 -RMI’s report We Can Cut Petrochemicals Use Today: Buildings provides an overview of the use of petrochemicals in the construction and renovation of buildings in the United States and what steps can be taken to lower buildings’ embodied emissions based on petrochemical use efficiency.

  This report details the actions decision makers should prioritize to lower buildings’ embodied emissions due to petrochemical use and thereby mitigate health, fossil-resource, and carbon risks.

• • The Chameleon’s Guide to Making Buildings Green

  No Energy Required!
  
  

  Sept. 28, 2023 -A simple, low-cost coating can change color like a chameleon to stay cool when it’s hot outside and warm up when it is cold. It could one day help bring down the energy use of heating and cooling buildings.

  Click now for the whole story.

• • Sublime Systems Receives ASTM
  Certification For Low Carbon Cement

  It Performs as Well as the Traditional Variety
  
  

  Sep. 17, 2023 -Sublime Systems, a company that makes cement without releasing massive clouds of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It is one of many ideas to come from the fertile brain of Yet-Ming Chiang, the creative genius at MIT who is responsible for several innovative companies, among them American Superconductor Corporation, A123 Systems, Desktop Metal, Form Energy, and 24M Technologies.

  Making Portland cement is responsible for about 8% of all carbon emissions globally every year. There are two reasons for that. First, limestone needs to be heated to around 2700º F in giant kilns to create the basic materials for cement. It takes a lot of energy to do that, energy that typically comes from burning methane gas. Second, the chemical reaction inside those kilns releases even more carbon dioxide.

• • Making Stronger Concrete
  With Old Coffee Grounds

  Engineers Close a
  Circular Economy Loop
  
  

  Sep. 1, 2023 -Researchers have given tons of waste coffee grounds a “double shot” at life, by infusing it into concrete—where it not only increases material strength by 30%, but also could be a significantly more sustainable alternative to the mined sand on which the concrete industry depends.

  “This waste-to-resource approach creates a closed-loop circular economy,” says Rajeev Roychand, materials scientist at RMIT University, Australia, and the study’s lead author.

• • A Huge Cut in Building Emissions is Possible

  Could Be as Much
  as 90-Plus Percent
  
  

  Aug. 31, 2023 -When it comes to cutting carbon emissions, a renewable power grid and electric vehicles are the big-ticket items. But buildings, which produce about 40 percent of global carbon emissions, are also a key part of the transition to net-zero emissions.

  According to a new study, the U.S. has the potential to cut building emissions by 91 percent compared to 2005 levels. That could save the country over $100 billion per year on energy costs, researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report in the study published in One Earth.

• • Europe’s Cities Rely on Age-Old Ways to Stay Cool

  This, As Heat Waves Intensify
  
  

  July 29, 2023 -There is no single architectural technique that can solve the problem of sweltering heat, which has gripped large parts of Europe this summer. But on a continent where air-conditioning is relatively limited, sustainable building techniques can go a long way in protecting residents, according to experts.

  Those features, which include courtyards, heavy shutters, reflective painting and white-stone facades, can keep homes cool naturally and reduce the need for air-conditioning. The problem, particularly for Mediterranean cities that have endured scorching temperatures this summer, is that many newer buildings have been built using Western styles that trap heat, said Marialena Nikolopoulou, a professor of sustainable architecture at the University of Kent in England.

• • These Tiny Homes Take Just Weeks to Build

  They're Digitally Fabricated

  July 21, 2023, (Treehugger) - Once upon a time, tiny houses as we know them were mainly rustic, do-it-yourself affairs that were mostly cobbled together by their owners. But the tiny house movement and tiny house building industry have evolved and matured significantly since those early years, and now we have a dizzying range of diversity, from low-budget, handcrafted little dwellings made with salvaged materials to tiny smarthomes and other high-end deluxe builds with sticker prices to match.

• • Climate Shocks Are Multiplying

  Designers Seek Holy Grail:
  Disaster-Proof Homes
  
  

  July 16, 2023 -Jon duSaint, a retired software engineer, recently bought property near Bishop, Calif., in a rugged valley east of the Sierra Nevada. The area is at risk for wildfires, severe daytime heat and high winds — and also heavy winter snowfall.

  But Mr. duSaint isn’t worried. He’s planning to live in a dome.

  The 29-foot structure will be coated with aluminum shingles that reflect heat, and are also fire-resistant. Because the dome has less surface area than a rectangular house, it’s easier to insulate against heat or cold. And it can withstand high winds and heavy snowpack.

• • Hemp is Making an Industrial Comeback

  Does It Really Deserve It's Tarnished Reputation?
  
  

  Aug. 18, 2023 -Industrial hemp has been used in construction since Roman times. But in the mid-twentieth century, it got lumped in with its psychoactive relative, marijuana, and innovation fell on hard times. Now, in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill’s legalization of production, it has bounced back into the limelight—this time with a distinctive twenty-first-century twist: carbon capture.

• • LEED Gold for Portland State University’s New Hall

  View the Slideshow

  Nov. 2, 2021, (INHABITAT)-Portland State University (PSU) located in the heart of Portland, Oregon has a long history of providing innovation and education to the pacific northwest city. So when the campus discussed Fariborz Maseeh Hall, a building constructed in the 1960s, the choices were to demolish it or renovate it. PSU decided to leave the structure in place and hired Hacker’s design team to lead the transformation.

• • Sunnyside Yard: A Carbon-neutral Masterplan in NYC

  PAU Unveils Carbon-Neutral
  Sunnyside Yard Masterplan in NYC

  Mar. 13, 2020 (inhabitat) -Global architecture firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) has revealed a masterplan for transforming over 180 acres of underutilized land in Western Queens’ Sunnyside Railyard into a thriving mixed-use neighborhood with a net carbon-neutral footprint. Developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary design team on behalf of the City of New York, the ambitious urban revitalization project seeks multiple sustainability targets, from equitable economic growth and placemaking to the implementation of on-site renewable energy and energy storage systems.

  Created in partnership with New York City’s Economic Development Corporation and Amtrak, the Sunnyside Railyard masterplan envisions a mixed-use program comprising 12,000 new 100% affordable residential units, 60 acres of open public space, a new Sunnyside Station to connect Western Queens with the Greater New York region, ten schools, two libraries, over 30 childcare centers, 5 healthcare facilities and five million sf of new commercial and manufacturing space to stimulate new middle-class job growth. Walkability and livability will be major drivers behind the design and have informed decisions to incorporate more mid-rise scale buildings, anti-displacement strategies and an abundance of connective green space.

  Click now for the story, and a slideshow.

• • Wood Waste Can Make Recycled Concrete Stronger

  Wood Waste Makes Recycled Concrete Stronger Than Ever

  Feb. 21, 2020 (New Atlas) — Production of the cement used in concrete is a huge source of CO2 emissions, so the more that we can recycle existing concrete, the better. That's where a new study comes in, which indicates that discarded concrete becomes even stronger than it was before, when wood waste is added to it.

  Concrete is made by mixing an aggregate such as gravel with water and cement. Once the mixture has cured, the cement hardens, and binds with the aggregate to form a solid block of material.

  Led by Asst. Prof. Yuya Sakai, scientists at The University of Tokyo ground pieces of such concrete into a powder, then added water, along with lignin obtained from wood waste. Lignin is a highly cross-linked organic polymer, and is a key component of the support tissue in vascularized (water-conducting) plants – it's what gives wood its rigidity.

• • 'Czech' Out This Climate Change Inspired Building

  Climate Change-Inspired
  Skyscraper Could Become Czech
  Republic’s Tallest Building

  Oct. 18, 2019  (inhabitat)-Inspired by the apocalyptic imagery from climate change projections, sculptor David ?erný and architect Tomáš Císa? from the studio Black n´ Arch have proposed a visually striking skyscraper that’s sparked controversy with its inclusion of an enormous shipwreck-like structure. Dubbed the TOP TOWER, the project proposed for Prague rises to a height of 450 feet, which means that if built, the tower would be the tallest building in the Czech Republic. The project is led by developer Trigema who aims to create a multifunctional, LEED Gold high-rise that includes rental apartments, a public observation area and commercial uses on the lower floors.

  Click now for the story and a slideshow.

• • Greening the College Campuses

  11 Ways Colleges are Moving
  Toward 100% Renewable Energy

  Nov. 7, 2018-America's colleges and universities are playing a huge role in helping the world transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

  On Oct. 16, Environment America Research & Policy Center released a report titled "Renewable Energy 101," detailing 11 of the best strategies and tools that universities can use to move towards meeting 100% of their energy needs with renewable sources. Among them: microgrids and energy storage, electric and sustainable transportation, geothermal heating and cooling, and more.

  Click to read the whole
  story from Environment America.

• • Toronto’s New Green Building Achievement

  Studio Gang to
  “Sustainably Grow” Toronto with
  this Energy-Efficient Tower

  July 20, 2018 -American architecture practice Studio Gang has unveiled designs for One Delisle, a new residential tower that marks the firm’s first foray in Canada. Located in downtown Toronto on the corner of Yonge and Delisle, the project is envisioned as a standout architectural icon that combines a striking hive-like design with energy-efficient performance. The proposed building intends to achieve Tier 2 of the Toronto Green Standard.

  Inspired by plant growth, the sculptural, 16-sided One Delisle features eight-story modules stacked together in a spiraling formation to reach a height that surpasses 500 feet. The 550,000SqF building will comprise 263 residential units as well as a two-story base with retail space and restaurants. The area around the tower will also be redesigned to include wider landscaped sidewalks, an expanded park and other improvements for a more pedestrian-friendly experience. The main street character will be preserved to respect the existing neighborhood architecture.

  Click now to learn more from
   CleanTechnica, and view the slideshow.

• • University Solar Parking Project

  Salisbury University Completes
  Solar Parking Canopy Project

  August 23, 2017 - Standard Solar, a leading solar energy company, announced the completion of its solar installation with Salisbury University (SU). Standard Solar constructed and will operate, own and maintain the 541.8 kilowatt (kW) solar system featuring four solar canopies and five electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The canopies will cover a parking lot to provide shade for the University’s Parking Lot H, as well power to the adjacent educational buildings

• • A New Approach to Green Building

  Parasitic Wooden Cubes
  Slash Parisian Buildings
  Energy Consumption by 75%

  Mar. 3, 2017 -Stéphane Malka has designed a clever way of optimizing the energy efficiency of older urban structures while working within the restrictions of Parisian building codes.

  Her Plug-in City 75 design envisions attaching parasitic wooden cubes to the facade of a 1970s-era building, extending the living space and significantly reducing the building’s annual energy consumption by approximately 75%.

  The story includes a slideshow

• The Dirty Secret of So-Called 'Fossil-Fuel Free' Buildings

  The ‘Embodied Carbon’ in the Building
  of Glass and Steel Blocks
  Makes Them Anything But Green

  Apr. 3, 2021 (The Guardian), -Hanging plants smother the walls of a new office block proposed for Salford, giving it the look of something from an abandoned post-Covid city, reclaimed by nature. The ivy-covered tower, designed by Make Architects, has been trumpeted as “fossil-fuel free”, set to run on 100% renewable energy and reach net zero operational carbon, with tenants enjoying the biophilic benefits of dangling foliage. But not everyone is convinced.

  “It’s strange to see something described as ‘fossil-fuel free’ when it is made of concrete, steel and glass,” says Joe Giddings, coordinator of the Architects Climate Action Network (Acan) campaign group.

• • What a Real Green Roof Looks Like

  Amazing Green-roofed School Melts
  Into the Mountains of France

  Feb 10, 2017 -In the 1960s, the Jean Moulin High School in Revin, France was artfully tucked into the town’s grass-covered hills. However, over the years, the old building began to fall apart due to neglect and severe weather. When the town decided to renovate the damaged structure they called upon Duncan Lewis Scape Architecture (slideshow included).

• • Building in S. Africa Goes for LEED

  Schneider Electric Building
  in South Africa Aims for
  LEED Gold Certification

  Feb 7, 2017 -The Midrand Waterfall Development in South Africa will soon receive a couple of world-class, energy-efficient additions aiming for the highest green certification in the country. The first among them, the Schneider Electric office designed by Aevitas Group is a star-shaped structure optimized for a superior energy performance, targeting a LEED Gold certification.

• • Bamboo: Green Material Spotlight

  Bamboo: Green Material Spotlight

  Oct 31, 2016 -Bamboo is not only loved by cute, cuddly panda bears, but these days it’s a green material of choice among builders and homeowners alike.

  When considering green building materials, bamboo is right up there with the best of them. Stronger than steel and twice as strong as concrete, this renewable resource is home to wildlife, needs little energy for growth, prevents the erosion of soil, and also provides biomass.

• • Have Your New House 3D Printed

  And It Can Be Done in Less than 24 Hours

  Aug. 21, 2021, (The Economist)-A BATCH OF new houses across California is selling unusually fast. In the past two months, 82 have been snapped up, and the waiting list is 1,000 long. That demand should, though, soon be satisfied—for, while it can take weeks to put up a conventional bricks-and-mortar dwelling, Palari Homes and Mighty Buildings, the collaborators behind these houses, are able to erect one in less than 24 hours. They can do it so rapidly because their products are assembled from components prefabricated in a factory. This is not, in itself, a new idea. But the components involved are made in an unusual way: they are printed.

• • Washington's African American Museum

  African American Life, History and
  Culture in LEED Certified Building

  July 12, 2016 -The enveloping lattice opens the building to exterior daylight, which can be modulated according to the season. In one sense, this is architecturally practical and sustainable—and will help the building become the first Smithsonian museum to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification.

• • Getting to Net Zero With Geothermal

  Going Net-Zero in California
  with the Help of Geothermal

  July 12, 2016 -When it was time to build its Americas headquarters in California to LEED Platinum and net-zero standards, power management solutions provider Delta looked to a geothermal exchange system for the building's heating and cooling functions.

• • Battery Maker Pushes Clean Energy

  Total(™) to Buy Battery Maker Saft
  in Push to Expand Clean Energy

  May 9, 2016 -Total SA agreed to buy French battery maker Saft Groupe SA in a 950 million-euro ($1.1 billion) deal, ratcheting up investments in clean energy by one of the world’s largest oil companies.

• • Environmentally Friendly Environment Center

  The Net-Zero Frick
  Environmental Center: One
  of the World’s Greenest Buildings

  May 14, 2018 -This Pittsburgh building just became the first municipally owned building in the U.S. to achieve Living Building certification — arguably the most rigorous proven performance green building standard in the world. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the FEC is among the world’s greenest certified buildings and it earned LEED Platinum certification last year.

  The 15,600-square-foot building produces as much energy and water as its consumes annually and it incorporates a wide array of other sustainable features including geothermal heating and cooling, locally sourced non-toxic building materials and daylight dimming controls and sensors.

  
  Click now for the story and
  slideshow from Inhabitat.

• • Sustainable Sports Stadiums

  Five of The World’s Most
  Sustainable Sports Stadiums

  From Green Building Elements:

  Sustainability is one of the most important aspects of any new architectural design and in recent years we’ve seen this spread into the world of sports stadiums.

• • Greenbuild Philly

  Sponsored by Greenbuild Nation

  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work.

• • China’s Future City

  China's Future City

  November 18, 2014 -One might take Tianjin Eco-City for just another of the many residential areas sprouting up all over China. But this place is different. The roadside trash cans are covered with PV panels so they can light up at night...

• • De Blasio’s Green City

  Green City Sets Goals
  for Building Efficiency

  September 20, 2014 - In a sweeping effort to reduce its environmental impact, NYC is planning to overhaul the energy-efficiency standards of all its public buildings and to pressure private landlords to make similar improvements.

• • Turning Our Windows into Solar Panels

  Totally Transparent Solar Cells Could
  Turn Our Windows Into Solar Panels

  Sept. 14, 2014. -In the future, you'll be able to charge your phone just by placing it in the sun, and you'll generate electricity through your windows, not just from the panels on the roof. How? By covering glass in a material that captures energy from the invisible parts of the light spectrum, but still lets in visible light. In other words: translucent solar cells.

• • Bali Green Village

  The Green Village of Bali

  Set along the slopes of the Ayung River in Sibang, Bali, Green Village is a master-planned community of eighteen dramatically unique homes, each custom designed, rigorously engineered, and hand-constructed to embody the inherent strengths and versatility of bamboo...