Tag Archives: green building
A Breakthrough or Just Another PV Module?
“In the day”, I was sent to Siemens Photovoltaic Cell manufacturing plant in Santa Barbara to visit with the Southern California Edison customer, document the manufacturing process and take some pictures for my bosses presentation. It has been years since then and the United States, the once leader in cell manufacturing, has given way to others [...]
Glass and Green Building
A look at today’s architecture and design magazines, or at new construction projects in NYC, confirms that the current material of choice is glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows, 360° views, natural daylight, connecting inside to the outside are the design vocabulary du jour. Glass, and lots of it, is intended to convey modernity, sophistication, and, increasingly, green [...]
Microsoft Creates Smart Campus with Sensors
“Give me a little data and I’ll tell you a little. Give me a lot of data and I’ll save the world,” says Darrell Smith, who heads Facilities and Energy for Microsoft. To transform Microsoft’s buildings into a cohesive ”smart campus,” Smith was among those who realized some 30,000 sensors had been installed by various vendors over the years - it [...]
Green Building Now Required in Dubai
Dubai has passed a law that makes green building practices mandatory in the construction industry, and certain products, including solar water heaters will be required for all buildings. The law goes into effect next year, and the Building Department has launched training programs to assist implementation, “Be Educated on Green Buildings.” Training is being offered to [...]
Dubai: Building A Green City
Though the burgeoning city-state of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates may be many wondrous things, a haven for green development and sustainability has not been one of them. In almost the blink of an eye Dubai has evolved from a small brown desert port into a glistening jungle of glass and steel skyscrapers rising [...]
Top 10 Green Buildings in 2013
For the 17th year, the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE) has chosen its Top 10 Green Buildings for 2013, which showcase excellence in green design. This year continues the theme of social consciousness, started in 2012, where participants are asked to design high performing buildings on a limited budget. While the hot trend for 2012 top buildings seemed to be creating [...]
Metal Buildings: The New Sustainable?
Going green, sustainable living, eco-friendly – however you refer to it, this way of life has become the trend in the last few years as more and more people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this movement. While using less water, recycling and energy-efficient light bulbs are good places to start, it’s going [...]
Can Stanford Students Revolutionize Green Home Construction?
Stanford students are planning to revolutionize green home construction with a new standardized platform. A first home based on this concept is being built right now (you can even follow the progress via its very own YouTube channel). This solar-powered, zero-emission house is Stanford’s entrant in the Solar Decathlon, a biennial competition run by the [...]
Taiwan Stadium Goes Solar
One industry that’s been making great strides on sustainability in recent years is the sports industry. We’ve been treated to an increasing number of stadiums that are net-zero energy, producing more energy from solar and wind than the stadium needs. Here’s the incredible Kaohsiung World Stadium in Taiwan, which opened in 2009. The largest stadium in the country [...]