Related Links: LEED Green Building System Shows Strong Growth http://enr.construction.com/business_management/project_delivery/2013/1021-Early-Involvement-Improves-Contractor-Understanding-of-Green-Priorities.aspEarly Involvement Improves Contractor Understanding of Green Priorities Reducing energy use in buildings has long been the target of green contractors and owners alike. The U.S. Dept. of Energy reports that buildings account for 40% of U.S. energy consumption and building owners spend $40 billion annually on energy. Despite this expenditure, building occupants are often uncomfortable in their work spaces.Now a study by McGraw Hill Construction (MHC) suggests that high-performance building system technologies already on the market can offer substantial savings in energy use over traditional systems. Working in partnership with
Photo by Nadine M. Post/ENR New York City's Brooklyn Bridge Park was designed using the principles of the waterfront development guidelines. Related Links: WEDG New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan New York City Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency Developers and designers in the New York-New Jersey region will soon have a new tool to help create more storm- and flood-resilient buildings and parks along the water. The voluntary Waterfront Edge Guidelines rating system, called WEDG and fashioned after the LEED green-building rating system, could become a model for other coastal and riverfront areas, says it developer.The checklist-based WEDG is
Related Links: Information on GBI's Guiding Principles for New Construction President's 2009 Executive Order The Portland, Ore.-based Green Building Initiative (GBI) has launched a new guide to help federal agencies building new construction projects to comply more easily with a 2009 executive order related to sustainability in federal buildings."The Guiding Principles Compliance for New Construction" of federal buildings, released on Feb. 19, complements GBI's program for existing federal buildings, which has certified approximately 250 buildings since its inception. The standards are based upon GBI's Green Globes rating system.According to GBI's new president, Jerry Yudelson, the compliance guide allows agencies to
During a 2010 preconstruction meeting with the owner-developer of Seattle's super-sustainable Bullitt Center, the 50,000-sq-ft project's consulting engineer had a minor meltdown over electric-plug loads—the silent killer of green-building power conservation.
Related Links: Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Report Released Jan. 29 City Energy Project A new initiative spearheaded by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) will help 10 U.S. cities develop customized plans to boost the energy efficiency of their largest buildings.According to Cliff Majersik, IMT's executive director, NRDC and IMT will provide technical assistance over the next three years to help each of the participating cities develop and implement individualized plans. NRDC estimates that the City Energy Project (CEP), funded by partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, will
Rendering Courtesy of Knesset Planned 4,650-sq-meter solar-panel array atop the 1960s-era Knesset building, seen in this rendering, is a major part of Israel's $2-million sustainability investment. Related Links: Rooftop Solar Set to Soar Stanford University Researchers Build Prototype of Passive Solar Cooler to Test Revolutionary Concept Israel has launched a two-year program to make its Jerusalem parliament building, known as the Knesset, the world's greenest with a host of new sustainability measures that include the installation of a 4,650-sq-meter rooftop solar-panel array.Samuel Chayen, a government spokesman, said in a press report that the solar field will be larger than the
+ Image Click to Enlarge. Related Links: International Coalition Launched to Promote Greener Schools The 20-year-old U.S. Green Building Council, which launched its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system in 2000, estimates that more than 4.3 million people live and work in LEED-certified buildings. There are more than 59,000 commercial LEED-registered and -certified projects globally, says the USGBC. And there are 10.6 billion sq ft of LEED-registered and -certified projects in the U.S. alone.USGBC currently has 77 chapters and 13,000 member companies and organizations. About 40% of LEED-registered projects are outside the U.S. There are World
Photo Courtesy of SHP Leading Design New international sustainable schools initiative involves 30 nations. Related Links: Global Coalition for Green Schools U.S. Green Building Council World Green Building Council Underwriter Laboratories With the recent launch of the Global Coalition for Green Schools, the U.S. Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council are putting a stronger-than-ever emphasis on supporting the design, construction and operation of sustainable schools. The coalition will work to reshape schools and "fundamentally change" the way students learn about the world around them, says the USGBC."This is not just about energy efficiency" but about the whole
Related Links: Ohio Senate U.S. Green Building Council American Chemistry Council Ohio Senate hearings on a non-binding resolution to ban the use of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design green building rating system on public projects will likely take place early next year. If passed by both houses of the Ohio General Assembly, the resolution would recommend to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission a ban on the use of LEED.On Oct. 31, Ohio state Sens. Joe Uecker (R-Loveland) and Tim Shaffer (R-Lancaster) introduced Ohio State Concurrent Resolution 25, which recommends banning the new LEED Version
Related Links: ASHRAE Illuminating Engineering Society of North America The updated energy standard for buildings includes big revisions to building envelope, lighting and mechanical appliance requirements. The changes make the 2013 update 40% to 50% more stringent than the 2004 version, according to ASHRAE, which recently published the standard.ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, incorporates 110 addenda that reflect changes to the 2010 energy standard.The prescriptive window-to-wall ratio remains 40%, but stricter fenestration provisions require double-glazed windows in many climates and establish a minimum visible-transmittance/solar-heat-gain-coefficient ratio to allow daylighting with minimal solar gain.Minimum efficiencies are
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