Green coatings for commercial applications

When U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan first saw designs for the new federal courthouse in Eugene, Ore., he hated them.

Harwood K. Smith would be proud of the tiny architecture practice he founded 70 years ago, in Dallas. In the intervening years, HKS, Inc., has grown into the third-largest A/E firm in the U.S.

When adult patrons enter Charlotte's new children's cultural center for the first time, the initial thought that probably comes to mind is chaos.

Many cities have household waste recycling programs for paper, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. But what about old paint, used antifreeze, fertilizer, your broken cell phone collection, or that Commodore 64 you've been saving for the grandkids?

The talk in real estate circles is that condos are dead, but don't tell that to three developers who are building green condo high-rises in Chicago: Related Midwest, which recently completed a LEED Silver candidate overlooking Grant Park; Ireland's Chieftain Group,

As the popularity of vegetated roofs grows in the U.S., Building Teams are finding new methods for greening rooftops. A recent trend is to adapt green roof technology for low- and steep-slope applications.