Noted green building consultant, green building book author, and sustainability planning expert, Jerry Yudelson addressed a large gathering of public officials and LEED Spanish green building experts on June 4, 2012 in Bilbao, Spain, giving the keynote speech at the celebration of Spain’s first public-sector LEED Platinum green building.
In addition to Yudelson, speaking at the half-day event were Sr. Ibon Areso, head of the Bilbao City Council; Sr. Aurelio Ramírez, CEO of the Spain Green Building Council; former US Green Building Council Vice-Chair Zaida Basora from the City of Dallas, Texas; and Lynn Perkins, AIA, representing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington.
Yudelson’s keynote speech was titled “The Business Case for the Rapid Adoption of Green Building in Spain.” He said, “The key issue now in the green building industry is how such projects perform, using actual operating data, not design projections. For the past two years, I have researched this issue internationally, and in this conference, I shared some of the results of my global research with the Spanish building industry and local government hosts.”
The green building consultant continued, “If we are serious about cutting our carbon emissions, we have to deal with the rapid greening of public and commercial buildings, which globally account for nearly 20 percent of all emissions of greenhouse gases. In this presentation, I challenged the building industry—and those involved in green building and sustainable design in particular—to get serious about adopting high-performance buildings as the New Normal.”
A professional engineer and experienced sustainability consultant, Yudelson has been involved with promoting the LEED green building rating system for 15 years and is the author of twelve (12) books on the subject of green buildings, green homes, green marketing, water conservation and sustainable development. In 2011, the US Green Building Council named him to the first class of LEED Fellows. +
Related Stories
Mass Timber | May 8, 2024
Portland's Timberview VIII mass timber multifamily development will offer more than 100 affordable units
An eight-story, 72,000-sf mass timber apartment building in Portland, Ore., topped out this winter and will soon offer over 100 affordable units. The structure is the tallest affordable housing mass timber building and the first Type IV-C affordable housing building in the city.
Architects | May 8, 2024
Ivan O’Garro, AIA joins LEO A DALY as a vice president
Integrated design firm LEO A DALY welcomes Ivan O’Garro, AIA, as a vice president and managing principal of its Atlanta studio.
K-12 Schools | May 7, 2024
World's first K-12 school to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum
A new K-12 school in Washington, D.C., is the first school in the world to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum, according to its architect, Perkins Eastman. The John Lewis Elementary School is also the first school in the District of Columbia designed to achieve net-zero energy (NZE).
Healthcare Facilities | May 6, 2024
Hospital construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a three-story hospital across 10 U.S. cities.
Biophilic Design | May 6, 2024
The benefits of biophilic design in the built environment
Biophilic design in the built environment supports the health and wellbeing of individuals, as they spend most of their time indoors.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | May 6, 2024
Top 10 trends in affordable housing
Among affordable housing developers today, there’s one commonality tying projects together: uncertainty. AEC firms share their latest insights and philosophies on the future of affordable housing in BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Codes and Standards | May 3, 2024
New York City considering bill to prevent building collapses
The New York City Council is considering a proposed law with the goal of preventing building collapses. The Billingsley Structural Integrity Act is a response to the collapse of 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx last December.
Architects | May 2, 2024
Emerging considerations in inclusive design
Design elements that consider a diverse population of users make lives better. When it comes to wayfinding, some factors will remain consistent—including accessibility and legibility.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
