AGC releases decarbonization playbook to help assess, track, reduce GHG emissions

The Associated General Contractors of America released a new, first-of-its-kind, decarbonization playbook designed to help firms assess, track, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on projects. The AGC Playbook on Decarbonization and Carbon Reporting in the Construction Industry is part of the association’s efforts to make sure construction firms play a leading role in crafting carbon-reduction measures for the industry.

Mass Timber

Bjarke Ingels Group designs a mass timber cube structure for the University of Kansas

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and executive architect BNIM have unveiled their design for a new mass timber cube structure called the Makers’ KUbe for the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design. A six-story, 50,000-sf building for learning and collaboration, the light-filled KUbe will house studio and teaching space, 3D-printing and robotic labs, and a ground-level cafe, all organized around a central core.

Laboratories

Why lab designers should aim to ‘speak the language’ of scientists

Learning more about the scientific work being done in the lab gives designers of those spaces an edge, according to Adrian Walters, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal and Director of SMMA's Science & Technology team.

Airports

The next destination: Passive design airports

Today, we can design airports that are climate resilient, durable, long-lasting, and healthy for occupants—we can design airports using Passive House standards.

Rob Cassidy | Mar 14, 2011

NZEBs: The next chapter in the saga of green building

I have a confession to make: Two years ago, when we first considered the topic of our eighth White…

Mar 11, 2011

Texas A&M mixed-use community will focus on green living

HOK, Realty Appreciation, and Texas A&M University are working on the Urban Living Laboratory, a 1.2-million-sf mixed-use project owned by the university. The five-phase, live-work-play project will include offices, retail, multifamily apartments, and two hotels.

Mar 10, 2011

Steel Joists Clean Up a Car Wash’s Carbon Footprint

Open-web bowstring trusses and steel joists give a Utah car wash architectural interest, reduce its construction costs, and help green a building type with a reputation for being wasteful.

Mar 9, 2011

Hoping to win over a community, Facebook scraps its fortress architecture

Facebook is moving from its tony Palo Alto, Calif., locale to blue-collar Belle Haven, and the social network want to woo residents with community-oriented design.

Mar 9, 2011

Fast food franchises are taking the LEED

Starbucks, Arby’s, and McDonald’s are among the top when it comes to fast food franchises implementing sustainability practices. This article takes a look at the green paths these three brands are taking, and how LEED factors into their business and their future.

Mar 8, 2011

Building, energy performance rating site launched

The Institute for Market Transformation and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced the launch of BuildingRating.org, the world’s first comprehensive resource on energy performance rating and disclosure policies for commercial buildings and homes.

Mar 8, 2011

BlueCross HQ campus awarded LEED Gold

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee announced its certification as a LEED Gold campus, established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). BlueCross’ headquarters, totaling 950,000 square feet of office space, is the largest LEED Gold corporate campus in Tennessee, and the second largest in the nation.

Mar 2, 2011

Design professionals grow leery of green promises

Legal claims over sustainability promises vs. performance of certified green buildings are beginning to mount—and so are warnings to A/E/P and environmental consulting firms, according to a ZweigWhite report.

Mar 2, 2011

Top 10 states for LEED green buildings

According to the U.S. Green Building Council's 2010 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita (based on the U.S. 2010 Census information), the District of Columbia leads the nation, with 25 square feet of LEED-certified space per person in 2010. Nevada, being the leading state, has 10.92 square feet per person in 2010.

Mar 2, 2011

The extraordinary growth of green building—A rebuttal to an article on why green building adoption is slow

In this rebuttal to The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why, the author argues that in fact the growth rate has been very high and that much of it came during a time of economic unrest and tight capital, which makes it all the more extraordinary.