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FOUNDATIONS OF PASSIVE HOUSE
As we discussed in a recent article, most buildings in 2050 — less than forty years from now — will likely have to get by with perhaps 10% of the carbon footprint common in the U.S. today. We know of exactly one established building standard that's been demonstrated to produce 2050-ready homes, today. And, harsh though it might sound, anything built today that is significantly less efficient than the roughly 90% energy savings achieved by Passivhaus, seems designed to be obsolete. —The Editors — Published 2013.0130
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2013 - YEAR OF CLIMATE DECISION
Either by action, or by inaction, it's most likely that the climate decision will be made this year.
The decision, simply put, is whether to step aside from business-as-usual, and fully mobilize, or to generally continue business as usual, and condem humanity to a thousand years of torture. — Published 2013.0109
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WHAT'S UP WITH U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS?
A person — or a public figure, member of the media, maybe even an international climate negotiator — could be confused.
In August, 2012, the Associated Press reported: — Published 2012.1205
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THE CORRUPTION OF WOOD
Trees are fundamental to many urban landscapes and natural ecosystems. Wood from trees is a fundamental material for architecture.
The tension between wood in living trees, and wood in buildings and other products, is arguably at an all-time-high on planet Earth. — Published 2012.1024
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USGBC FOUNDER RICK FEDRIZZI
Rick, what does sustainability mean to you personally?
To me, the definition of "sustainable" is simple: It means living my life today in a way that ensures my children, their children, and their children will be able to live as well as I did. — Published 2012.1003
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MASTERS PLAN FOR MABLETON
"The only viable way to accept the gift and meet the challenge of longevity is to match the dramatic transformation of the 20th century that made it possible to grow old, with an equally dramatic and fundamentally new way of being old." — Kathryn Lawler, welcoming the Lifelong Communities Charrette Team, February 2009 — Published 2012.0822
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HOW COOL IS UFAD?
Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) is a method of air conditioning the space by supplying the air from the floor, using natural buoyancy forces to lift it to the ceiling, as opposed to the conventional systems, which supply air from the ceiling down to the occupants, working against the natural forces of buoyancy. — Published 2012.0725
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ART WATTS
In harnessing solar energy, the usual approach is to bolt an array of panels onto the roof of a building and plug it in. But recent advances such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) allow designers to incorporate solar cells seamlessly into a building's exterior.
Canadian glass artist Sarah Hall is taking this idea in a novel direction by using solar technology to create a striking contemporary version of stained glass that illuminates the aesthetic potential of PV. — Published 2012.0606
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DESIGNING THE NEIGHBORHOOD RETAIL CENTER
Developing and managing retail centers remains one of the most financially risky of all real estate categories.
In 2006, the United States had 20.22 square feet (1.88 square meters) of gross leasable area (GLA) of retail space per capita, far more than any other nation in the world. — Published 2012.0516
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EAST HAMPTON TOWN HALL - ROBERT A.M. STERN ARCHITECTS
There are many approaches to sustainable architecture, and one of the most efficient and effective is the reuse of old buildings.
Often, adaptive reuse is not as sexy as designing a high-tech green building from scratch, with its full complement of the latest gizmos. But reconceptualizing a building that already exists is often the most sustainable choice, because such structures contain embodied energy — the energy that was invested in their original design and construction. — Published 2012.0418
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