LEED PLATINUM AT UCSB It is fitting that one of the first buildings to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for achieving the "platinum" LEED status is a school dedicated to researching environmental issues, training research scientists and professionals, and identifying and solving environmental problems. — Published 2003.0611
	BIO-SOLAR HOUSE IN THAILAND It's an environmental dream: a self-reliant house that produces its own electricity, water, and cooking gas. Solar energy powers the air-conditioning, lights, and household appliances. Rain, dew, and condensation from the cooling system produce enough water for a family of four. Recycled water irrigates the garden, and surplus electricity is sold to the power company or used to drive an electric car 30 miles (50 kilometers) a day. — Published 2003.0514
	BUILDINGS FOR EARTH DAY As architects become more aware of their role in protecting the natural environment, they begin to view "sustainable design" more broadly. In addition to reducing consumption of fossil fuels, successful "green" architecture also improves comfort for building occupants, protects and repairs its immediate surroundings, and makes a positive contribution to the community. — Published 2003.0430
	SANTA MONICA ELECTRIC In light of rising energy costs and potentially disastrous environmental policies, timing couldn't be better for the opening of Colorado Court, one of the first 100-percent energy-neutral housing developments in the United States. Located on a busy, urban street corner in Santa Monica, California, the award-winning five-story, "green" building is designed not only to reduce energy consumption but to return unused power back to the city's electrical grid. — Published 2003.0212
	GENTLE ON THE BEACH The Sustainable Bathhouse Project at the Assateague Island National Seashore in Virginia officially opened in June 2002. This project, on a protective but ever-changing "barrier island," is one of several planning, design, and construction projects currently underway there by the National Park Service. Their objectives are to develop cost-effective, environmentally responsible roadways, parking lots, bathhouses, and visitor contact facilities on the southern end of the island, which serves one million visitors annually. — Published 2002.1023
	SOLAR-POWERED FACTORY The new manufacturing plant for Hayward Building Systems, recently opened in Santa Maria, California, may not look like much from the street, but its energy conservation performance marks it as a leader in modern factory design. — Published 2002.0828
	PLAYFUL PV IN ROME At the Children's Museum of Rome, a partly see-through photovoltaic (PV) roof brings new levels of meaning to everyday childhood experience of playing in the sun. One of the museum's central mandates is to heighten awareness of the quality of urban life through "a transparent guided itinerary" of everyday activities. Its new photovoltaic roof, designed by Abbate e Vigevano Architetti, gives form to this mandate. — Published 2001.1024
	BEST PRACTICES IN SUSTAINABILITY Over seven hundred individuals gathered in Atlanta, Georgia in April to attend the fifth annual EnvironDesign conference and to learn about the latest visionary work related to environmental stewardship. William A. McDonough, FAIA, and Michael Braungart, founders and principals of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, set the tone through their inspirational keynote address, "Cradle to Cradle: The Blueprint of the Next Industrial Revolution." — Published 2001.0516
	ELEGANT EFFICIENCY AT ZION CANYON Out in the beautiful Utah desert, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) is elegantly demonstrating how bringing the outside in and the inside out can enhance our appreciation of the built and natural environment. The 7,600-square-foot (706-square meter) Zion Canyon Visitor and Transportation Center, in Springdale, Utah, is a showcase of efficiency and sustainability for the NPS. — Published 2001.0103
	COMMERCIAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS If you wanted to target a single building type in the United States to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainable design and construction, commercial buildings would be a good (if not the best) place to start. Commercial buildings today have become the preeminent workplace, and their load on our energy consumption is substantial. There is a growing interest today on the part of building owners, facilities managers, architects, engineers, and others in the construction industry to design and construct commercial structures to get the most out of the least. — Published 2000.0830

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