GE to Help Portland Become Sustainable City
Agreement will help small businesses expand, efficiency retrofits, EcoDistricts.
Green Building Special Spotlight: Government Programs
Maryland Smart Growth ProgramSince 1997, Governor Glendening has spearheaded the nation’s most comprehensive smart growth program in the state of Maryland. The award-winning “Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Program” provides incentives to attract commercial and residential growth in communities with existing infrastructure and away from undeveloped areas. [sorry this link is no longer available]In March, the governor announced that Baltimore’s largest office building – a $75 million complex called Montgomery Park – will be a green renovation of a vacant 1.3 million square foot building. The Maryland Department of the Environment will occupy 262,000 square feet of floor space. The building’s energy efficiency features such as extensive daylighting, and insulating glass and sensors, will reduce energy costs from the $2 per square foot of a typical comparable building to about 98 cents a square foot annually. Recycled materials will be used throughout the building in partitions, ceiling tiles and carpet. Collected rainwater will be used to flush toilets. Contractors expect to salvage about 75 percent of the demolition debris. Also in March, Governor Glendening signed an executive order that creates a commission to recommend criteria for a comprehensive energy conservation strategy, green buildings and for the purchase of renewable energy. […]
Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Portland, OR.
John F. Kennedy University Will Be Green Top to Bottom
“Making intelligent use of sustainable building practices in the design and construction of our new campus will allow us to create a better environment in which to work and study, impact the Bay Area in a significant way by setting the example for environmentally sensitive buildings, and represent a model for whole campus construction projects worldwide,” said Charles Glasser in his President’s Green Message. John F. Kennedy University is preparing to be the first university in the U.S. to construct an entire campus using green principles, in both its buildings and academic curriculum. Working with architects Lynn Simon and the firm, Hornberger & Worstell, the university intends to meet the requirements for the highest LEED rating at its new 5-acre campus in Concord, California. Green building technologies and materials will be used to site and design the campus, its buildings and furnishings. The campus site is in downtown Concord, next to the city’s rapid transit station. The goal is for construction to begin in early 2002 and for the campus to open early in 2003; a campaign to raise capital is in progress. President Glasser made the decision after meeting with 30 peers at the President’s Meeting at Oberlin College. […]
Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Portland, OR.
Since 1991, Ecotrust has supported the growth of regional businesses that integrate conservation and economic development. Now, the organization is redeveloping an historic warehouse in Portland into a green retail and office complex. It will serve as “a marketplace for the ideas, goods, and services of the emerging conservation economy.” The 80,000 square foot Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center is named for the philanthropist and Ecotrust board member whose $2.5 million gift enabled the building’s purchase. A $2 million low-interest loan from the Ford Foundation is helping to finance the $12 million project. Space will be leased to companies and organizations that focus on conservation. 80 percent of the space is leased; opening ceremonies are planned for this summer. Patagonia, a leading sustainable business, will be the retail anchor. The building will house Ecotrust’s headquarters, the Wild Salmon Center, ShoreBank Pacific, the Certified Forest Products Council and Progressive Investment Management. The Natural Capital Center is in Portland’s emerging Pearl District, an area targeted for dense redevelopment as part of a regional smart growth strategy. It will be home to 15,000 new residents. The Portland Streetcar, which starts operating this summer, will stop directly in front of the building.The building is […]
In Search of High Performance Buildings
Do you have a commercial building that might be a good candidate for ‘high performance’? The picture at the right is the Real Goods high performance building in Hopland, CA. The U.S.Department of Energy is looking for commercial developments in the design phase that might qualify as High Performance Buildings demonstration projects. Steven Winter Associates (SWA) is under contract with the DOE to identify and consult to commercial building project teams. Potential clients must be interested in incorporating high-performance practices including energy and water conservation, resource-efficient materials, indoor air quality, recycled waste programs, state-of-the- art HVAC systems, fuel cells, photovoltaics, or low-impact landscaping. SWA is consulting on three projects in different parts of the country: a public library in Chicago that is building a green roof, recycled building materials, and extensive daylighting; a prototype office building for a major developer in Boston that will have reusable/recyclable interior materials and finishes, and advanced mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems with raised floor distribution; and a mixed use commercial/residential building on a site in Arizona that may incorporate PV panels, solar water heating, water harvesting, and a water-source heat pump system. Contact Mike Crosbie, SWA: mcrosbie@swinter.com[sorry this link is no longer available]
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