Green Globes Student Housing - University of Arkansas

Architects: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Charlotte, NC) with Allison Architects (Fayetteville and Little Rock)

• 50 apartments on the southeast edge of the University of Arkansas Fayetteville campus
• 600 sq ft
  
• projected to cost $ 16. 28 million
• 4 three-story apartment buildings - community building with a lounge, office and upstairs exercise room
• first Green Globes project on campus
• part of the university’s efforts to become “a model for sustainability”
• university “mindful of our responsibility to our environment and to our surroundings”. That means implementing the latest standards in “green design” for all new campus buildings.
  
• new UA construction projects followed LEED benchmarks since 2004
• Green Globes is similar to LEED. 90% percent of criteria between the two agree, but Green Globes identifies wood as a renewable resource

Features:

• wood frame
• energy efficient lighting, windows and insulation
• carpets will be made from recycled materials
• showers and toilets will be designed to restrict water flow
• landscaping will use native plants that limit erosion
• Energy Star-approved appliances

Source: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/202757/

Sidwell Friends Middle School (Washington, DC)

architect: Kieran Timberlake Associates

• the greenest school in the U.S., the first to earn a platinum LEED rating
• if initial cost of going green is high- savings can be even greater:
  the energy bill for primary and secondary schools in the U.S. is $6 billion--and that's per year (more than spent annually on computers and books combined)

Features:

• constructed wetland (first in Washington, DC), treats building waste water on site - part of a closed system that recycles water back to the building and lavatories
• Green roof vegetation holds and filters rainwater; gutters and downspouts direct rainwater to a biology pond, which supports native habitat. Herbs grown by students on the green roof are supplied to the cafeteria
• Building orientation
• passive and mechanically assisted ventilation
• solar chimneys
• solar panels
  5% of the building’s total electrical load is generated on the roof
  
• double-glazed windows
• Window placement, skylights and reflective panels maximize use of natural light so energy for lighting in this building is 10 – 15% of that of a comparable code compliant building
• Recycled, rapidly renewable and locally produced materials such as cork, gypsum, linoleum, bamboo and wheatboard substrate
  Exterior cladding is western red cedar (reclaimed from wine casks)
• Paints, carpets and adhesives were selected for low emission of volatile organic compounds
• carbon dioxide sensors in the classrooms automatically adjust temperature by detecting how many people are inside

Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1663859,00.html

(WBCSD) report - "Green" Construction Costs Lower Than Believed

World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Respondents to a 1400 person global survey estimated the additional cost of building green at 17 percent above conventional construction, more than triple the true cost difference of about 5 percent. At the same time, survey respondents put greenhouse gas emissions by buildings at 19 percent of world total, while the actual number of 40 percent is double this.

“Life cycle analysis shows that 80% to 85% of the total energy consumption and CO 2 emissions of a building comes from occupancy through heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water use. If we want to make an impact on climate change, we therefore need to tackle this challenge. Combining the right materials when designing a building envelope can greatly reduce a building's energy requirements, increase its life span and ensure consistent performance over time,” he said.

The Report - Energy Efficiencies in Buildings: Business realities and opportunities (pdf doc)

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment

June 14, 2007
The leaders of 284 colleges and universities from around the country (45 states and represent about 15 % of US higher education institutions) officially unveiled this week the The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a pact that urges educational institutions to eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Begin development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality ASAP;
2. implement 2 or more actions from a list of ways to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed;
3. make action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Mitch Tomashow, president of Unity College in Maine, ...signing the commitment was a "no-brainer," but ...the sub-section of the commitment that requires making climate change and sustainability part of the curriculum for all students posed an entirely different challenge. Tomashow said. "Moving the curriculum so that every engineering student, every medical student, takes these types of classes -- that's a much bigger challenge, but that ultimately will need to happen."

4000 LEED Student Residence beds (CA)

"American Campus Communities Inc., an owner, developer and manager of student housing, has been selected by the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to begin the planning process for the development of up to 4,000 on-campus beds...(using) LEED silver or higher certified rating."

AccessOn: Built Environment

OK... so apparently slightly off-topic but since this is the area of my paid consulting work and the "Accessibility For Ontarians With Disabilities Act" now requires all public buildings to be accessible (green or not) this new AccessON web site created by the Ontario Government might be of some assistance to those of you not as well informed about the subject or simply used to following the minimums in the OBC (Ontario Building Code).

Oh... and the 2006 OBC code is in many ways just as inaccessible as the 1997 version. Go to most cities in Ontario and see how much higher their accessibility standards are (we were/are actually involved with writing many of them which is really cool).

And if you think about it... how "sustainable" can a building be if people as they get older can't use it (often the forgotten aspect of accessibility).

Read about province wide progress: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2007/12/c3699.html

World's Greenest Museum - California Academy of Sciences

"We wanted our building to really reflect our institutional commitment to the environment and its sustainability," said Frank Almeda, senior curator of the academy's botany department.

When completed (2008), it's expected to be the first museum to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's "platinum" certification (LEED) —the highest rating for environmentally sustainable construction, academy officials said. Design by Italian architect Renzo Piano.

The museum will feature... energy-saving technologies... roof will be bordered with solar panels that will provide a portion of its electricity needs... lights will automatically dim and brighten in response to daylight... rooftop skylights and side windows will open and close automatically to heat and cool the building."

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6095255

University of Waterloo Sustainability Project

"...a service run by student volunteers from various disciplines. The primary purpose of UWSP is to improve the state of sustainability on campus as well as raise environmental awareness among students, faculty, and staff. UWSP is comprised of different working groups each targeting specific aspects of sustainability."

Working Groups

• Clearing a Path
  (trying to have University of Waterloo commit to Talloirses Declaration)
• Green Roofs Over Waterloo (GROW)
• Naturalistic Landscaping Team (NLT)
• Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP)
• Waste Management
• FootSteps to Conservation
• Zimride
• Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework (UW CSAF Project)

Source: http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1475&Itemid=59&issuedate=2007-06-01

Talloires Declaration

"Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, this is the first official statement made by university administrators of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. The Talloires Declaration (TD) is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. It has been signed by over 300 university presidents and chancellors in over 40 countries."

Canadian Universities and Colleges include:
Carleton University, Concordia University, Dalhousie University, McGill University, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Simon Fraser University, UBC, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, University of Saskatchewan, University of Victoria, University of Western Ontario, and York University
See full list here: http://www.ulsf.org/pdf/TD_resourcekit.pdf

Rubloff Hall - Saint Xavier University's (Chicago, IL)

by: Kelly Hladek

• $9 million, 37,000-sq-ft Rubloff Hall, opened fall 2006
• LEED Silver certified
• high-efficiency lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, insulation systems, green and reflective roofing, building computer system (BCS)
• 90 % lighting comes from natural sources
• heating units are 90 %more efficient and 50 % smaller than more traditional units
• 100 % of building's required power purchases are generated from "green sources"
• construction materials- adhesives, sealants, paints and carpets all required the "green" stamp of approval
• construction crews recycled over 80 % of scrap materials
• if constructed in traditional manner, energy costs - $90,000 annually
  New hall will cost - $60,000 annually

Ontario's RE Feed-in Tariff - Progress Report

"It's been 6 months since ... Ontario started its Standard Offer Program (SOP), which created the first feed-in tariff (FIT) in North America for renewable energy in over 20 years.

Since last November (2006), OPA has received applications under the new FIT for 65 wind, solar, biomass and hydropower projects totaling roughly 330 megawatts (MW) of capacity.

... a FIT sets a price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of generated renewable energy that is high enough to properly compensate the generator and make a project profitable."

Source: http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48565

Ontario Power Authority - Ontario's Standard Offer Program

• Solar PV Projects - 42 cent/kWh
• Waterpower Projects - 11 cent/kWh
• Wind Projects - 11 cent/kWh
• Biomass Projects - 11 cent/kWh

Integrated Learning Centre: Queen’s University - Kingston, Ontario

• 80,000 sq.ft. (7,400 sq.m.)
• four-leaf rating through the BREEAM/Green Leaf program (aka Green Globes)
• Designed by B+H Architects of Torontocompleted in 2004
  

World Green Building Council moving to Earth Rangers Building

"The World Green Building Council is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global property industry towards sustainability. Current members are GBCAustralia, CanadaGBC, EmiratesGBC, IndiaGBC, JapanSBC, MexicoGBC, New Zealand GBC, TaiwanGBC, United KingdomGBC and the USGBC. Collectively, these nations represent over 50% of global construction activity, and touch more than eight thousand companies and organizations worldwide."

Solar Living Institute - Hopland, CA

"The Solar Living Center (SLC) began as a shared vision among the workers of Real Goods Trading Corporation and company founder and President John Schaeffer. It was a vision of a permaculture oasis where the company could demonstrate the culture and technology of solar living.

The Center’s beautiful main showroom was designed by architect Sim Van der Ryn of Sausalito, California."

Another place to learn how to live and build green AND a building following their prinicpals. Can't wait to go someday!

Canada's First LEED Certified Library (Silver)

Surrey, BC
January 2004
(and I only found out about it now...)

Doors Open Toronto (May 26/27, 2007) - The Green List

Free admission to all sites. Some only Saturday, some only Sunday, and some have photograph restrictions (wow) so check before you go.

From the 150 buildings participating, here's a list of all those showcasing green/sustainable design ideas or principles:

• Beach Solar Laundromat
• Bloorview Kids Rehab
• Cecelia Murphy Building
• Design Exchange
• Eco-suite at Tridel's Element Condominium
• HOK
• Horse Palace: Green Roof
• Levitt Goodman House
• Mountain Equipment Co-op
• Ravina Project
• Robertson Building
• SAS Building
• St. Gabriel's Passionist Parish
• Thomas L. Wells Public School
• University of Guelph-Humber
• University of Toronto: BCIT
• University of Toronto: Multi-faith Centre - Koffler Institute
• Zeidler Partnership Architects Building

Maybe I'll see you at one or two! Can't wait.

Green Daycare (UK)

Meanwhile Gardens by Constructive Individuals

• green roof
• timber surfaces
• south window and skylights
• super insulated walls and roof of cellulose fibre insulation
• rain and grey water recycling system to run the toilets

Eco-Friendly Middle School - LEED platinum certification

by Russell Boniface
Associate Editor

Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., recently opened its new sustainable middle school and is seeking to earn LEED® Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The three-level, U-shaped, 70,000-square-foot school renovates an existing middle school and merges it with a new wing, forming one green-designed structure. Sustainable materials are implemented throughout the exterior and interior. An open courtyard defines the building structure by integrating the campus with the local landscape. Philadelphia-based KieranTimberlake Associates worked with Sidwell to incorporate the school’s Quaker philosophy—to be stewards of the Earth—into the green design. The new school and its campus will also serve as a sustainable education tool for students.

Source: http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek06/1027/1027d_pw_sidwell.cfm

How Colleges can be Forefront of Green Movement

May 1, 2007
Elia Powers

In “Degrees That Matter: Climate Change and the University,” (MIT Press) Ann Rappaport and Sarah Hammond Creighton, both leaders of Tufts University’s Climate Initiative. The co-authors responded to questions from Inside Higher Ed about their latest project.

Q: How can you best tell if a college’s environmental promise has teeth or is just empty rhetoric?

A: We are concerned that individual high-visibility projects can be confused with a comprehensive climate action effort. We suggest a set of activities that are the basis for a credible effort. These include:

• The campus master plan includes sustainability.
• Energy management systems are in place.
• Funding for energy efficiency is provided.
• Standards are in place for new construction.
• No old lighting technology is on campus (no incandescent or T-12 lamps).
• A recycling program is in place.
• The curriculum includes robust discussion of climate change and energy.
• A program to address single-occupancy vehicle use is in place and automobile alternatives are developed and implemented.
• A baseline inventory of the institution’s greenhouse gas emissions is conducted and published. The inventory needs to be updated periodically to show progress toward an established goal. A program that’s transparent and effective will provide the numbers that document progress, not just the anecdotes.

Source: http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/01/climate