Green Building : Jetson Green

Gore Galore, Passive House Trend, Sustainable Zoning, + H2O Opportunities

• Zoning the sustainable city.
• Greenbuild's health-based outcome.
• Al Gore calls for a green building revolution. 
• New report highlights water technology opportunities.
• Balancing energy needs and material hazards.
• California at the forefront of Passive House trend.
• Green building puts some in the red.

Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.

2009 Top-10 Green Building Products

Yes, it's that time again.  For the eighth year in a row, BuildingGreen has just announced their list of Top-10 Green Building Products.  BuildingGreen sifts the products from new additions to the GreenSpec Directory, a print and online guide that organizes green products according to LEED credits, as well as from coverage in Environmental Building News.  The GreenSpec Directory has over 2,100 products, and these ten are some of the best of what's been added to the directory.  Any favorites among the group?

New AES WindJet 5 Small Wind Turbine Installed in Kansas City [Video]

This month, AES Wind installed its first demonstration AES WindJet 5 turbine in Overland Park, Kansas.  The twin-rotor turbine is rated at 5 kW and was designed to increase efficiency by up to 54% over existing designs.  With a slow rotor speed, the turbine is quieter, more durable, and less likely to create problems with birds. 

Artistically Platinum at Burnside Rocket

This is a beautiful LEED Platinum building located at the corner of East Burnside Street and 11th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.  Dubbed Burnside Rocket, the building is probably most recognizable not for its red dress but for the twenty-four operable art panels -- each of which was painted by a different emerging artist -- that shade the interior spaces.  Since completion on April 2007, the popular building has been fully occupied. 

7.9 Million Reasons to Get Involved in the Green Building Industry

According to a new study by Booz Allen Hamilton and the USGBC, green building will support 7.9 million jobs and pour $554 billion into the American economy over the next four years.  Of that, $396 billion will be attributable to wage growth in green building jobs.  Green construction spending currently supports 2 million American jobs, so we're talking about growth of nearly 400%!

Rocky Mountain Institute Launches Free Online Tool Green Footstep

About a week ago, the Rocky Mountain Institute launched Green Footstep, a free online carbon calculator for reducing emissions in building construction and retrofit projects.  The website also features three case studies together with an explanation of the Green Footstep methodology.  With the tool, you can:

Green Modular Malaysian Idea House

This is the Idea House by Broadway Malyan for Sime Darby Property, one of the largest property developers in Malaysia.  The home was designed as an attempt to become the first carbon zero residence in South East Asia.  The home would be prefabricated in modules to save on labor costs, speed up the construction process, and make deconstruction of the home easy at the end of its useful life.  Some other green aspects of the home design include:

New Library of LEED Pilot Credits

The USGBC has unveiled a half-dozen new credits for LEED which are being investigated in a pilot program currently underway.  Pilot LEED credits include: Life Cycle Assessment of Building Assemblies and Materials; PBT Source Reduction; Medical and Process Equipment Efficiency; Innovative Ventilation; and Preliminary Integrative Project Planning & Design (2 credits).

Landscaping Stars, Car Connections, Greener Pastures, + the Green Economy

• Starchitecture and sustainability.
• Capitalizing on the growing green economy.
• Five next-gen green building materials to watch.
• The Living Building Challenge spreads it petals.
• Going back to nature with golf's greener pastures. 
• Sustainable Sites Initiative gives four stars for green landscaping.
• Using recycled materials, innovation to reinvent building materials.
• Who is liable for green building performance?
• Demolish, rather deconstruct, with care.
• The connected car. 

Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.

Haptik Sustainable Suite Design by WATG

The USGBC, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and The Network of the Hospitality Industry (NEWH) together announced the winner of the first ever Sustainable Suite Design Competition.  The purpose of the competition was to showcase the best hospitality design strategies that boast environmental responsibility while enhancing the guest experience.  Out of 65 professional design entries, WATG and IDEO took the top prize for their suite, Haptik.