"City Gets Plan to Pay for Police-Courts Building"
"Aviation Goes Green From the Ground on Up"
"Oberlin's Green Roofs Save Energy, Money"
"Home Depot Donates $55,000 to St. Clare Health Center to Install Green Roof"
"CertainTeed Developing Solar Roofing With SRS Energy"
"'Green' Building Dedicated"
"Coloplast Signals Commitment to U.S. Market with New North American Headquarters"
"Mukilteo Ready to Build $8 Million City Hall"
"WVU Breaks Ground for New Dorm"
"Planting Season for Basketball Arena Roof?"
"ADTA/TDIC Break Ground on New 'Green Building' Headquarters"
"Proposal Eyes 'Green' Construction"
"Nine Cities, Nine Ideas"
"Mega Green Roof Minimizes Storm Water Runoff"

In the fourth quarter of 2007, Ann Arbor, Mich., city council members approved design work for a new police-court building. Although a handful of elected members remain unconvinced, there now appears to be solid support for finally moving forward with the project. The five-story structure would be a "high performance" building. Stormwater would be collected from the roof and from the adjacent Guy C. Larcom Building and used for irrigation. In addition, landscaping around the Larcom building would replace the hard surfaces that now capture and radiate summer heat. One of the biggest changes from an earlier proposal is the scrapping of a plan to turn an existing deck off the east side of the Larcom building into a public plaza. Instead, the new proposal imagines a small seating area along with a green roof system.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Greener airports appear to be the wave of the future with the recent opening of Indianapolis Airport's new terminal and Chicago O'Hare's new air traffic control tower later this year. The new terminal in Indianapolis merges state-of-the-art technology with environmental principles. The roof system, for example, utilizes a special membrane material to shelter and shade the glass walls from the sun while allowing natural sunlight in via skylights. Meanwhile, the roof's surface will reflect energy, limit heat gain, and channel rainwater for collection and use in building services. Not to be outdone, Chicago's O'Hare Modernization Program features built-in sustainability from design through implementation. O'Hare's air traffic control tower will be the first such structure in the country to have a vegetated green roof system to reduce storm runoff and keep the building cooler by reducing the urban heat-island effect.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

The Harkness co-op at Ohio's Oberlin College is reportedly the site of Lorain County's first green roof system. Harkness' rooftop spot was selected by Nathan Engstrom, Oberlin's first coordinator for the Office of Environmental Sustainability. The roof system, installed in the fall of 2007, is a modular grid system that arrived already planted and ready for installation. Instead of asphalt shingles, slate or industrial spray polyurethane foam roofing materials, the green roof system features sod and plants. Engstrom remarks: "It was part of a campuswide effort to implement our comprehensive environmental policy and make green building a standard. Due to the fact that the old roof also served as a patio space that students living in the Harkness residence hall frequently use, we wanted to make sure to keep the space usable while at the same time incorporate new technology on campus." Storm runoff conservation, energy savings and sound insulation are just three of the benefits of the green roof system. A recent study contends that if all of the buildings in Chicago featured green roof systems, the city would reap almost $100 million in annual energy savings.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

According to the SSM St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, the future SSM St. Clare Health Center in suburban St. Louis will feature a green roof system atop its building thanks to a $55,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation. The 430,000-square-foot acute-care facility is on track to open in the first quarter of 2009, replacing SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood. The green roof system will be planted with low-maintenance foliage that will not only provide improved drainage and stormwater retention but also improved air quality and better insulation. SSM officials add that the roof system will prevent heat absorption, overcoming the "heat island" effect typical of large roof surfaces. Additionally, the Home Depot grant will be used to develop educational materials highlighting the benefits and value of the green roof system and other landscaping initiatives on the campus.
(Web Link - May Require Free Registration)
Return to Headlines

CertainTeed Corp. has partnered with SRS Energy to develop roofing products that generate electricity from solar energy. The Pennsylvania-based building products manufacturer plans to work with SRS on developing a photovoltaic roof tile that looks exactly like a regular roof tile. SRS has been developing solar roof systems designed to look like ceramic tile roofs for the past three years.
(Web Link - May Require Paid Subscription)
Return to Headlines

On March 4, Stanford University officially unveiled the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building. It ranks as the campus' most energy-efficient structure to date. Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang and his wife, Yamazaki, donated $50 million towards the construction of the $118 million building. The structure uses approximately 50 percent less energy and 90 percent less water than a conventional 116,000-square foot building, says Jeffrey Koseff, co-director of the Woods Institute for the Environment. About a dozen groups will move into the building, including the Woods Institute and Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency. Glass doors, four atria and reflective shelves on the façade enable natural sunlight to enter the building. In addition, the south-facing roof is equipped with three types of solar panels, and students will monitor their effectiveness year-round.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

Earlier in March, Denmark-based Coloplast broke ground on its new North American headquarters campus in Minneapolis. The campus will cost between $35 million and $40 million to complete and will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Among the building's environmentally friendly features will be a white roof membrane designed to reflect heat; a state-of-the-art energy management system; and systems for stormwater collection and treatment. Coloplast's Rolin Frederiksen remarks: "The things that will make our U.S. campus LEED-certified can be found in nearly all Coloplast locations around the world. An investment in green technology and operating practices will pay for itself within two to three years and is something in which we can all take pride." Coloplast specializes in developing intimate healthcare products and services that make life easier for people with various health concerns. Its primary business areas include ostomy care, continence and urology care, and wound and skin care.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

In Washington state, construction work recently began on Mukilteo's new city hall. When completed in the first quarter of 2009, the new building will feature a spacious council chamber, a couple of floors of offices, and such environmentally friendly features as a green roof system. According to Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, the building's $6.9-million price tag does not include sales tax or furnishings. He adds: "We've asked staff to really work under some poor working conditions for far too long in what was supposed to be a temporary building. I've said it all along, I've wanted a city hall that not only the community can be proud of, but that employees can be proud to work in."
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

West Virginia University has begun building its new Honors Residence Hall. The $20 million dollar dormitory, which will house nearly 400 students when completed, will include such environmentally friendly features as a white roof for better cooling. The residence hall will contain approximately 91,000 square feet of space.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

In late February, the Minneapolis City Council authorized taking bids for a trio of differing configurations of vegetation atop Target Center, the city-owned sports and entertainment arena. Minneapolis' development agency recommended in late 2007 against a green roof system. However, Council Members Lisa Goodman and Scott Benson pushed hard for further analysis, citing a positive feasibility report by consultant Kandiyohi Development Partners. According to Kandiyohi, the additional $400,000 cost of a green roof system could be recovered within five years. Consultants add that the average green roof system has an expected life of 40 years, double that of a conventional roof system. Consequently, if the arena lasts beyond the point where a new conventional roof would need to be installed, the project could pay for itself. At 115,000-square-feet, the arena would boast the state's second-largest green roof system, reports the Minnesota Green Roofs Council.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) recently joined with the emirate's Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) to break ground on their new waterfront joint headquarters. Set for completion in 2009, this new office facility hopes to achieve the Gold Award based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building standard. Design features will range from ambient lighting and indoor landscaping to a building integrated photovoltaic roof system that will harness solar energy to power some of the building's operations. TDIC Chief Executive Lee Tabler reports: "Improved thermal comfort, better ventilation and lighting quality will positively impact the occupants' well being. We will also formulate performance maintenance strategies to further optimize the use of natural resources."
(Web Link - Publication Homepage: Link to Full Text Unavailable)
Return to Headlines

In Annapolis, Md., legislation is now being considered that would require certain new buildings and major renovations of existing structures to meet established green standards. Specifically, the proposed ordinance would call for newly constructed or heavily modified buildings of greater than 10,000 square feet to meet the lowest standards in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The standards encompass such elements as integrating natural daylight and treating stormwater on site. Locally, both Baltimore and the nation's capital have already embraced LEED standards. In nearby Howard County, any county government building of more than 10,000 square feet must be LEED-certified. Also in Howard, a law set to take effect later in 2008 would create incentives for both commercial and residential green development. Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer is on board and has already been encouraging wider use of rain barrels and construction of green roof systems.
(Web Link)
Return to Headlines

City governments around the globe are leading the way in introducing alternative energy programs, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Ralph Cavanagh. He lists nine cities—Chicago; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Palm Desert, Calif.; Amsterdam; Beijing; London; Aspen, Colo.; New York City; and Thane, India—as being at the forefront of new energy-saving technology. For example, Chicago officials plan to install rooftop gardens on 15 million square feet of city buildings to save up to 11 percent in power costs and reduce air conditioning needs. Meanwhile, Palm Desert, Calif., launched an incentive program to replace old air conditioners and the program already resulted in a 12 percent energy decline. In Thane, India, builders are required to install solar water heaters in all new buildings. The government also uses solar power extensively in its own municipal buildings.
(Web Link - May Require Paid Subscription)
Return to Headlines

A new shopping center in Upper Providence, Pa., recently opened after developers and local officials took considerable time planning the facility. The goal of the lengthy pre-construction process was to not burden the community with such a large structure. One of the main concerns addressed before construction began was the amount of stormwater runoff the 400,000-square-foot shopping center would create. To help ease the burden, developers decided to cover the center's 2.3-acre roof with a green roof system manufactured by GreenGrid, a unit of Weston Solutions. The lightweight GreenGrid modules were pre-planted with engineered soil and drought-resistant plant media. They were then delivered to the center, where they were laid out on top of the roof. Jared Markham, a project manager with Weston, comments: "This green roof is an integral part of the project's stormwater Best Management Practices. And now that it is installed, it will retain and detain significant amounts of rainwater year-round ... easing the facility's impact on local water treatment facilities."
(Web Link - Publication Homepage: Link to Full Text Unavailable)
Return to Headlines

Abstract News © Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC.