"Solar Technologies & the Building Envelope"
"SM LEED's With Green Garage"
"Green Roof System May Be Solution for Developers Working With Difficult Site"
"Boca Going 'Green' With Environmentally Efficient Buildings"
"UD's Flexible Solar Cells Draw Attention"
"More Green for Less"
"Work Begins on David Bower Building"
"Spaces and Places: Parcel Along I-880 Sold to Opus West"
"First-of-Kind Offices Boast 'Green' Décor"
"Bijou Properties to Build Green Mixed-Use Community"
"When the Walls Have Leaves and the Roof Is in Full Flower"
"The Most Environmental Friendly Roof Ever"
"Going Green: UF Garden Spans Entire Rooftop"
"Oaktree Development Nearing Completion of a 20-Unit Cohousing Project, A New Twist to Residential Development in Cambridge, Mass."
"No Garden-Variety Roof"

Experts report that many of the nation's single-story commercial and residential buildings have sufficient favorably oriented roof space to make achieving zero energy technically feasible. But that is only if energy efficiency has already been aggressively implemented into the building's design and no major solar obstructions exist. As efficiencies of photovoltaic (PV) cells improve, so increases the potential to have zero-energy buildings. A wide variety of PV products are now on the market that can be integrated with the building envelope. PV panels are available in such configurations as roofing products, overhangs and glazing products. These panels can be utilized to make a roofing system more durable or can be used as part of an uninterruptible power supply. The article's author, who is the team leader for Commercial Buildings Research at Colorado's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, further details daylighting as a strategy that is appropriate in all climates and nearly any building type. Typical daylighting components include windows, roof monitors, skylights, clerestories and tubular daylight devices. A large flat roof is considered ideal for tubular daylighting. The article's author also goes on to discuss Trombe walls, transpired solar collectors and solar hot water systems.
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In late March, the new Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure held its grand opening. The California site holds the distinction of being the only parking structure in the nation to be awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The structure's design includes photovoltaic roof shade canopies that provide all of the building's energy needs. In addition, the facility is equipped with high-efficiency mechanical systems, electric vehicle charging stations and reserve spaces for bicycles.
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Experts report that green roofs may be a viable alternative for developers to meet stormwater regulations on sites that do not lend themselves to infiltration. Green roofs have proved to work especially well in commercial applications where the roofs are large and flat. Such roofs, though, can add between $15 and $20 per square foot to the cost of building construction. Industry officials say the technology eventually pays for itself in the form of decreased heating and cooling costs. The article lists two types of green roofs. The first is extensive roofs that have such low plants as sedum that are typically between 2 and 5 inches tall. The second is intensive roofs, which have a deeper growing medium and can support trees and shrubs as much as 18 inches thick.
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Green buildings are increasing in popularity throughout the Boca Raton, Fla., market. The new Christine Lynn College of Nursing building on the campus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is credited with kick-starting the trend locally. Also on the FAU campus, a proposed $43 million engineering building is going through the process of being certified as "green," or energy-efficient, via the U.S. Green Buildings Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED points are typically earned for utility efficiency, the position of the building relative to the sun and community connectivity, among other factors. Builders can also rack up points by planting sedum grass on a structure's rooftop as a form of insulation. Meanwhile, Boca Raton Deputy Mayor Susan Whelchel wants the city to get more involved. She comments: "There are no policy incentives at the moment. We need to get them in place."
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Scientists at the University of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion have invented efficient, light and flexible solar panels that can be made quickly and affordably. Building industry officials note their efforts could one day help bring about more efficient and cost-effective solar roofs on buildings of all types. Key to the breakthrough were flexible plastic solar cells, which hold enormous potential as a practical portable energy source. Researchers at the university's Institute of Energy Conversion have come up with a high-speed manufacturing process that aims to make CIGS—a blend of copper, indium, gallium and diselenide—stick to the plastic without its supporting layer cracking. Researchers say the cost efficiency of CIGS cells has the potential for boosting the practicality of solar energy in a variety of applications and installations. On the residential side, new homes will be more likely to get the technology than existing residences. Robert Birkmire, director of the institute, adds, "I think that the commercial roofing market will move that way, too." The new CIGS cells currently have an efficiency rating of 10. Birkmire and his team hope to get the rating as high as 15.
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Los Angeles has formed a partnership with Enterprise Community Partners to promote environmentally conscious building techniques in the city's affordable housing market. City Council President Eric Garcetti recently joined with Councilwoman Jan Perry to launch the Los Angeles Green Communities program, which will provide a half dozen $50,000 grants and technical help to area affordable housing projects that make use of such features as green roofs and recycled construction materials. Garcetti states: "The benefits of building green—better air quality, lower electric bills—are usually only realized by those who can afford to pay for them. [This program] will ensure that residents across the economic spectrum can take advantage of these opportunities."
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Construction has begun on the David Brower Center in Berkeley, Calif. The four-story facility, which will be dedicated to environmental education and activism, is named after the first executive director of the Sierra Club. It will have such energy-efficient features as a photovoltaic roof and green architecture. Additionally, the building will offer approximately 36,000 square feet of offices for such nonprofit organizations as the Center for Ecoliteracy and the Earth Island Institute. Brower passed away earlier in the decade at the age of 88. He was perhaps best known for his leadership roles in establishing 10 new national parks.
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In Northern California, Opus West has completed its acquisition of a 15-acre tract in Fremont's Bayside Business Park. On the parcel, Opus West plans to erect a dozen freestanding buildings that will be available for sale to individual owner/users. The buildings, which will range in size from 5,000 to 45,000 square feet, will boast such energy-efficient features as white roofs and drip irrigation. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, Mercury News sources have placed the value of the transaction in the $12 million range.
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In Florida, Palm Beach County reports that its first "green" office buildings are now under construction. Among them are the new headquarters of law firm Romano Eriksen & Cronin in Lake Worth and the newest building at Centrepark West in West Palm Beach. Both structures will include features that minimize their effects on the environment. The law firm's two-building complex will include rooftop gardens, solar panels and elevator pistons lubricated with vegetable oil. Law partner John Romano remarks, "We've asked our contractor to make it as green as possible." Meanwhile, the 100,000-square-foot EcoPlex at Centrepark West will feature a special rooftop system that captures rainwater and funnels it into cisterns for use in flushing toilets. Other green features range from a concrete shell made partly with recycled materials to bicycle racks and on-site showers for employees who commute via bike. Both developments are being built by locally based Hedrick Brothers, with plans submitted to the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Bijou Properties has secured the necessary approvals to build a $100 million, mixed-use building in Hoboken, N.J. It will be one of the first mixed-use projects in the Garden State to be constructed to the gold rating standard of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Chiefly, the development will feature a green roof designed to mitigate stormwater runoff. Additionally, there will be approximately 20,000 square feet of green space in a trio of rooftop gardens. Groundbreaking is expected in the next year to 14 months. Once completed, the building will offer 180 residential condominiums along with 30,000 square feet of retail space and a parking facility.
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A 2006 study by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities confirms that the square footage of green roof projects in North America increased 72 percent between 2004 and 2005 to nearly 2.5 million square feet. According to Steve Peck, president of the Toronto-based industry association, 2006's numbers are expected to show growth of around 125 percent. Peck estimates the North American market for such roofs as being worth at least C$150 million annually and continuing to grow. Green roofs have increased in popularity to the point where they are now viewed as instrumental in cities' efforts to combat the urban heat island effect, which is the result of thousands of black-topped roofs baking under the hot summer sun. At the same time, so-called "green walls" are going up in more commercial installations. Such plant-covered walls offer a more controlled atmosphere and a barrier between people and the elements.
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In Fort Myers, Fla., Bonita Bay Properties is taking a second pass at creating a thriving green roof atop its 2,400-square-foot maintenance building at Shadow Wood. The company tried a similar experiment four years ago but failed when the plants died. Bonita Bay officials are hoping to learn from their mistakes, this time including nearly 2,000 plants in its experiment. Landscape designer John Romine observes: "They're adding some low-volume irrigation and using plants that will work based on the conditions. Instead of focusing on making it look good, we are focusing on making it look full. By doing that, it will make it look good." The potential benefits are a cooler building in the hot months and greater control of stormwater runoff. Among the plants being used are spartina and aloe vera, both of which are native to the Fort Myers area.
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In an effort to reduce stormwater runoff and promote environmentally friendly building practices, the University of Florida is touting the 2,600-square-foot green roof atop the newly built Charles R. Perry Construction Yard on campus. Workers finished planting the roof in late March, using such native Florida vegetation as dune sunflowers, gopher apple and tropical sage. The roof covers an entire amphitheater located next to Rinker Hall, which is home to the university's School of Building Construction. This is the college's first green roof and will serve as a model for future building projects on the campus and elsewhere. Water that is not absorbed by the roof's vegetation will drain into cisterns and be stored to irrigate the roof during dry spells. Glenn Acomb, who spearheaded the project, reasons, "It allows you to collect a resource as opposed to wasting it."
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In June, Oaktree Development will finish Richdale Place, a co-housing development in Cambridge, Mass., featuring 20 condominiums, underground parking, a common room and a "green" roof deck. Unlike other co-housing developments, Oaktree principal Gwen Noyes says residents did not have to handle all of the development plans. "Instead of a group forming and meeting (sometimes for years) in order to find, design, obtain zoning and building permits, finance and build their community, the future resident group for Richdale Place is having social gatherings and getting to know each other while the building is being built, and they can move in months, not years," she explains. The community is near public transit and within walking distance to Porter, Harvard and Davis squares. Of the 80 co-housing developments that have been finished nationwide, 11 are located in Massachusetts.
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Vegetated roofs are growing in popularity throughout Southern California. The potential benefits of such roofs are lower heating and air-conditioning costs, along with reduced stormwater runoff. American Society of Landscape Architects President Pat Caughey remarks: "You are going to see it more and more. It isn't as technically difficult as it used to be." Good Earth Plant Co. recently installed the first vegetated roof on a commercial building in San Diego County. Elsewhere, the Palomar Pomerado Health district recently detailed plans to develop a hospital complex that will incorporate sprawling green roofs that will help diminish energy consumption and increase water conservation. Finally, the Centre City Development Corp. has adopted incentives to encourage such environmentally friendly design elements as green roofs throughout downtown San Diego. While response has been positive, no such projects have been completed to date.
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