"Architects' Group to Host First 'Green Building' Expo"
"Greening Up From the Top Down"
"Liberty Property to Tackle Green Building"
"Up On The Roof, Gardens Will Soon Be Growing"
"City Roofs Get Grow-Ahead"
"Roof Rainwater-Harvesting Questions Answered"
"All That Glitters Is Green"
"Solar Completes US School Roof Job"
"Smart Buildings Make Smooth Moves"
"Wal-Mart Sees Profit in Green"
"Photovoltaics: Safe, Clean Electricity From the Sun"
"Green Law Will Overhaul How the City Builds"
"Wells Fargo Finances Twelfth LEED-Certified Building"
"Plan to Turn San Luis Obispo Farmland Into Green Mall to Go Before Voters"
"First Look at Apple's Proposed Boston Store"
"Multinationals Join Quest for Zero-Carbon Buildings"
"Green Roofs Provide Natural Drainage, Cleaner Rivers"

Environmentally friendly roofing materials will be on display during the eastern New York chapter of The American Institute of Architects' first-ever green building exposition. Joining the roofing materials suppliers at the Green Material Expo will be makers and providers of energy-efficient windows, insulation products and techniques, natural flooring and solar energy-related items. Approximately 30 vendors will be on hand to discuss their products and services at the event, which is scheduled for Sept. 23 at the Uncle Sam Atrium in Troy, N.Y. The Green Material Expo will offer a number of free seminars that provide information about green options for both homes and commercial businesses. Attendees will also have an opportunity to learn about state and federal programs that reward homeowners and businesses for investing in green technologies.
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The Environmental Protection Agency's new regional headquarters in Denver boasts the first green roof in Colorado, complete with approximately 27,000 plants. The roof provides insulation and keeps a substantial amount of rainwater off the streets. The drought-tolerant plants are kept in pallets composed of recycled plastic, and whatever water is not retained by the plants is piped through the building. The pallets are used as an alternative to layered roof gardens composed of waterproof membranes, drainage, insulation, root barriers and soil, which are typically more difficult to maintain. A drip irrigation system has been installed by the building's owner, Opus Northwest, to water the plants during the first two years.
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Liberty Property Trust says a two-building complex in Mount Laurel, N.J., will be the site of the first "green" office building in south Jersey. The Pennsylvania-based REIT has started to demolish the former home of NFL Films, which moved into a new $45 million headquarters at another location in Mount Laurel in 2001. The National Football League division sold the 76,359-square-foot complex to Liberty Property in November 2005 for $3.65 million. The new structure will offer 103,000 square feet of space throughout four floors, cut down on construction waste and use less energy and water than a standard building similar in size. Liberty Property expects to complete the green office building in 2007. It will be one of four office buildings in the REIT's new 20-acre complex, Liberty Walk at East Gate.
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Community leaders and city officials in Indianapolis are promoting green roofs as a way to cool the city, cut down on air pollution and slow stormwater runoffs. Dark roofs absorb sunlight and contribute to the heat-island effect. They also end up diverting water to sewers and contributing to runoff overflow. Although it is not clear how big an effect Community leaders and city officials in Indianapolis are promoting green roofs as a way to cool the city, cut down on air pollution and slow stormwater runoffs. Dark roofs absorb sunlight and contribute to the heat-island effect. They also end up diverting water to sewers and contributing to runoff overflow. Although it is not clear how big an effect green roofs will have, local advocates say they are worth trying given the problems the area has had with overflows and with attempting to meet federal air-pollution standards. Among the buildings where a rooftop garden is planned is the new Fountain Square headquarters of the Southeast Neighborhood Development group. Green roofs cost nearly twice as much as conventional roofs, but experts say they offer clear potential advantages and cost savings to property owners in the long run.
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The Alastair Ross Technology Centre in Calgary is working on a template green roof as part of its EcoRoof "Green" Initiative. Dave MacKillop, the program's leader, says Calgary's varying climate — semi-arid with drenching thunderstorms and Chinooks — has made it difficult to determine what plants can be used. "We have different kinds of soil, different depths. Some are in the shade; some are in the sun; some are irrigated; and so on," explains MacKillop. "We're just trying different things to see what works." According to MacKillop, green roofs can minimize air pollution and lower building temperatures and the so-called "heat-island effect," in which cities are warmer than outlying areas.
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Water is being harvested to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design points, increase corporate sustainability and save money at many commercial buildings throughout the U.S. In such instances, a roof washer is installed on buildings to ensure rainwater that is collected is free of debris, leaves and other items. Gutters then carry the water to a storage tank, which are housed in basements or parking garages and are made of epoxy steel, fiberglass or concrete. Engineers note that 600 gallons of water can be collected per 1,000 square feet of roof area, and the only additional devices needed to harvest the water include a dual-plumbing system, filtering or ultraviolet treatment and a roof washer. Rainwater harvesting is best put to use in low to mid-rise commercial buildings. However, warehouse buildings are ill-suited because the main use for rainwater harvested from rooftops is in flushing toilets. Engineers note that rainwater harvesting systems are best installed during the construction process, and some indicate that high-rise buildings could use the technology for flushing toilets and as part of their fire-suppression systems. Construction firms and commercial property owners are advised to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the system based on installation costs and the money saved, especially if their property is located in a locale such as Phoenix where rainfall is less than 10 inches annually.
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More building owners and managers are considering metal roofing materials as a means of slashing heating, ventilating and air-conditioning costs. Nationwide, commercial buildings are responsible for nearly 66 percent of national electricity consumption and more than 33 percent of primary energy use. So-called cool roofing is gaining in popularity because of its ability to reduce heating and cooling energy usage. Utility companies are also touting cool roofing as they continue to look for ways to cut the peak demand in electricity during the afternoon hours of summer months. Cool roofing is generally referred to by two primary terms: solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Total solar reflectance (TSR) is the percentage of all solar radiation that is reflected from a surface immediately, as any energy that is not reflected is absorbed by the material. Some of this energy is transferred to heat that can be removed via convective transfer from air flow over the given surface. A portion of this heat can be re-emitted in the evening hours as infrared wave-length energy--a phenomenon known as thermal emittance (TE). Unpainted, a metallic roof has a very low TE and a fairly high TSR; when a paint system is applied, the TSR can vary depending on the color and/or pigmentation chosen.
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A joint venture of Solar Integrated Technologies of Los Angeles and GE Energy Financial Services has finished installing solar panels on three additional schools in San Diego. This brings the total number of area schools outfitted with solar roofs manufactured by the venture to 22. "With the completion of these three additional San Diego schools, we have received net funding of $4.7 million from GE Energy Financial Services," said Interim Chief Executive Randall MacEwen. "As we continue to evaluate strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value, including financing alternatives, this $4.7 million in funding supports our near-term working capital requirements."
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A few cutting-edge researchers are envisioning buildings that act similar to living organisms, for example, by changing their shapes in response to weather conditions or to how people use them. Anders Nereim at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago notes that structures that have adaptive exteriors are more likely to be efficient and better able to make use of the space within a building. Gian Carlo Magnoli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says buildings will someday resemble innovative automobiles that adjust to outside condition by their safety and climate control systems. Meanwhile, Tristan d'Estree Sterk at the Office for Robotic Architectural Media & The Bureau for Responsive Architecture is trying to develop "building envelopes" that rely on "actuated tensegrity" structures to function as a building's skeleton. Such structures would comprise a system of rods and wires controlled by pneumatic "muscles" and linked to embedded and intelligent systems. Sterk endeavors to create buildings that are light, solidly built and can change their shape without using too much energy. He also strives to incorporate "simple, natural, and sustainable ways" to allow buildings to modify themselves. For example, a multi-story building could protect itself against strong winds by distributing stress, or a roof could be designed that would shake off snow. Sterk adds that by creating coverings for them, buildings could also be better equipped to use the sun's energy or make shade as necessary, as well as enhance ventilation.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s goal is to reduce solid waste by 25 percent during the next three years at nearly 4,000 U.S. stores. Late in 2005, Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott pledged $500 million in spending to slash the retail giant's energy consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions and production of solid waste. For these green initiatives to succeed, though, Scott needs the support of the executives below him who have not really spent their careers pursuing social initiatives. David Redfield, vice president of marketing integration at Wal-Mart's Sam's Club division, initially was reluctant to get on board. Now, he heads the company's solid-waste-reduction program. Redfield remarks, "At first, we thought this was about saving the whales and the trees. Then, we started looking seriously at what the waste was made of, what it cost us and what we could save, and this thing took on a life of its own." In the short term, some of Wal-Mart's goals include eliminating 30 percent of the energy used by the company's stores and slashing greenhouse gases by 20 percent during the next seven years.
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Photovoltaics, or solar cells, are showing up on more and more rooftops of commercial buildings. Building owners and managers note that photovoltaics have numerous unique advantages over other electrical-energy sources, including: minimal maintenance, silent operation, maximum output coincident with peak utility power demands, no emissions and easy installation. The photovoltaic industry is currently one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, expanding at close to 60 percent annually in the utility-grid-connected market segment. Because of special tax incentives and beneficial legislation, a majority of new photovoltaic installations have been on commercial structures and homes. Putting a photovoltaic roof on a typical commercial building would perform a two-fold function: it would serve as a weather barrier and generate electricity that would either be used by the building's occupants or sold back to the utility. The only downside is that the photovoltaic industry is currently dealing with a silicon feedback shortage. This has resulted in product demand substantially outstripping supply with a consequential slowdown in growth that will be recorded during the next several years.
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A new "green buildings" law aims to revolutionize municipal construction in New York City. The law, which, according to environmentalists, gives no indication of how or who will enforce it, requires contractors on city-funded construction projects to meet eco-friendly standards. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system from the U.S. Green Building Council provides the standards for contractors, and these city-funded projects will have to achieve silver status to meet the law's new requirements. Meanwhile, schools and hospitals are the only two projects exempt from the law. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is working with city officials to prepare draft regulations regarding enforcement of the law to ease the concerns of critics. Robert Kulikowski, director of the city's Office of Environmental Coordination, comments, "A lot of eyes are on us for this green buildings law, and we don't want it to fall on its face." The result should be reduced energy use, healthier workplaces and further green development in the private sector.
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Wells Fargo has completed financing for its 12th building that will undergo the Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) certification program. The firm provided a $225 million first mortgage loan to affiliates of The JBG Companies for the development and refinance of a 460,000-square-foot facility in Washington, D.C. The complex, which is made up of an existing Class A office building and a soon-to-be-built Class A building, is expected to earn LEED certification based on such features as a green roof, increased ventilation effectiveness and use of low-emitting materials. The two buildings will be linked via a 10-story glass atrium with sky bridges at several levels. Paul Brumbaum, high-performance building advocate at Wells Fargo, stated, "As part of our company's 10-point environmental commitment, we're eager to support our customers as they build energy-efficient buildings. LEED buildings are both good business and good for the environment, and we strongly encourage this growing activity in our real estate lending businesses."
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Developer Ernie Dalidio is looking to receive approval to transform a stretch of farmland in San Luis Obispo, Calif., into a shopping center. To smooth the process and ease environmental concerns, he is touting the proposed mall's various "green" features that include waterless urinals and earth-friendly paving in the mall's parking areas. Similar efforts in the retail sector have proved successful elsewhere in the country. In Chicago, for instance, Target Corp. has experimented with green roofs that replace vast stretches of topside asphalt and concrete with plants to reduce heating and cooling costs. In Savannah, Ga., the recently renovated Abercorn Common shopping center irrigates its greenery entirely from collected rainwater. Earlier in the year, it became the first such retail center to earn U.S. Green Building Council certification. Still, opposition to development in these and other areas remains strong. In San Luis Obispo, City Council member Christine Mulholland continues to oppose Dalidio's plan. She argues that a new mall — no matter how many green features it boasts — will not improve the planet as much as simply farming the land.
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In Boston, the Back Bay Architectural Commission recently gave its approval for Apple Computer Inc.'s preliminary design for a store near the landmark Prudential Center. Apple's proposal was to erect a three-story structure with a green roof and a facade made largely of glass. The store would be Apple's first in the city and seventh in the state.
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Nine multinational corporations have joined the Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) initiative administered by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The initiative was launched in April by construction giants Lafarge and United Technologies to bring external energy used by buildings to nil by 2050 through a combination of on-site generation, construction and design efficiency. Among the nine companies that recently joined the group are cement maker Cemex, DuPont and electronics giant Philips. "Buildings today represent one-third of the world's energy demand, and energy consumption is expected to grow by an additional 45 percent by 2025," says project director Christian Kornevall. "By joining the EEB, these global companies have demonstrated their commitment to sustainable growth for our planet and leadership in transforming the industry." Although feasible today, zero-emission buildings are too cost prohibitive to be commercialized. London, meanwhile, plans to unveil at least one such structure by 2010.
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More buildings in the Washington, D.C., metro area are incorporating green roofs. A new building on the city's southwest waterfront has the biggest green roof in the area, boasting 1½ acres of vegetation that collects rainwater, absorbs some of the precipitation with the plants and filters the remainder so that it is cleaner when it reaches public waterways. The building's vegetation is sedum, which is a desert plant that typically grows like a weed and requires little in the way of upkeep. JBG Group created the roof, which is atop what will eventually be the new headquarters of the U.S. Transportation Department.
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