From the Ashes As the eighth largest school district in the country, the School District of Philadelphia faces unique urban challenges, including constrained budgets, aging facilities and rising operating expenses. As part of a $1.5 billion capital program, the school district made the commitment that the new Commodore John Barry Elementary School, Philadelphia, Pa. would be an environmentally responsible model following district standards to replace the previously burned down school building on the same site.
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by Michael W. PavelskyAIA, LEED AP
Home-Court Advantage The public address announcement was met with enthusiast applause from the sold-out crowd gathered for the Monday night basketball game: The Portland Trail Blazers’ Rose Garden is the first major league sports facility to earn LEED Gold. With the fans contributing to the team’s sustainability goals, reaching this milestone was a team effort.
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by Justin J. ZeulnerMBA
Avoiding Potential Green Building Liability Liability for failing to meet green building standards can take many forms. Without applicable legal precedent, looking for potential green building liability requires best practices, including careful contract negotiation. Green building concerns may not present novel problems in drafting and negotiating contracts, but may create new contexts for old issues.
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WaterSense Seeking Award Applications With water efficiency becoming a more important aspect of green building each year, these awards showcase the successes of the program's partners in increasing awareness and understanding of the WaterSense brand and label. Comments (0)
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Heat Pump for Colder Climates According to Daikin AC (Americas), Inc., the company’s VRV III-C is designed especially for high-efficiency heating in colder climates. Comments (0)
Lighting Management and Control System The LUMEnergi LMCS Lighting Management and Control System cuts electrical use by 50-70 percent while improving user comfort and conve-nience, compared to non-dimming and non-managed implementations, the company reports. Comments (0)
Metal Roofs Retrofitting flat roofs with sloped metal roofs is a concept that is tailor-made for these declining economic times. Interestingly, of the 40 billion square feet of roofing annually installed in the United States, only a fraction of that amount entails retrofitting roofs with sloped metal systems.
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by ChuckHoward
Bringing Roofs to Life Rooftop gardens or living roofs offer several environmental advantages. Their increased use in urban areas has been due their ability to decrease water runoff from the roof area. The primary intent of the living roof application is to filter the stormwater and minimize the stormwater runoff from reaching the underground infrastructure.
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Want to build responsibly, reduce waste, and help preserve the environment? Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies is your friendly, step-by-step guide to every facet of this Earth-friendly method of construction. Building a home—even a green home—uses plenty of resources and energy. This practical, hands-on book shows you how to build or remodel conscientiously, whether your dream home is a simple remodel or a brand-new multimillion-dollar mansion. You’ll start by identifying green materials and sizing up potential systems and construction sites. You’ll weigh the pros and cons of popular green building methods and identify opportunities for saving money in the long run. Need to find some green professionals to assist you in your venture? We’ll help you do that, too.