BALTIMORE — Three of the city’s public schools cut a combined $1,500 from their electricity costs over the course of last February and March. The savings were achieved in part through a collaborative program with the Baltimore Office of Sustainability and the Maryland Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
LOS ANGELES — In a new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), they have found that installing green roofs and cool roofs in southern California could save consumers more than $211 million in energy bills and reduce emissions equivalent to removing 91,000 cars from the road each year.
Waterless Co. offers a full line of Waterless No-Flush urinals, available in any solid color requested. The systems are also available in wall or floor drain connection configurations to suit any installation requirements. Saving up to 40,000 gallons of water annually, these waterless units can install like conventional urinals without adaptors, allowing for drain access without the need to remove the urinals, according to the company. Additionally, they include inexpensive, long-lasting trap inserts that can be refilled.
Hortech introduces LiveWall, the planted wall system that transforms ordinary walls into vertical green landscapes. Made for easy installment and maintenance, the LiveWall system features WallTer planter modules that slide onto its RainRail mounting tracks, securing them in place. It also includes hidden conduits and built-in nozzles for integrated mist irrigation. Measuring six inches deep and five inches wide, the system’s recycled architectural grade plastic WallTers are available up to 8 inches and 16 inches in length, according to the company.
Helen A. Gurfel, an expert in real estate investment and sustainability, has been named executive director of the Urban Land Institute Greenprint Center for Building Performance. With a focus on individual building and portfolio performance on the basis of energy consumption and carbon emissions, Gurfel was most recently a director of GE Capital Real Estate’s global sustainability group.
Brianna Bell has joined Brady, a provider of energy efficient HVAC systems and comprehensive building solutions for commercial and industrial facilities across North Carolina, as a material coordinator for the company’s controls department. A 2012 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Bell comes to Brady with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a minor in communications.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — When people think of solar panels they typically envision the panels installed horizontally on a roof or perhaps even in large field — but now MIT researchers may change the way people perceive solar installation.
HOUSTON — Hess Tower, a business structure in central downtown Houston, has surpassed the LEED Gold mark and reached LEED Platinum with the completion of high-performance glazing. Joining only a handful of other buildings in Texas with that rating, the 29-story Class-A office space was able to reach the highest rank largely due to the glass and metal façade done by Rogers, Minn.-based Quality Metalcrafts and Wausau, Wis.-based company, Linetec.
CertainTeed Corporation has achieved GreenCircle certification for its Restoration Millwork Exterior Trim, designed to enhance the sustainable appeal and environmental transparency with its 21 percent recycled content, according to the company. Made from cellular polyvinyl chloride, the full line of Restoration Millwork trim, beadboard and accessories is engineered to look, feel and work like lumber. Unlike wood, however, it is made with a long-lasting, low-maintenance material that is resistant to rotting, warping, moisture and insects, according to the company.
Lisa C. Sachs, a managing principal at San Diego-based Cumming Construction Management, Inc., was recently inducted into the AIA’s College of Fellows. Sachs, a licensed architect and long-time active member of the AIA, was on hand to be recognized in person in Washington D.C. Sachs is also a certified construction manager and LEED green associate.
