DUBLIN, Calif. — A robot is tending the solar field adjacent to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Calif. It moves along a rail underneath the solar panels to adjust them to face the sun, a process that takes about 40 minutes and then starts over again.
SAN FRANCISCO — The AIA COTE Plus Award, presented to architects who demonstrate excellent use of sustainable design elements, was awarded to locally based Aidlin Darling Design on Aug. 26.
DALLAS — A new construction project was recently completed at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, a nonprofit organization focused on inspiring both children and adults through nature and science. The focus of the project was to install a new security system throughout the building. The upgraded control system was completely integrated and designed around the unique structure of the six-story museum and its exhibit space. Schneider Electric, a global company specializing in energy management, oversaw the project.
NEW YORK — Lehman College Science Hall at City University of New York (CUNY) recently achieved LEED Platinum certification. The science hall was dedicated in October 2012 and opened for classes in time for the 2013 spring semester.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego International Airport’s Green Build expansion project opened to the public on Aug. 13. Construction on the expansion of the airport’s Terminal 2 began in 2009.
HOUSTON — A sterilization system that converts water into steam as a tool to sanitize medical and dental instruments and human waste is now ready to be beta-tested, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Researchers at the University of Alberta are currently working on a project to develop solar cells that can be generated with commonly occurring materials in the Earth’s crust. These cells — based on nanoparticles — would be affordable and easy to produce. Because of the technology behind the developing nanoparticles, manufacturers could reproduce them using a roll-to-roll printing method or a spray-based coating.
PHILADELPHIA — Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a financial and professional services firm, debuted the completion of its Philadelphia office, which is the city’s first LEED Commercial Interiors (CI) Platinum-certified project.
The office’s renovation project, which completed in August, officially began last year when JLL moved to the 10,500-square-foot space on the 25th floor of 1650 Arch Street, a property built in 1974. The building has since undergone green building upgrades to the lobby and mechanical systems.
