Rhode Island Office Park to Earn LEED Gold
JOHNSTON, R.I. — Boston-based Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA) is currently transforming a 153-acre office park development into a LEED Gold facility.
January 2014
University of Michigan Energy Institute Completed
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Construction was completed at the new University of Michigan Energy Institute, part of the Phase 2 renovation of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Laboratory, and the project received LEED Gold certification.
Silicon Valley Office Building Reaches for LEED Platinum
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A new office building set to open this spring in Silicon Valley is using innovative building and design strategies to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
Cooling System
Netherlands-based data center manufacturer Minkels introduced two new water-based cooling systems specifically for data centers. The Varicondition H2O-316 and the Varicondition H2O-650 water-based cooling units can be placed between data center racks. While the H2O-316 is an ideal cooling solution for companies decentralized server rooms, the H2O-650 is well suited for cooling high-density application in commercial data centers.
Jerry Yudelson
The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced Jerry Yudelson as its president to accelerate growth of the nonprofit and further leverage its green building assessment tools. Formerly the president of Yudelson Associates in Tucson, Ariz., Yudelson has authored 13 green building books, achieved recognition as a LEED Fellow and chaired the steering committee for the country’s largest annual green building show, Greenbuild.
Product Focus: Augustana College Utilizes EPS Geofoam
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — As of the 2013 fall term, the multimillion-dollar Center for Student Life now serves as the focal point for students at Augustana College. The college’s centerpiece of academic life has been reinvigorated with the addition of 35,000 square feet and two new functions: dining services and student activities.
University of Oregon Receives First LEED Platinum Certification
EUGENE, Ore. — The USGBC awarded the University of Oregon’s (UO) Robert and Beverly Lewis Integrative Science Building LEED Platinum Certification. The building, which was completed in July 2013, is one of the only laboratory buildings in the U.S to receive such a certification.
Collaborative to Establish Health Product Declarations Protocol
RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — The Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) partnered with seven product sustainability assessment companies to develop a third-party verification protocol for Health Product Declarations (HPDs).
Along with GreenCE, GreenCircle, NSF International, PE International, SCS Global Services, ToxServices LLC and UL Environment, the HPDC is working to provide building product manufacturers with a framework to list product materials and ingredients as well as associated health information.
Elizabeth Heider
Skanska USA promoted Elizabeth Heider to chief sustainability officer. Heider, who will continue to be based in Skanska’s Alexandria, Va., office, will lead Skanska’s efforts to support the company’s triple bottom line of sustainability — environmental, social and economic health. She has worked with Skanska USA for 12 years, primarily as senior vice president for green markets with Skanska USA Building, and also founded Skanska’s National Green Council.