CHICAGO — The Empire State Building, constructed in 1930 to 1932, was the first building to make major use of aluminum. Since then, the use and value of aluminum has increased drastically in green design and sustainable construction. Not only does it cost less than contemporary construction materials like steel and concrete, it reduces sustainability costs and increases a building’s efficiency.
TORONTO, Ontario — The Humber River Hospital in Toronto opened on Oct. 18 to make it the first fully digital hospital in North America. The new, 1.8 million-square-foot hospital now has state-of-the-art-medical equipment, which was designed to improve patient care.
PARIS — The USGBC pledged to create more than 5 billion square feet of green buildings over the next five years through LEED and EDGE green building standards, according to a Dec.
ROME — In 2009, the United Nation’s (UN) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome began to work towards making its building more energy efficient, first seeking a LEED certification for sustainability. These efforts were prompted by the UN’s Greening the Blue initiative. On Nov. 16, IFAD announced in a statement that the existing buildings had been awarded LEED Platinum certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for operations and maintenance.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new, green multi-family apartment complex, situated on the riverfront near the Missouri River, is set to break ground this October. The complex, named Second and Delaware, will be the nations largest multi-family complex to use Passive House Institute-certified building techniques, a system which is even more strict than LEED standards.
