Design – Construction – Operations
LANCASTER, Pa. — The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED Platinum certification to the corporate headquarters of Armstrong World Industries.
Built in 1998, the three-story glass-and-steel relies on wind energy for about 75 percent of its power, officials say. The facility has an energy consumption rate of 1.5 watts per square foot, which is half the average rate for comparable buildings in the United States.
Read moreSAN FRANCISCO — The $25 million Orchard Garden Hotel became the first hotel in the city awarded LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The 86-room hotel, which is set in the heart of San Francisco’s tourist belt between the historic Union Square and Chinatown, is the third hotel in the United States to receive LEED recognition for environmental sustainability, officials say.
Read moreHOLIDAY, Fla. — Creative Contractors Inc. was awarded a $14 million contract by the Pasco County School District to build the county’s first green school.
The builders of the 93,000-square-foot Gulf Trace Elementary School will strive to create a healthy indoor environment through the use of low-VOC paints, sealants and adhesives, and wood products without added urea-formaldehyde, a type of adhesive resin used in pressed wood.
Read moreAMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Unregulated development of bio-fuels could cause more environmental harm than good, according to a Dutch governmental report
Read moreSAN FRANCISCO — One of the greenest cities in the country now has a task force in place that will focus on increasing the number and quality of sustainable buildings in the area.
The Green Building Task Force, assembled by Mayor Gavin Newsom as part of his Clean and Green Initiative and Climate Action Plan, is responsible for developing expanded green building standards for all new private construction projects in San Francisco .
Read moreWASHINGTION — An American Institute of Architects committee that focuses on sustainable design released the 2007 selections for the top 10 green projects, which include a university research center, a U.S. Courthouse and a water purification facility.
The Committee on the Environment released its selections for the program that started in 1997 in conjunction with Earth Day and the projects were honored May 3 at the American Institute of Architects National Convention in San Antonio .
Read moreSYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Industrial Development Authority issued a $238 million bond to finance construction of a sustainable retail complex.
Destiny USA, slated to be the largest sustainable building in the world, will include stores, hotels, theaters, restaurants and a research park. It will be powered entirely by renewable energy, according to reports. The 800-acre project is expected to cost $20 billion.
Read moreVAIL, Colo. — The $1 billion Ever Vail resort village proposed by Vail Resorts could become the largest LEED-certified resort project in North America if it proceeds as planned.
The town council is set to consider a formal proposal for the 1 million-square-foot resort that could include up to 700,000 square feet of mixed-use space. Plans include 225 to 375 condominiums; a 100,000-square-foot hotel; up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space; a 100,000-square-foot ski facility; a new mountain-base portal; and a public park.
Read moreCHICAGO — Construction is scheduled to begin soon in Chicago on a LEED-certified commercial center that will provide space for eco-friendly businesses. The project is the latest development in a series of green commercial centers that are being built in the United States.
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