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Green Building

May 12, 2008

Canada Green Building Council plans first-ever national summit

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) will put the focus on cutting building-source emissions of green house gases at its first-ever national summit this summer.

May 9, 2008

Los Angeles, San Francisco compete for unofficial title of “greenest” city

By and large, city governments can’t control gas-guzzling SUVs, devastated forests and big industrial pollution, all of which are major causes of global warming. On the other hand, the built environment is their bailiwick. Buildings account for an estimated 43% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., compared with 32% from transportation and 25% from industry.

April 11, 2008

San Francisco leads green-building wave

In 2004, San Franciseo began requiring that all municipal buildings in the city meet — at minimum — LEED Silver requirements. About a year later, the city introduced a system for fast-tracking building permits for private development projects that meet LEED Gold or Platinum standards. Then, this time last year, the city took the next step: a task force with the job of expanding green building standards for major new private construction projects.

April 9, 2008

Architects must encourage real progress on green building, not ‘greenwash’

Buildings are the biggest source of emissions and energy consumption in Canada. They play a major role in the environmentally unfriendly trends that project that energy consumption will increase by 37 per cent and greenhouses gases by 36 per cent over the next 20 years in North America alone.

April 4, 2008

Peel-and-stick solar panels help power Phoenix Convention Centre

The simple idea that gave us stickers and budget floor tiles will help power the Phoenix Convention Centre.

March 14, 2008

Some U.S. banks look at issuing “green” mortgage-backed securities

There have been rumors both on Wall Street and reported in the press that a handful of Wall Street banks would be bringing to market a “green” mortgage-backed security product in the near future.

March 3, 2008

LEED-certified buildings would help Sault Ste. Marie to capitalize on green image, expert says

While Sault Ste. Marie is already exceptionally “green,” it needs LEED buildings to capitalize on its natural strengths, says Mark Lucuik, an engineer and partner with Ottawa-based Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers and an expert in the field.

February 26, 2008

Australia lags North America, Europe when it comes to green-roof adoption

Rooftop gardens in Australia are still considered the domain of inner-city greenies and pinot grigio drinkers. In central Melbourne, there are only two notable green roofs: the garden for residents at the ritzy Freshwater Place apartments in Southbank and the uber-sophisticated, drought-resistant garden on top of the City of Melbourne’s CH2 building in Little Collins Street.

February 22, 2008

Atlanta Green-Roof renovation

Strong design geometry combining a fully landscaped garden roof, outdoor dining terraces, two new 56-foot dome skylights and a walkway connection to the office tower highlight the recently completed green roof renovation project at Atlanta’s Northpark 500, leased and managed by CB Richard Ellis.

February 15, 2008

Green buildings bring higher rental rates, Burnham-Moores Center study finds

According to a recent report by the Burnham-Moores Center that relies on data from 2006, commercial property customers were willing to pay more — an average of US$2.45 per square foot extra to rent and US$15 per square foot extra to buy — an industry-certified green office building.

May 18, 2007

York University’s new building features diverse elements of green building

York University’s new computer science building in Toronto features many green elements of design and construction.

May 18, 2007

Green walls, roof gardens are key elements in St. Gabriel’s Church design

Spiritual beliefs and a concern for the environment are mutually compatible goals for members of St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Passionist Church in Toronto.

May 18, 2007

International building challenge seeks Canadian submissions

Canadian applications are invited for the prestigious Sustainable Building Challenge (SBC) which is to be held in Melbourne, Australia in September 2008.

May 18, 2007

Ontario municipalities are all action when it comes to green building

Some say it’s a trend; others say it’s too soon to tell. But one thing’s for sure: Building green is a principle that’s catching on like wildfire in Ontario municipalities west of Toronto.

May 18, 2007

Green building project highlights

Highlights on projects that have an element of green building to them.

May 18, 2007

Ontario hospitals seek long-term cogeneration project benefits

Although co-generation is a concept which has been around for some time, financial implications of implementing such a system may have hampered popularity.

May 18, 2007

Borealis site’s green elements amaze tourists

A massive tourist destination planned for Sault Ste. Marie will have more attractions than meets the eye when it is completed. Unique architectural and building structures will make the building itself a marvel.

May 18, 2007

Jain & Associates tackles only environmentally-friendly projects

Virtually every contract Jain & Associates Ltd. takes on these days has a green element. The extent to which the engineering consultant’s work is enviro-friendly depends on a project’s owner, but straight-up conventional electrical/mechanical jobs are a thing of the past for the Mississauga-based firm.

May 18, 2007

Algonquin College introduces Green Architecture program

As interest in green building technology grows, so to does the demand for qualified personnel to design healthy facilities and correct the shortcomings of existing ones.

May 18, 2007

Green Globes tool provides environmental ratings

While it doesn’t quite enjoy the instant brand recognition LEED commands, a green building environmental rating system created in Canada is increasingly being used in this country, the United States and the United Kingdom.

May 18, 2007

Design of Kingston arenas meet LEED standards

Developers in Kingston are learning new ways to build green as they apply national environmentally-friendly building standards to the design and construction of two massive arena projects.