By Vicki Zambito
Aristotle once said “Change in all things is sweet.” LEED APs better hope so.
Since the USGBC began the LEED rating system back in 1994, it’s been continually evolving and its changing nature extends to the credential maintenance program (CMP) required for LEED APs to maintain their accreditation. What is the latest change? Just this month the GBCI announced that LEED professionals are no longer required to enter a sub-category when reporting their CE hours. The GBCI says this recent rule adjustment is part of their continuous improvement of the CMP. They add that LEED APs may still choose to enter their sub-category if they wish.
For more info: http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/announcements/11-09-23/CMP_Improvement_Subcategory_now_optional.aspx
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Teaching an Old Building New Tricks
By Jeff Nippes
Unlike our canine friends, you can teach an old building new tricks. The iconic Empire State Building recently achieved LEED Gold Certification, and now the once dated and inefficient super structure is a lean, mean energy- and natural resource-conserving machine.
The Empire State Building—celebrating its 80th anniversary this year—has undergone a remarkable renovation that will reduce the building’s energy consumption by over 38% and save around $4.4 million in spending every year, meaning it will take only about three years to pay back the cost of the implementation.
The improvements will also enable the Empire State Building to offset around 105,000 metric tons of carbon emissions over a 15-year period. Additionally, many new LEED features include low-flow toilets, carpets made with recycled materials, low-VOC paints and adhesives, green wall coverings, and green pest control and cleaning products. During the renovation process construction debris and tenant waste were recycled to gain building reuse credits, and a new tenant energy management system was introduced.
All of these improvements illustrate that no matter old, big or tall a structure is, there are still plenty of ways to obtain LEED Certification and turn any building into Gold!
Unlike our canine friends, you can teach an old building new tricks. The iconic Empire State Building recently achieved LEED Gold Certification, and now the once dated and inefficient super structure is a lean, mean energy- and natural resource-conserving machine.
The Empire State Building—celebrating its 80th anniversary this year—has undergone a remarkable renovation that will reduce the building’s energy consumption by over 38% and save around $4.4 million in spending every year, meaning it will take only about three years to pay back the cost of the implementation.
The improvements will also enable the Empire State Building to offset around 105,000 metric tons of carbon emissions over a 15-year period. Additionally, many new LEED features include low-flow toilets, carpets made with recycled materials, low-VOC paints and adhesives, green wall coverings, and green pest control and cleaning products. During the renovation process construction debris and tenant waste were recycled to gain building reuse credits, and a new tenant energy management system was introduced.
All of these improvements illustrate that no matter old, big or tall a structure is, there are still plenty of ways to obtain LEED Certification and turn any building into Gold!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Making the Grade: 7 Cities Requiring Green Building Report Cards
By Vicki Zambito
Not all green buildings are created equal. Some are inevitably more energy efficient than others. So how do you know which is which? There’s a growing trend across the country to make data reporting on energy efficiency in buildings the law. Below are 7 cities leading the charge:
1. New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. Ratings must be reported to the city in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. All municipal buildings were benchmarked in 2010.
2. The District of Columbia requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public web site disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. New buildings must obtain and disclose ENERGY STAR ratings based on energy modeling. The policies phase-in over a period of four years. Ratings must be reported to the District for some buildings beginning in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. ENERGY STAR ratings for municipal buildings were disclosed in 2010.
3. Austin requires commercial buildings to obtain ENERGY STAR ratings by mid-2011 and disclose ratings to prospective buyers. It also requires audits of single-family homes prior to a sale and audits of large multifamily buildings by mid-2011. Home audit results must be disclosed to prospective buyers, and multifamily audit results must be posted within the building and may trigger mandatory upgrades. All three policies are part of Austin's Energy Conservation and Audit Disclosure Ordinance (ECAD).
4. Santa Fe requires newly constructed single-family homes to display HERS ratings to prospective home buyers.
5. San Francisco requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure, as well as periodic energy audits, for commercial buildings. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2007.
6. Portland has informally proposed policy to ENERGY STAR benchmark its commercial buildings and disclose ratings.
7. Seattle requires commercial and multifamily buildings to annually ENERGY STAR benchmark and report ratings to the city. The law phases-in over two years beginning in 2011. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2009. Seattle is also piloting a home rating program.
To learn more about energy reporting and disclosure across the country and the world, check out this interactive map from BuildingRating.org: http://www.buildingrating.org/ammap
Not all green buildings are created equal. Some are inevitably more energy efficient than others. So how do you know which is which? There’s a growing trend across the country to make data reporting on energy efficiency in buildings the law. Below are 7 cities leading the charge:
1. New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. Ratings must be reported to the city in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. All municipal buildings were benchmarked in 2010.
2. The District of Columbia requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public web site disclosure for large commercial and multifamily buildings. New buildings must obtain and disclose ENERGY STAR ratings based on energy modeling. The policies phase-in over a period of four years. Ratings must be reported to the District for some buildings beginning in the spring of 2011 and disclosure begins in 2012. ENERGY STAR ratings for municipal buildings were disclosed in 2010.
3. Austin requires commercial buildings to obtain ENERGY STAR ratings by mid-2011 and disclose ratings to prospective buyers. It also requires audits of single-family homes prior to a sale and audits of large multifamily buildings by mid-2011. Home audit results must be disclosed to prospective buyers, and multifamily audit results must be posted within the building and may trigger mandatory upgrades. All three policies are part of Austin's Energy Conservation and Audit Disclosure Ordinance (ECAD).
4. Santa Fe requires newly constructed single-family homes to display HERS ratings to prospective home buyers.
5. San Francisco requires annual ENERGY STAR benchmarking and public disclosure, as well as periodic energy audits, for commercial buildings. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2007.
6. Portland has informally proposed policy to ENERGY STAR benchmark its commercial buildings and disclose ratings.
7. Seattle requires commercial and multifamily buildings to annually ENERGY STAR benchmark and report ratings to the city. The law phases-in over two years beginning in 2011. The requirements supplement a statewide rating and disclosure law passed in 2009. Seattle is also piloting a home rating program.
To learn more about energy reporting and disclosure across the country and the world, check out this interactive map from BuildingRating.org: http://www.buildingrating.org/ammap
Friday, September 9, 2011
5 Reasons to Attend GreenBuild 2011
By Vicki Zambito
The world’s largest conference dedicated to green building is just weeks away – GreenBuild takes place October 4th through the 7th. There are many reasons to pack your sustainable bags and hit the road for this worthwhile show, but here are my top five.
The world’s largest conference dedicated to green building is just weeks away – GreenBuild takes place October 4th through the 7th. There are many reasons to pack your sustainable bags and hit the road for this worthwhile show, but here are my top five.
- It’s being held in Toronto. What better excuse to play tourist in Canada’s biggest city and the fifth largest city in North America? If you go, check out the Toronto Zoo which is home to over 5,000 animals representing 460 distinct species.
- 25,000 people are expected to fill the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. These days, not many AEC industry conferences can boast numbers that big. Don’t be left out – your peers and competitors will most likely be there.
- Happy Anniversary GreenBuild. It’s the USGBC’s 10th year holding this international event and it features the world’s largest expo hall devoted to green building. More than 1,000 exhibitors will showcase the latest in innovative products and services, exemplifying the idea of utilizing green to grow business to attendees from around the world.
- Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman is giving the first keynote. Friedman is an American journalist, columnist and author. In his 2008 bestselling book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America, Friedman explores the parallels between the climate crisis and the global economic crisis, proposing a national strategy, coined "Geo-Greenism," to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.
- Maroon 5 is going to rock the house as they are set to headline the opening celebration. The Grammy award-winning band’s front man Adam Levine says, “The environment is a cause that entire band deeply cares about.” Maroon 5 went carbon neutral for its 2007 tour and has been honored at the Environmental Media awards.
Friday, September 2, 2011
How Do U.S. Home Sizes Compare to Other Countries? Infographic Breaks it Down.
By Vicki Zambito
A survey conducted by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment looked at average home sizes around the world. It found the smallest homes were in the UK and the largest homes were in the USA. In fact the study found that American homes, at an average square footage of 2,300, were 181% larger than homes in the United Kingdom which came in at 818 square feet. Does that mean our brethren across the pond are automatically greener than us?
A survey conducted by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment looked at average home sizes around the world. It found the smallest homes were in the UK and the largest homes were in the USA. In fact the study found that American homes, at an average square footage of 2,300, were 181% larger than homes in the United Kingdom which came in at 818 square feet. Does that mean our brethren across the pond are automatically greener than us?
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