flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Greenbuild 2012 Report

Greenbuild 2012 Report

Enter the new era of ‘disclosure and transparency’


By By Amy McIntosh, Associate Editor, Raissa Rocha, Associate Editor, and Rob Cassidy, Editorial Director | November 11, 2012
Net-zero energy Health Professions & Student Services Building, North Shore Comm
Net-zero energy Health Professions & Student Services Building, North Shore Community College, Danvers, Mass., by DiMella Shaffe
This article first appeared in the November 2012 issue of BD+C.

The green building movement is poised on the brink of a new, more mature stage of development. Net-zero energy, net-zero water, net-zero waste, even net-zero stormwater projects—once thought to be impossible to achieve—are popping up all over. The Living Building Challenge, deemed by many practitioners to be the most arduous certification standard to meet, is winning the hearts and minds of AEC supergreenies seeking a competitive edge for their firms. And the fourth iteration of LEED, while having missed its anticipated unveiling at Greenbuild this month, should be out sometime in mid-2013.

“Green building is not a curiosity anymore,” says Aditya Ranade, Senior Analyst with Lux Research, which predicts the sector will reach $280 billion globally by 2020.

The big buzz: disclosure and transparency, says Russell Perry, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Senior Vice President with design firm SmithGroupJJR. He points to the recent release of publicly disclosed building energy use in New York City as an example of “increased visibility” that will contribute to the knowledge base on building performance.

Building product manufacturers are responding to the call for disclosure and transparency by issuing environmental product declarations to differentiate their products from the competition’s. Perry says EPDs will play a greater role in Materials & Resources credits for LEED v4.

Most recently, the International Living Future Institute launched Declare, a database of green building products (http://www.declareproducts.com) that provides a kind of “nutrition label” of product ingredients—all in support of the Living Building Challenge’s “Red List” and “Appropriate Sourcing” imperatives.

Also in the works: the Health Product Declaration Open Standard, a new “product chemistry disclosure tool” that its developers—the Healthy Building Network and BuildingGreen—say will provide manufacturers with a consistent format for reporting product content and associated health information. The HPD, which went through a pilot phase with more than 30 building product makers earlier this year, will be launched at Greenbuild.

Finally, there’s the Honest Buildings Network (www.honestbuildings.com), an open-network database that seeks to connect stakeholders in the real estate industry to “drive demand for better buildings all over the world.” Founder Riggs Kobiak calls it “a cross between Yelp and LinkedIn for the built environment.”

In the following pages, the editors present numerous highly sustainable projects, along with trends and ideas from leading AEC green building firms. +

Related Stories

Building Team | Jun 22, 2022

Design for new San Clemente Marine Safety Headquarters would create new public plaza

A proposed design by HMC Architects for a new San Clemente Marine Safety Headquarters makes creative use of the seaside topography of the Pacific Coast.

Augmented Reality | Jun 22, 2022

Not just for POKÉMON GO anymore: how augmented reality is transforming architecture

By solving a long-standing communication problem, Augmented Reality (AR) is poised to make architecture quicker, nimbler, and more cost effective.

Healthcare Facilities | Jun 22, 2022

Arizona State University’s Health Futures Center: A new home for medical tech innovation

In Phoenix, the Arizona State University (ASU) has constructed its Health Futures Center—expanding the school’s impact as a research institution emphasizing medical technology acceleration and innovation, entrepreneurship, and healthcare education.

Market Data | Jun 22, 2022

Architecture Billings Index slows but remains strong

Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in May, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Green | Jun 22, 2022

World’s largest commercial Living Building opens in Portland, Ore.

The world’s largest commercial Living Building recently opened in Portland, Ore.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 21, 2022

Two birds, one solution: Can we solve urban last-mile distribution and housing challenges at the same time?

When it comes to the development of both multifamily housing and last-mile distribution centers, particularly in metropolitan environments, each presents its own series of challenges and hurdles. One solution: single-use structures.

Libraries | Jun 21, 2022

Kingston, Ontario, library branch renovation cuts energy use to 55% of benchmark

A recent renovation of the Kingston (Ontario) Frontenac Public Library Central Branch greatly boosted energy and water efficiency while making the facility healthier and safer.

Building Materials | Jun 20, 2022

Early-stage procurement: The next evolution of the construction supply chain

Austin Commercial’s Jason Earnhardt explains why supply chain issues for the construction industry are not going to go away and how developers and owners can get ahead of project roadblocks.

Healthcare Facilities | Jun 20, 2022

Is telehealth finally mainstream?

After more than a century of development, telehealth has become a standard alternative for many types of care.

Building Team | Jun 20, 2022

Andres Caballero Appointed President of Uponor North America

Uponor Corporation (Uponor) has named Andres Caballero president of its Building Solutions – North America division and a member of the Executive Committee at Uponor.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021