blogs

13
MAR

6 Step Study Plan for the LEED Green Associate Exam

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This outline provides basic information to assist your understanding of how to begin studying for the LEED Green Associate exam: starting with the exam application process, selecting study materials, and then moving to brief descriptions for exam content such as green building, USGBC, and LEED.

The LEED Green Associate exam requires a basic, non-technical understanding of green building, USGBC and the core concepts of sustainable strategies used in designing and constructing high performance green buildings. Aside from the fact the Green Associate exam is a requirement for advancing to any of the specialty exams, passing the Green Associate exam would be sufficient for professionals such as real estate agents and brokers, sales and manufacturer’s reps., attorneys, developer and contractor mid-level managers, and other professionals who have no need to know the technical details and processes necessary to design and build high performance green buildings. This degree of knowledge is generally left to professionals who make their living with green buildings, from inception thru birth, and even until end of life.

The 6 Step Study Plan for the LEED Green Associate Exam can be downloaded here.




9
MAR

A Day Made of Glass…

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Can you imagine organizing your daily schedule with a few touches on your bathroom mirror? Chatting with far-away relatives through interactive video on your kitchen counter? Reading a classic novel on a whisper-thin piece of flexible glass? Corning is not only imagining those scenarios – the company is engaged in research that could bring them alive in the not-too-distant future. You can get a glimpse of Corning’s vision in the new video, A Day Made of Glass.

Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks says Corning’s vision for the future includes a world in which myriad ordinary surfaces transform “from one-dimensional utility into sophisticated electronic devices.”

The video depicts a world in which interactive glass surfaces help you stay connected through seamless delivery of real-time information – whether you’re working, shopping, eating, or relaxing.

Please visit the Home>Portfolio>Video Gallery to view this video.




6
MAR

A Product Is Only as Sustainable as the Sum of Its Parts

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Selecting sustainable cabinetry requires careful examination of multiple components.

One of those little inconvienences with documenting credits is tracking installed materials where their presence can involve both the Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality categories. This can become a tedious exercise when the material is acutally a component consisting of several materials, as is the case with cabinetry and millwork.

Katy Tomasulo has a good article on ebuild, Continue Reading →




1
MAR

Leveraging the Landscape to Manage Water

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According to a report from the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, one inch of rainwater hitting one acre of asphalt over an hour yields 27,000 gallons of water. In many communities, this water flows into combined stormwater / sewer systems, which channel both sewage and rainwater together through underground pipes to central treatment facilities. Storms can quickly overrun these combined systems, leading to flooding with pollutant-laden water and even backed up sewage.

The term “Green infrastructure” is used to describe how networks of natural ecosystems also function as crucial community infrastructure, providing ecosystem services and improving environmental sustainability. In the context of managing stormwater, green infrastructure can be defined as man-made systems that mimic natural approaches. Green roofs, bioswales, bioretention ponds, and permeable pavements are a few key examples of local green infrastructure, and all work by turning hard asphalt surfaces into green, absorbent ones.

Source: American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes

Please visit the Home>Portfolio>Video Gallery to view this video.




28
FEB

Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes

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The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) presents Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes, 20 case studies that illustrate the transformative effects of sustainable landscape design. Included in this series are 5 animations that are designed to be a basic introduction to sustainable design concepts, created for the general public and students of all ages.

Sustainable landscapes are responsive to the environment, re-generative, and can actively contribute to the development of healthy communities. Sustainable landscapes sequester carbon, clean the air and water, increase energy efficiency, restore habitats, and create value through significant economic, social and, environmental benefits. Through this site, you will learn how landscape architects improve your world through projects ranging from the large-scale sustainable master plans and housing communities to small-scale green streets, parking lots, and private yards. You will also learn how landscape architects, planners, architects, engineers, horticulturalists, and others work in interdisciplinary teams to create innovative models that outline a path to sustainable future practice. Once you’ve explored the projects, learn more about the technical details that landscape architects bring to designing and creating sustainable landscapes. Visit the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a new rating system that will help bring these types of projects to all communities.

studio4llc.com recently previewed one of these vimeo animations, Sustainable Reconstruction - Building a Park Out of Waste and will follow up shortly with another.




25
FEB

Conceptual Energy Analysis in Autodesk Revit Architecture

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One of the arguments being levied today regarding sustainable design is whether appropriate consideration is given to site and energy analysis sooner rather than later. With green building codes being adopted nationally and the draft of LEED 2012 open for public comment, it would appear that this should now be considered a priority for project teams, sooner rather than later. In fact, LEED 2012 rating systems start with a brand new category - Integrated Process, awarding credit for project teams holding charrettes, team meetings and conducting a thorough site assessment. Additionally, the Sustainable Sites category is being split, with a reduction in the type of sites that can be considered and a more focused direction towards urban development and redevelopment.

Many professionals argue the inherent difficulties with assembling a project team as early as the preliminary design phase. Or they believe proper site and energy analysis merely involves proper orientation of the project on the site. Neither of these defenses are valid for sustainable projects. Many sites offer few or no options for site orientation, urban redevelopment being a prime example. With the available engineering options today, such as BIM software, there should be no excuse for not performing early site and energy analysis. Autodesk acquired Revit in 2002 from Revit Technology Corporation. Having purchased Revit prior to the Autodesk acquisition and being a member of Autodesk’s Revit Beta Testing Team, I’ve been witness to the maturation of the Revit family into one of the leading BIM solutions today. In a move to enable architects and engineers to design more sustainable projects, Autodesk acquired Ecotech and Green Building Studio in 2008. Certainly there are other solutions available today than the offerings from Autodesk, the point is there are solutions that allow intelligent site and energy assessment at the preliminary design phase.

A building’s sustainability is largely determined by key decisions made at the early conceptual design stage. In fact, according to Autodesk, 80 percent of a project’s environmental impact is determined by decisions made in the design phase. Continue Reading →




23
FEB

Homeowner Handbook: A Seasonal and Operational Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your Home

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The Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC), Iowa’s Trusted Educational Resource for Sustainable Building, recently made a very generous offer. Thanks to COSC’s recent Re-Building a Sustainable Iowa statewide program, with support from the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this first printing of their Homeowner Handbook is available for free to the public. The purpose of this manual is to provide owners of existing and newly constructed homes with information and resources to assist them in efficiently operating and maintaining their homes. The information provided is guided by the fundamental green building principles of durability, sustainability, energy efficiency, healthy indoor air quality Continue Reading →




7
FEB

Green Building Codes, LEED and the Consumer - Part One

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Okay, it’s a new year and with this comes the California 2010 Green Building Standards Code (aka CALGreen), LEED 2012 being released for public comment, and who knows what else. Oh, yeah. USGBC being sued for, well, whatever.

Aside from the ICC International Green Construction Code, if CALGreen is an example of what we can expect as a trend, in the extreme, with mandatory green building codes, what will be the impact of these new and more stringent green building codes as they find their way across the country? The California 2008 Green Building Standards Code went into effect on August 1, 2009 and was voluntary, unless otherwise adopted by local jurisdictions as mandatory. With the new California 2010 Green Building Standards Code, state compliance is mandatory, having taken effect in January, 2011.

We saw substantial changes with the migration of LEED v2.2 over to LEED 2009, and the proposed revisions for LEED 2012 appears as if more robust revisions are in the works. Tristan Roberts from BuildingGreen and LEEDuser has published Your Guide to the New Draft of LEED that provides a good analysis of the proposed revisions. Likewise, Joel McKellar at Real Life LEED goes in depth with information he gathered on the LEED 2012 Update from USGBC’s presentation at this year’s Greenbuild convention. From a cursory review of LEED 2012, USGBC seems to be taking a necessary step in addressing many of the inadequacies and inconsistencies in the current rating systems.

It didn’t go unnoticed when USGBC rolled out LEED 2009 and informed us that this upgrade represented a major shift in direction for USGBC. USGBC would prefer to see state and local codes adopt LEED Green Building Rating Systems as a baseline to be modeled into hybrid systems, as determined by the appropriate jurisdiction, while they concentrate on ways to improve the rating systems, and thereby raising the bar. Three documents, found on the California Green Building Blog, illustrate the comparison between CALGreen and LEED. Cover Letter, CALGreen non- residential LEED comparison and CALGreen residential LEED comparison. With more accurate historical data being gathered, new technology being introduced to market, and broader consumer interest, it’s good that USGBC has recognized the fact they need to be more focused on keeping abreast of technological advances. They appear to be embracing a three year Continue Reading →




6
FEB

Sustainable Reconstruction - Building a Park Out of Waste

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In a sustainable reconstruction, building materials are reused or recycled, dramatically reducing waste. For example, a new park can be created out of old building materials. Once the materials have been separated, some are kept at the construction site and reprocessed. Reclaimed soils, concrete rubble, glass, wood, and steel can be reused or recycled to serve new functions, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process. With climate change, any new construction methods that help landscape architects avoid producing additional emissions are a major benefit both to the project and society as a whole. In a sustainable landscape, everything old is made new again.

Please visit the Home>Portfolio>Video Gallery to view this video.

To read the entire article and commentary about sustainable landscapes implementing recontruction strategies, visit the American Society of Landscape Architects website.




29
JAN

The Model Architect: Bart Prince

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The Model Architect: An interesting interview in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the studio and residence of Bart Prince, a world-renowned architect known for enthusiastically unconventional structures. Continue Reading →




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