Is it Time for a Bio-Mass Powered Data Center?

Is it Time for a Bio-Mass Powered Data Center?

This post explores the concept of an end-to-end ‘green’ power, water, and community eco-system based around mega-watt scale power and cooling requirements in a real world environment of limited financial resources and stringent system availability requirements. It suggests that huge power hungry data centers should consider incorporating on-site biomass electricity generation as an integral part of their operations systems.

Regulating Green Building- Part 2: 7 Rules For Sound Green Regulations

Regulating Green Building- Part 2: 7 Rules For Sound Green Regulations

This post is the second in a five part series on green building regulation looks at how green building regulators can avoid problems down the line if they establish regulations that have a clear intent, evaluate extreme outcomes, carefully analyze utilizing third party green building criteria and certification systems, create measurement and verification mechanisms, develop valid enforcement mechanisms, check for state and federal preemption, and anticipate litigation.

Regulating Green Building Series-Part 1: Anatomy of Green Building Regulations

Regulating Green Building Series-Part 1: Anatomy of Green Building Regulations

This post, a part of five part series on green building regulation looks at the anatomy of green building regulations identifying three main types of regulations, which are command and control, in other words building codes and such; financial incentives, like tax breaks; and non-financial incentives such as increases in floor to area ratio, building height or density for building green.

Green Building as a Market Advantage

Green Building as a Market Advantage

This post looks at a real world case, the Gai Building in Orlando Florida that was built to LEED Silver standards and uses this to talk about some of the reasons the developer chose to go with the LEED Silver standard. It uses this example to address some of the advantages of building green and a few of the shortcomings of the LEED certification standards. It makes the case that only when a developer can determine that a proposed sustainable project is economically viable and will give the developer a definable market advantage will these projects get built in practice.

16 Ways Civil Engineers Can Add Value To The LEED Process

16 Ways Civil Engineers Can Add Value To The LEED Process

Many architects feel that the civil engineer is the hardest one to get onboard with green buildings or that they contribute the least among the design team toward a LEED project. It shouldn’t be that way, civil engineers should be an enthusiastic and integrated contributor to the LEED process and the project is likely missing a lot of opportunities for true collaboration and integrated design. The credits that can benefit from the civil engineer’s input are: construction activity pollution prevention, site selection, development density and community connectivity,brownfield redevelopment,alternative transportation,site development,stormwater design,heat island fffect,light pollution reduction,water efficient landscaping,innovative wastewater technologies,optimize energy performance ,construction waste management, recycled content, regional materials,innovation in design,and regional priority.

In Defense of LEED

In Defense of LEED

A pending lawsuit alleges that the USGBC and its LEED standards are false advertising. Bob Faulhaber, who is himself a LEED, AP defends this green building certification system pointing out how it has succeeded in raising awareness and increasing involvement in developing and promoting green building techniques and that it has helped to promote an integrated approach to design and construction that has in fact lead to more sustainable buildings.

The Extraordinary Growth of Green Building – A Rebuttal to The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why

The Extraordinary Growth of Green Building  – A Rebuttal to The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why

In this a rebuttal post to The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why, Richard argues that in fact the growth rate has been very high, citing for example that in late 2010, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) celebrated its first billion square feet of LEED certified green buildings. He makes the argument that the growth rate in the green building space is actually quite high especially considering the background of economic recession and tight capital in which it has occurred.

Can’t Just Build Green. You Have to Sell Green Too

Can’t Just Build Green. You Have to Sell Green Too

With LEED certified projects growing in popularity, green can be a major selling point to investors and tenants alike. These initiatives not only offer significant and measurable savings in terms of energy usage, but contribute to the health and well being of the people who live and work in your project, so green messaging is very important.

“Green Leasing” Improves Building Efficiency

“Green Leasing” Improves Building Efficiency

Green leasing plays an important role in the sustainability of the building stock; building operations themselves must be “greened” as well. Green leasing introduces sustainable goals and commitments into building operations and into the lease itself.

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