Newer homes are remarkably energy tight thanks to superior insulating materials that are in wide circulation today. The energy savings can be substantial – homeowners can use up to 60% less energy in the most efficient green homes. Now, a study published by a team of researchers in Building Research & Information makes it clear [...]

By Ellen Berry College students may still have to burn the midnight oil, but many of their classrooms, libraries, residence halls, laboratories, student centers, and stadiums are healthier, more efficient environments. Over the last year, approximately 20 higher-education buildings in the US were certified as LEED Platinum – the highest level of green building recognized [...]

By C. Sylvan A building revolution is happening right under our noses. And it looks like this (see left). You may have seen this plaque at the entrance to Office Depot, in the lobby of your office building, or at a multi-family housing development in your area. This plaque means that the building has achieved [...]

Today, buildings account for 40% of the energy consumed in the U.S. each year. However, since the 1980s, the real cost of energy has increased more than fivefold, leading to greater awareness of energy use and its resulting environmental impact. This leaves a significant opportunity area for green building retrofits, particularly in building HVAC systems. [...]

Keeping with this month’s “cities” theme, I want to share a rather cool passive building design that has been around for centuries. Long before LEED Platinum ratings and green building programs, ancient persian architects were developing ways to keep cool in crowded cities baking under the sun. Wind catchers – or “barjeels” as they are [...]

Bricks, sticks, and hay are decidedly pedestrian building materials in comparison to a new building that just opened to the public last Thursday in Hamburg, Germany. Ambitious architects have built an apartment covered in a thin layer of living, breathing algae. The building, known as BIQ (for Bio Intelligent Quotient), meets the extremely stringent passive-house [...]