Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.

K-12 Schools

The importance of selecting healthy materials for K-12 projects

Clark Nexsen interior designers Anna Claire Beethoven and Brittney Just, CID, IIDA, LEED Green Associate, share why it is imperative to specify healthy building materials in K-12 schools.

Office Buildings

Fact sheet outlines benefits, challenges of thermal energy storage for commercial buildings

A U.S. Dept. of Energy document discusses the benefits and challenges of thermal energy storage for commercial buildings. The document explains how the various types of thermal energy storage technologies work, where their installation is most beneficial, and some practical considerations around installations.

Industrial Facilities

UK-based tire company plans to build the first carbon-neutral tire factory in the U.S.

ENSO, a U.K.-based company that makes tires for electric vehicles, has announced plans to build the first carbon-neutral tire factory in the U.S. The $500 million ENSO technology campus will be powered entirely by renewable energy. The first-of-its-kind tire factory aims to be carbon neutral without purchased offsets, using carbon-neutral raw materials and building materials.

Oct 18, 2013

Cities may be more capable of driving sustainability than nations, experts say

With countries not tackling climate change aggressively, cities are in the best position to drive increased sustainability.

Jim Young | Oct 14, 2013

Computer simulation aids design of Vermont ski area net-zero lodge and fitness center

The Craftsbury (Vermont) Outdoor Center has broken ground on a new activity lodge and fitness center. An energy modeling computer simulation was used to optimize solar orientation, insulation values, and the form of the building.

CannonDesign | Oct 10, 2013

Carnegie Mellon study looks at impact of dashboards on energy consumption

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon took a look at the impact of providing feedback in an energy dashboard form to workers and studying how it impacted overall energy consumption.

Jim Young | Oct 7, 2013

Geothermal system, energy-efficient elevator are key elements in first net-zero public high school in Rhode Island

The school will employ a geothermal system to heat and cool a portion of the building. Other energy-saving measures will include LED lighting, room occupancy sensors, and an energy-efficient elevator.

Oct 4, 2013

Sydney to get world's tallest 'living' façade

The One Central Park Tower development consists of two, 380-foot-tall towers covered in a series of living walls and vertical gardens that will extend the full height of the buildings.

Jim Young | Sep 30, 2013

Smart building systems key to new Wisconsin general aviation terminal’s net zero target

The Outagamie County Regional Airport’s new 8,000 sf general aviation terminal was designed to achieve net zero.

Sep 26, 2013

Sheep's wool insulation, bio-brick among Cradle to Cradle product innovation finalists

Ten finalists are competing for $250,000 in prizes from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and Make It Right.

The 1,460-sf green wall at the Papadakis Integrated Science Building, Drexel Uni

Sep 24, 2013

8 grand green roofs (and walls)

A dramatic interior green wall at Drexel University and a massive, 4.4-acre vegetated roof at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City are among the projects honored in the 2013 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence.

Jim Young | Sep 23, 2013

After retrofit and PV array project, N.Y. beverage distributor gets to net-zero

Queens, N.Y.-based beverage distributor Big Geyser’s energy efficiency retrofit project and rooftop solar array installation have positioned the company’s facility to achieve net-zero power.

Sep 19, 2013

What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings

Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.