New Miami Beach law requires LEED certification on projects larger than 7,000 sf

A new law in Miami Beach, Fla., requires buildings larger than 7,000 sf to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications or pay a fee that is equal to 5% percent of the construction costs.

New structures larger than 7,000 sf must be LEED Gold certified. LEED Silver certification is required for new buildings larger than 50,000 sf.

LEED Silver is now required on all new Miami-Dade County-owned buildings. The fee was set at 5% based on estimates of how much it typically costs builders to achieve a LEED certification. LEED Gold or Platinum buildings are not required to pay a fee. The fee for LEED Silver structures is about 3%.

The city’s environment and sustainability director told the Miami Herald that the city wants to build a fund for sustainability projects such as building permeable pavements and improving the beach’s tree canopy.

Walgreens announced plans last week to build one of the nation's first net-zero retail stores. The Evanston, Ill., location will utilize solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration to produce energy equal to or greater than the building consumes.

| Feb 21, 2013

BD+C's 2011 White Paper: Zero and Net-Zero Energy Buildings + Homes

We submit our eighth White Paper on Sustainability in the hope that it will inspire architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, developers, building product manufacturers, environmentalists, policymakers, government officials, corporate executives, officeholders, and the public to foster the development of net-zero energy buildings and homes.

| Jan 7, 2013

Jerry Yudelson's issues his "Top 10 Green Building Megatrends" for 2013

Yudelson, a Contributing Editor to Building Design+Construction, says, “It looks like a good year ahead for the green building industry. Based on our experience, it seems clear that green building will continue its rapid expansion globally in 2013 in spite of the ongoing economic slowdown in most countries of Europe and North America. More people are building green each year, with 50,000 LEED projects underway by the latest counts; there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this Mega-trend or its constituent elements.”

Valencia College at Lake Nonas innovative new $21.7 million Academic Building d

| Nov 20, 2012

SchenkelShultz-designed Valencia at Lake Nona certified 3 Green Globes

Featuring the latest technologies, the three-story, academic facility includes academic spaces and teaching laboratories, student services, a book store, library, café, a Dean’s suite and administrative offices.