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.

Mass Timber

5 lessons in water mitigation for mass timber projects

Sustainability leaders from Skanska, RDH, and Polygon share five tips for successful water mitigation in mass timber construction.

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.

Mar 26, 2014

Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies

Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.

Sydney's new Goods Line will be built in two stages, the first of which is set t

Mar 25, 2014

Sydney breaks ground on its version of the High Line elevated park [slideshow]

The 500-meter-long park will feature bike paths, study pods, and outdoor workspaces.

All renderings courtesy SuperSkyScrapers

Mar 21, 2014

Forget wood skyscrapers - Check out these stunning bamboo high-rise concepts [slideshow]

The Singapore Bamboo Skyscraper competition invited design teams to explore the possibilities of using bamboo as the dominant material in a high-rise project for the Singapore skyline.

Photo: Iwan Baan - www.iwan.com / Courtesy Emerson College

Mar 7, 2014

Thom Mayne's high-tech Emerson College LA campus opens in Hollywood [slideshow]

The $85 million, 10-story vertical campus takes the shape of a massive, shimmering aircraft hangar, housing a sculptural, glass-and-aluminum base building.

Feb 27, 2014

Target converts former prison dump into latest big-box store

Target's new San Rafael, Calif., location was built on the site of the former San Quentin prison dump.

Feb 24, 2014

First look: UC San Diego opens net-zero biological research lab

The facility is intended to be "the most sustainable laboratory in the world," and incorporates natural ventilation, passive cooling, high-efficiency plumbing, and sustainably harvested wood.

Feb 20, 2014

5 myths about cross laminated timber

A CLT expert clears up several common misconceptions and myths surrounding the use of wood as a building material.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum, in Skokie, is one of Illinois' recent LEED Gold p

Feb 18, 2014

Illinois leads Top 10 states for LEED in annual USGBC ranking

The U.S. Green Building Council has released its ranking of the Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system.

Feb 17, 2014

GBI to Offer AIA Approved Course Free for 60 Days to Train New Green Globes Professionals

The Green Building Initiative™ (GBI) announced today that between Feb. 13 and April 15 it will provide free access to its online certification course for Green Globes Professionals™ (GGPs). GGPs help guide building projects in achieving Green Globes® ratings, awarded for environmentally-focused design and construction.