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.

Aug 11, 2010

LEED 2009 cites FloorScore Certification as indicator of indoor air quality

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has cited FloorScore® certified flooring products as eligible for credits under the new LEED 2009 Version 3 guidelines. Reflecting the inclusion of FloorScore, the new LEED IEQ Credit 4.3 for Low-Emitting Materials has been expanded from “Carpet Systems” to “Flooring Systems” to include hard surface flooring.

Aug 11, 2010

CHPS debuts high-performance building products database

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) made a new tool available to product manufacturers to help customers identify building products that contribute to sustainable, healthy, built environments. The tool is an online, searchable database where manufacturers can list products that have met certain environmental or health standards ranging from recycled content to materials that contribute to improved indoor air quality.

Aug 11, 2010

29 Great Solutions for the AEC Industry

AEC firms are hotbeds of invention and innovation to meet client needs in today's highly competitive environment. The editors of Building Design+Construction are pleased to present 29 "Great Solutions" to some of the most complex problems and issues facing Building Teams today. Our solutions cover eight key areas: Design, BIM + IT, Collaboration, Healthcare, Products, Technology, Business Management, and Green Building.

Aug 11, 2010

Walmart establishes sustainable product index to evaluate 'greeness' of products

Walmart today announced plans to develop a worldwide sustainable product index during a meeting with 1,500 of its suppliers, associates and sustainability leaders at its home office. The index will establish a single source of data for evaluating the sustainability of products.

Aug 11, 2010

Sika Sarnafil launches sustainable roofing resource website SustainabilityThatPays.com

Sika Sarnafil, the worldwide market leader in thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing membranes, today launched a new web site dedicated to supporting sustainability principals and environmentally responsible building. The streamlined site, SustainabilityThatPays.com &http://www.SustainabilityThatPays.com> provides the building owner with critical information on selecting roofing and waterproofing systems...

Aug 11, 2010

9 rooftop photovoltaic installation tips

The popularity of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels has exploded during the past decade as Building Teams look to maximize building energy efficiency, implement renewable energy measures, and achieve green building certification for their projects. However, installing rooftop PV systems—rack-mounted, roof-bearing, or fully integrated systems—requires careful consideration to avoid damaging the roof system.

Aug 11, 2010

USGBC’s Greenbuild 2009 brings global ideas to local main streets

Save the planet with indigenous knowledge. Make permanent water part of your life. Dive deep water for clues to environmental success. Connect site selection to successful creative concepting. Explore the unknown with Discovery Channel’s best known guide. These are but a few of the big ideas participants can connect to at USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, taking place on November 11-13, 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Aug 11, 2010

USGBC requires buildings seeking LEED to provide performance data on energy and water usage as precondition of certification

June 25, 2009 (Washington, DC) - As part of LEED v3, the latest version of the U.S. Green Building…

Aug 11, 2010

Free waterproofing and roofing resource handbook available from American Hydrotech

American Hydrotech is now offering a waterproofing and roofing resource handbook for all architects and design community professionals. Topics include sustainable design, waterproof product specification, and proper installation techniques for use by building professionals in designing and waterproofing roof decks, plazas, vertical foundations, reflecting pools, and green roof applications.

Aug 11, 2010

Toronto mandates green roofs

The city of Toronto late last month passed a new green roof by-law that consists of a green roof construction standard and a mandatory requirement for green roofs on all classes of new buildings. The by-law requires up to 50% green roof coverage on multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, schools, nonprofit housing, and commercial and industrial buildings.