Green Building

Over the next 5 years, hotel giant Marriott International, Inc. is planning to expand its “green hotel” portoflio by 10-times its current size by introducing a “green hotel prototype” that will be LEED pre-certified. Beginning in 2010, the prototype model will save hotel owners arpound $100,000 as well as six months of design time, while reducing energy and water use by almost 25%. LEED, which if you don’t know by now stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the “gold standard” of environmental stewardship for the ... Read Full Story

Deutsche Bank’s office in Boston, Massachusetts - designed by international architectural practice Burt Hill - has been awarded LEED-Silver rating by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Read Full Story

Moe's sustainable journey begins with the opening of its first green restaurant in Vermont ATLANTA, Nov. 12 / PRNewswire / -- On October 15 Moe's Southwest Grill celebrated the opening of the chain's first green restaurant in Williston, VT. Two years ago Franchise Partners Sueayn and Philip Wood along with the Moe's team set out to make the Williston Moe's the first LEED certified restaurant in the chain and in the state of Vermont. "It's exciting to be the first Moe's restaurant to attempt LEED certification," explains Sueayn Wood. "Our hope is that some of the innovations that have been discovered through this process ... Read Full Story

Arizona State University’s (ASU) renovated Memorial Union (MU) building has attained US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – Gold certification for its environmentally sustainable construction. Read Full Story

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most well-known, visible rating system for energy efficient, high performance buildings today. A program of the US Green Building Council, LEED is taking the lead in educating professionals and consumers in the green building movement. LEED for Homes was officially launched in February 2008, promoting the design and construction of high-performance green homes. As of March 2009, 1,504 homes had received LEED for Homes certification, and 8,993 had registered their intent to seek certification in one of its four progressive levels of green: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The LEED for Homes system awards certification ... Read Full Story

by Anya Meekins Anya is a local writer covering the intersection of architecture and sustainability. She hopes that one day all architecture will be green architecture. Buildings – the homes in which we live, the restaurants in which we eat, the spaces in which we work – are a leading cause of global warming. Exhaust from ventilation ducts, chemicals used in building materials, and the energy needed to heat and cool interior spaces are all contributors to a building’s negative environmental impact. According to data generated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), buildings alone generate approximately 36% of carbon emissions in the United States. ... Read Full Story

Plans were recently unveiled for the National Children’s Museum (NCM), a DC-based interactive museum for children scheduled to open in 2013. Its new building - designed by world renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects - will embody the Museum’s mission to inspire children to care about and improve the world. The Museum is being built at National Harbor, just outside of Washington, DC, to serve the 48 million children under the age of 13 living in the United States. The 150,000 square-foot, LEED-certified building will be built using recycled and sustainable materials, and will celebrate the natural environment by including a ... Read Full Story