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5 Green Built College Campuses

October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Green City Leaf Illustration

As the 21st Century rolls forward, understanding that sustainability is our main mission as a species, green building and leaders in the construction industry have educated themselves in what it will take to build a future. One area where this is most dramatically demonstrated is in the halls of higher education in general. It has been American institutions of learning that have played a major part in leading the nation toward smarter, and more inexpensive, ways to build large scale buildings, … [Read more...]

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Green Jobs: Architects and Interior Designers

August 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
Photo: Pablo Sanchez

Green building is becoming more and more popular as energy prices continue to be unpredictable. Once the economy has recovered and the housing market and construction pick back up, green building will be at the forefront. When that happens, I hope energy efficient features will be included in building codes, regulations and covenants. Then, there will be no option but to create buildings with reduced carbon emissions. Green architecture combines building science with green design methods. … [Read more...]

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Historical Restoration and Sustainability

June 30, 2010 By 4 Comments
Parliament building, Victoria BC

Last week, I had the extreme pleasure of spending a few days on holiday in the City of Victoria, the capitol city of our province of British Columbia.  Victoria is a mid-sized city, with a downtown core that is easily walkable (hooray!) that is easily accessible by public transit (hooray again!).  And most obviously, the history of the place in the form of historical buildings are all around you when you visit. I recommend it, folks. Besides my enjoyment of the city, the idea of restoration … [Read more...]

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Green Building at UBC and Northern Voice

May 10, 2010 By 6 Comments
UBC Life Sciences Building

This past week, I've had the privilege of attending a prominent and popular social media and blogging conference Northern Voice here in Vancouver.  The conference has been in place for six years, and gathers together the finest minds, and most dedicated life-long learners when it comes to online and offline communicators and community builders. Traditionally, the Northern Voice conference has been held at the University of British Columbia in the Forestry Sciences building.  But, with attendance … [Read more...]

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A Royally Green Building?

January 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
buckingham-palace

For a time, as I will tell anyone who will listen, I lived in England when in my late 20s to early 30s.  It was one of the best times of my life.   There were many cultural adjustments to be made, of course.  But, one of the ones that I didn't mind making was the presence of grand, and centuries old architecture that I could see up close any time I wanted to.  This was particularly striking while in Central London, where many of the most famous sites in the country are within walking distance … [Read more...]

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Green Building: Healthy Competition

September 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What's the best way to drive creativity, to push the boundaries of excellence, to raise the bar in any field?  Well, it's usually by engaging our competitive spirits, with skills pitted against skills, vying for first place and the respect and adulation of one's peers.  Recognizing and encouraging passion helps, too. Well, not only is this true in the world of sports and the performing arts,  it's also true of architecture and design as it pertains to green building.  Maybe this is not such … [Read more...]

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Green building makes common sense a reality

June 22, 2009 By 3 Comments

I've been reading a bit about the NZI Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, which incorporates a number of green building innovations. For instance,  rooftop gardens, rainwater used as 'grey water' in toilets, skylights that bolter natural daylight, and glass layers that acts as insulation are built right into the design.   One innovation I'd never heard of before has to do with the elevators, which upon their descent generate electricity that feed back into building's main supply.  Incredible. I've … [Read more...]

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