Archive for category Green Buildings

UK Entrepreneur Retrofits His Home to Save Electricity and Become Greener

Posted by Boniface Ndirangu in Green Buildings on May 4, 2012

59 year-old visionary Nick Sandy has ambitiously developed his 1960s house into a stylish environmentally-friendly home fit for a superstar like James Bond. It took Sandy at least 18 months to bring about the transformation of his pad into a £1 million property of what many would label an environmentalist’s fantasy. But this is not [...]

Honda Demonstrates How Its Smart Home System Integrates Electric Cars, Solar Panels and The Grid

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on May 2, 2012

Far from making you feel like your house has a mind of its own, the Honda Smart Home System (HSHS) pertaining to the famous automotive company Honda Motor Co., Ltd wants to reach a whole new level of energy efficiency. To prove it, the company embarked yesterday on a house demonstration in Saitama, Japan and [...]

Green (LEED) Construction Workers More Likely to Fall Off Buildings, Study Claims

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings on February 28, 2012

Today I read a rather sad piece of news with a rather hilarious interpretation and explanation. It referred to those green, LEED-approved building whose fashion is beginning to shape nowadays. It looks like green buildings are more dangerous to build, at least if we take a recent study into account. The study found that work [...]

Drexel Scientists Invent Greener Alkali-Activated Cement

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings on February 24, 2012

Although it’s being used since the late 1800s, the Portland cement (OPC) is guilty for a large amount of carbon dioxide spewed in the atmosphere by its manuacturers. The latest recipe comes from Drexel and uses an industrial byproduct to make the cement greener. The byproduct is called slag. It and limestone, a common mineral, [...]

ZeroHouse 2.0 – KB Home’s First Net-Zero Production Home Opened in California

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on December 29, 2011

It’s been said that the dream house does not exist, just like any other ideal, but after moving into one of KB Home’s ZeroHouse 2.0, you’ll beg to differ. Fresh on the market, one such home will leave as much as $250 in your pocket from the monthly bills budget. To make the public aware [...]

Apple's "Spaceship" to be Powered by 5MW Solar Rooftop

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings, Solar Power on December 9, 2011

Apple has updated their plans that describe their future headquarters yesterday. The updated Spaceship campus is now planned to include solar panels on its roof, and as ugly as it may have looked through the eyes of Steve Jobs, maybe, the idea is not bad – after all it will generate around 5 megawatts of [...]

New Phase Change Material Offers Huge Energy Savings in Buildings

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on August 4, 2011

The novel non-deformed energy storage phase change material (PCM), as the scientists dubbed it, can efficaciously regulate heat, by virtue of its large energy storage capacity. The best part is that it could be cheaply manufactured.

Sharp's Zero-CO2 Eco House Experiment Ready This Month

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on June 14, 2011

Sharp Corporation began the construction of a zero-carbon “eco house” that will be finished by the end of this month. By building this “eco-friendly house,” the company hopes to contribute to a comfortable living environment and to minimize power consumption.

South Korean Government Opens Country's Most Advanced Green Business Center

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on May 24, 2011

It’s not every day that you see a case of “acting-like-you-preach” scenario of companies living green themselves, but South Korea has built the first zero-emission business center ever. The building is home to a climate change research center and is based exclusively on renewable energy, provided by 66 different types of green technologies, including solar and geothermal.

Seattle Project to Improve The Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on May 13, 2011

The massive consumption of energy can be counteracted not only by finding alternative sources, but also by cutting on the “appetite” we already have. If we look at the bigger picture, 70% of the total electricity production in the U.S. is eaten up by commercial buildings (according to the U.S. Department of Energy). So, wouldn’t it be great if we could reduce that amount as much as we can?

Alcoa Launches Self-Cleaning Aluminum Panel for Commercial Buildings

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings on May 13, 2011

Today, thanks to Reynobond with Eco Clean we can skip unneccessary work: this coil-coated architectural panel cleans itself and the air around it. If you can’t believe your eyes, just check it out on May 12 at the AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition in New Orleans.

VacuSen: Oxygen Sensor Used in Space Missions, Now Helps Manufacturing Greener Windows

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings, Power Saving on May 3, 2011

It looks like sensors regularly used in space missions can now be a part of a technology aimed to improve the making of glass. Hold on, not any kind of glass, but one that excels in thermal insulation in both cold and hot environments – a glass that may reduce carbon dioxide emissions and your electric bill, too.

New Cement Production Technology Absorbs Carbon Dioxide, Receives Award

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings on February 18, 2011

Cement is one of the most important CO2 emitters, accounting for 5% of the world’s total emissions. Producing 1 ton of Portland cement, for example, outputs 800 kilograms of carbon dioxide, and that is because of the material used in the fabrication process: calcium carbonate.

The Empire State Building to Be Powered by Wind Turbines

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Green Buildings, Wind Power on January 11, 2011

Empire State Building, the tallest building in New York, and referred to as one of the wonders of the modern world, will buy 100% wind power from Texas-based Green Mountain Energy Company. According to the AIA (American Institute of Architects), the Empire State Building is the first on the List of America’s Favorite Architecture.

New Ultra-Efficient Home Can Charge Your EV With The Energy It Produces

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Green Buildings on December 14, 2010

A new uber-efficient home has been unveiled by the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) at the University of Stuttgart. Not only it doesn’t emit any carbon dioxide while it cools or heats itself, but it also generates enough to juice your electric or plug-in hybrid car.