LEED Archives - Falcon Water Free

NEVER TOO OLD TO GO GREEN

Carnegie Hall, the world renowned concert hall that has stood at 881 7th Ave. in Manhattan since 1891, has turned green with sustainability. With the help of global technology company Siemens, Carnegie Hall recently obtained the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification – making it one of the oldest and most notable buildings to achieve such distinction.

The technology company incorporated a vital feature that helped secure Carnegie Hall’s green stamp of approval: centralized control through its APOGEE building automation system. The system combines regulators for heating, venting, and air conditioning onto one platform that can be controlled both locally and centrally. (Click on the image to read the details)

In addition to all the technology provided by Siemens, Carnegie Hall earned additional points toward certification with the addition of low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting and occupancy sensors. However, the greening of the iconic property didn’t stop with interior upgrades; they created a 10,000-square-foot terrace allowing to decrease the building’s overall carbon footprint through the use of pavers and plantings.

What a great project overall! It was probably a challenge retrofitting a nearly 125-year old building that had no original blue prints with technology that would modernize its energy efficiency, fire and safety systems, and plumbing fixtures. However, as a result of all the efforts, Carnegie Hall is now one of the oldest buildings to receive a LEED Silver Leadership certification. Pretty impressive indeed!

Read the full article here.

LEED PROJECT: SONGDO IBD

The Songdo International Business District (IBD) in South Korea is proving to be one of the most ambitious green developments anywhere in the world. According to the USGBC, “Korea was reached another green building milestone and now totals 19.5 million square feet of LEED-certified space” all in this major business district. With a number of energy efficient buildings being constructed within the 13 million square foot area, it is setting a precedent on what can be achieved in Asia.

Among these buildings is the first exhibition center on the continent to be granted LEED certification, as well as a school, residential tower and hotel, which have all been granted the prestigious award. Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer and founding chair of the US Green Building Council, said: “With the recent certification of its ninth LEED project, Songdo IBD is making its vision of high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy green buildings a reality. These include energy and water efficiency, a sustainable site and building materials brought from local and recycled sources.

We commend Songdo for its extraordinary, inspirational accomplishments. Way to go!

USBGC’S TOP 10 LEED LIST IS OUT

2015 is shaping up to be a crucial year for the sustainability movement, and that includes the Green Building industry. There are LEED projects in more than 150 countries and territories, representing every continent except for Antarctica. You can find LEED certified buildings in highly industrialized nations as well as in newly developing ones.

Emerging economics giants like China, India and Brazil are all ranked in the top five of this year’s list. It’s great to see such a growth of LEED overseas, despite many considering it too focused on American standards.This shows the U.S. Green Building Council’s commitment to expand and integrate other nations into the process.

7 OF THE GREENEST OFFICE BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD

Powerhouse Kjørbo

Location: Sandvika, Norway

Opened: 2014

Powerhouse is a renovation of a building that had started out green with regular solar panels. However, as after becoming the Powerhouse, it turned into an energy positive building, which means that over a lifespan of 60 years, this Norwegian office produces more energy that it consumes.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Location: London

Refurbished in 2013

It was initially built in the early 1900’s and was the first to use air rights in the UK. A century later, it was refurbished for energy efficiency and has a tri-generation cooling system powered by recycled, refined vegetable oil. In addition, they installed waterless urinals and low-flow toilets throughout the building to help lower water usage. During the refurbishing, 95% of materials used were sourced responsively and 96% of the waste was diverted from a landfill.

Deloitte Headquarters

Location: Amsterdam

Opened: 2014

The Deloitte corporate HQ is 430,000 square feet with passive temperature control, energy efficient design, and it generates its own electricity with solar panels. In addition to an aquifer thermal system that heats and cools the building, they have graywater collection that is used for flushing toilets and watering plants.

The Co-Operative Group Headquarters

Location: Manchester, England

Opened: 2013

One of the most unusually, yet fascinating features of the Co-Operative Group HQ, is that its power is generated by crops grown on the co-op’s farms. Heating and cooling are conducted using air drawn from below the basement, in addition to a double-skin facade that helps insulate it in cold weather while allowing ventilation in the summertime.

The Bullitt Center

Location: Seattle

Opened: Earth Day, April 22, 2013

This building does not do anything halfway. Instead of pursuing just a few items on the “green building” list, they went for all of them. Net zero energy, net zero water, carbon, composting toilets, toxic-free materials, 80 plus percent day lighting using high performance windows. Name it and they are using it.

NuOffice

Location: Munich

Opened: 2013

All energy used in the NuOffice building is renewable. Part coming from the greenery and the solar panels installed on it’s roof. The walls are also thick and insulated to keep heat or cool air inside depending on the season.

The Tower at PNC Plaza

Location: Pittsburg

Opens: this year. It is currently 83% complete

The tower will be approximately 30-story and 800,00 square foot “breathing” building. The construction is focused on a natural ventilation system where the opening of doors and windows allows a flow of air throughout the building. Energy will also be produced by solar assistance and green roofs, that will be harvested by rainwater.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN GREEN BUILDINGS AND COMMUNITIES IN CHINA

On the week of March 27th, the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and the International WELL Building Institute, announced the new WELL Building Standard implemented in China. It is a “performance-based standard to improve the health and wellbeing of Chinese” citizens, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Chinese people are facing with an increased environmental awareness and are actively looking for solutions to improve the quality of life in the country.

“Our world today is confronting massive health challenges that are assaulting our complete physical, mental and social wellbeing,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “As these challenges continue to mount, all of us have an obligation to be more purposeful when addressing how human health relates to our built environment. The WELL certification program is a powerful way to accelerate better, healthier buildings throughout China.” The WELL Building Standard is a performance based system that measures, certifies and monitors features that impact human health, through air, water, nourishment, light, and comfort.

If you stop to think about it, we spend most of our time inside buildings. If these are not monitored closely, things like air quality, can have a huge impact on our health and productivity. With this new standard, China can make a positive impact in the quality of the built space it has and by extension, the environment and the people around.