Sustainable Architecture

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 21 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #8,235 in How-To, #82,860 overall

Building Change through Architecture

Climate change is a fact of life today and buildings are responsible for consuming more than half of the energy consumed in the US.  This site looks at what is being done around the world to make buildings more sustainable both in their construction methods and in their energy consumption.

Sustainable Design Links 

U.S. Green Building Council Homepage
Find out more about the U.S. Green Building Council and L.E.E.D.
Greener Buildings
A resource for green building and developement.
Sustainable Industries Journal Online
Focuses on green building, clean energy, and sustainable farming and food production.
Oikos
An online directory for green building products.
Green Building Iniative
Green Globes commercial rating system and green residential rating system.

Greenbuild 2007 

There was a lot of great lectures and also some greenwashing

Paul Hawken at Greenbuild 

at short clip from Paul Hawken's moving lecture at Greenbuild 07

Paul Hawken @ Greenbuild 2007

Author Paul Hawken speaking at Greenbuild 2007

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Books by Paul Hawken 

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

Amazon Price: $12.91 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability

Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

Check out what's new! 

on inhabitat.org. Home of Pre-fab Friday. A frequently updated blog on "future-forward design".

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Essential Reading 

Sustainable Building Books on Amazon

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Amazon Price: $18.15 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

Facts 

Did you know......?

Buildings are the number one consumers of electricity in the United States and account for:

* 36% of total energy use/65% of electricity consumption
* 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
* 30% of raw materials use
* 30% of waste output/136 million tons annually
* 12% of potable water consumption

Featured Project 

Big Dig House :: SINGLE speed DESIGN

The structure of the Big Dig House is composed of steel and concrete salvaged from Boston's "big dig".

Check out more at SsD's site : www.singlespeeddesign.com

Greening your home 

Ever thought about going solar but were put off by the investment?

Enter RENu, a company that leases photovoltaic systems to home owners.

How it works.....

1. You pay a $500 deposit and choose a length of contract. The deposit is refundable at and RENu is offering contracts for 1, 5, and 25 year spans.

2. Your household energy demand is calculated and a system is engineered to meet your energy needs based on your locations solar model (average amount of sun for each given day of the year).

3. The PV panels are installed on your home at no cost to you.

4. The PV panels are tied into the grid and net meter into the grid when more power is being produced than consumed.

5. If more energy is needed than the panels are producing, power is provided through the grid.

6. You pay for the kWh of energy that you use each month at the rate that is locked in when you begin your contract. That means that if you have a 25 year contract, 25 years from now you will still be paying the same rate that you are paying today with the added benefit of knowing that the energy that you consumed was produced in a sustainable manner right on you roof top!

Check out- Green Products Database 

Funding and Incentives for Green Building 

Wondering about building your next project green, but are concerned about potential additional costs? Check out these links to finds out about incentives that may apply to your project.

DSIRE
DSIRE is a national database of information on national and local incentives. Click on your state and find out what funding is availble in your area. This website is a great place to get started in your search for incentives.

Green Buildin and Solar Power for Dummies  

(ans smarties alike)

Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden))

Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden))

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

Books by Sim Van der Ryn on Amazon 

Ecological Design, Tenth Anniversary Edition

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water

Amazon Price: $12.60 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

Design For Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn

Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 07/12/2009) Buy Now

To be a Treehugger.... 

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Keeping up on sustainable building 

Green Building News from Sustainable Industries Journal- check it out!

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Building with Strawbale 

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More Books on Sustainable Architecture 

Transstudio : Analysis 

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Scribble Here 

MKBarr wrote...

I love how you're showing what we can DO about it and not FEAR about it. This is all great information.

ReplyPosted March 03, 2009

The_Real_Estate_Informer wrote...

This lens is very informative, thank you! 5 stars.

ReplyPosted October 06, 2008

annhenson12 wrote...

Wow! This lens is great! You have put all the helpful informations and facts in just one lens and I am giving you five star rate. This is worth sharing to my friends, I will bookmark for future use. I would like to share one lens that I like that you might like too portable building kits They give links, informations and facts about storage and portable buildings. You got to check it out.

ReplyPosted April 17, 2008

ShortSaleRealtor wrote...

great lens 5 stars 4 u

ReplyPosted April 09, 2008

Lensmaster

PDX architect wrote

Great site with lots of info. We still have a long way to go with sustainable building, but at least this is on many peoples radar right now.

Reply Posted April 07, 2008

shawnanderson67 wrote...

Great Information, 5starts from me. It is very important that we realize that our buildings will have to be strong enougn to sustain the natural hazards whixh are increasing with each passing day due to the global warming. And perhaps Postable buildings will be all that people will rely on since people will able to shift from place to place to avoid a storm and may be an earthquake.

ReplyPosted March 31, 2008

mandyc008 wrote...

Great information you got there. It is indeed very important to have sustainable buildings and I have an article related to that as well in portable buildings which is also an informative site. You can check it out.

ReplyPosted March 27, 2008

Lensmaster

James wrote

Great info! We need more people considering the environment when designing.

Reply Posted March 21, 2008

KadabaCo wrote...

Awesometastic as they say! I've got 5*'s for the best green building lens I've seen. My husband is a german contractor and we're going to build a green home in california, hopefully a straw bale home! Linklisting you on my eco-converts lens!

ReplyPosted March 16, 2008

jagiyadav wrote...

Very informative lens. This kind of projects should be encouraged and preserve them for the upcoming generations. Very interesting informations. Here is the similar kind of useful informations on Portable buildings , an interesting site about Portable buildings. Please visit us.

ReplyPosted March 07, 2008

smallhands wrote...

Really comprehensive lens.

ReplyPosted March 02, 2008

Lensmaster

Megan Morris wrote

HI - I was at Green Build in Chicago 2007-I'd love to talk with you if you get a chance :).

Reply Posted February 05, 2008

StVDG wrote...

Jennie.Harris- yes I have seen some of the calearth projects- I particularly like the sandbag emergency shelters. Thanks for sharing the link with others who may be interested.

ReplyPosted August 29, 2007

StVDG wrote...

thanks for all the comments peeps!

Hans- I totally agree with you! Sustainable Architecture is too broad of a subject for a lens, and there is way more to "green" building then the products used. I hope to add more lenses on specific sustainable building issues and techniques in the future!

ReplyPosted August 29, 2007

Lensmaster

Peter Clayton wrote

"Reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage. How smart are humans?""
A Podcast with the World-Renowned Architect and Environmental Visionary, Bill McDonough
http://www.totalpicture.com/content/view/481/190/

Reply Posted August 08, 2007

 
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by StVDG

I'm a jane of many trades but master of none. 
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