CleanPress

" … The number of affordable, energy-efficient modular homes continues to increase as Pennsylvania-based builder Excel Homes offers a new line aimed at first-time buyers … targeted to be sold for under $100,000, and depending on region, for as low as $60,000. …"

" … Excel Homes … has built 28,000 modular homes since its founding in 1984 …  built in sect

ions … in Liverpool, Pa., and Marlboro, N.Y., and transported … where they are assembled… come with the government’s Energy Star label for energy efficiency … prices do not include the cost of land…."

Via: USAToday LINK

Green building strategy for Southeast False Creek requires minimum baseline of LEED Silver environmental performance in all facets of building design and construction. http://bit.ly/bsFamj

Solar power renovation considerations. http://bit.ly/cO5WLb

The GSA is renovating the 18 story federal building in Portland, Oregon.  Green features include a vertical green wall and reduced water usage with low flow fixtures and recycled roof water.

"… part of a $133 million renovation, the General Services Administration wants to grow “vegetated fins” on the western facade of the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building … save energy year-round using one of Mother Nature’s own tools."

" … will use 60 to 65 percent less energy than comparable buildings. That translates to an energy cost savings of $280,000 per year."

"Solar panels could also provide up to 15 percent of the building’s power needs. Energy use for lighting will be halved."

"… building in question was already slated for an energy efficiency upgrade, but funds from last year’s federal stimulus package stressed projects that were environmentally friendly."

Via:  SmartPlanet  LINK

Green buildings and designs are being found all across the country … the Housing Authority Administration building in Newport, Tennessee is green.  Read about the many green features and technologies used.

" … 8,585 square foot administration building … Design included multiple "green" features: photovaltaic solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, premium insulation package, Energy Star windows and lighting, low flow faucets and toilets and low impact site design. Project cost was $1,000,000.00."

Via:  McGraw-Hill Construction Community   LINK

There is a new Green building in NYC – at the southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park City.  Read about the Visionaire – it is one very green building – though a very expensive place to live with pricing startling at just under $700,000 and going to a little over $6 million.

" …  the Visionaire … a testing ground for urban green architecture."

"… All building fixtures reduce use of potable water, and a blackwater treatment system means that all toilet water in the building is recycled, treated wastewater. Stormwater collection reserves irrigate the green roofs, which cover 70 percent of the roof surface … a natural gas-powered microturbine on the structure’s roof harnesses its own waste energy to heat water."

" … saves an estimated 42 percent in energy costs against a base-line average. This is largely the result of efficient building systems and the building envelope … goal was achieved through exhaustive attention to detail … "

According to an article on the Jan 24th, 2010 Philadelphia Inquirer the building is LEED Platinum Certified.

Via:  Greensource  LINK

Chartwell School used green building design features to strive for net-zero energy footprint. …

… “The school building’s features include tall, north-facing windows that control enough light and heat gain to reduce the school’s need for electricity by 50 percent. In addition, classrooms and many other areas in the building rely on naturally occurring convection currents rather than noisy, high-maintenance and energy-hungry ventilation systems. ” …

Via University of Califonia at Berkeley: Livable Buildings, 2009

PNC is well known for their green projects … one of their ads says they have more green buildings than any other bank …

In addition to having green buildings – PNC now has a GREEN WALL. " … the largest green wall in North America … 2,380 sq. ft., soil-based wall – similar in size to a doubles tennis court – features a variety of regional plants grown into living art on the south-facing wall of One PNC Plaza … in downtown Pittsburgh." " … estimated that each of the 602 panels, with 24 plants in each 2×2 sq. ft. space, will offset the carbon footprint of one person. … similar to a green roof, will help to cool the 30-story building … wall is a fitting reminder that PNC is the world leader in green building …".

" … has more newly constructed buildings certified by the United States Green Building Council under its LEED® program than any other company in the world … includes 64 trademark Green Branch® locations and two office buildings. About 20 environmentally friendly branches and two other major buildings are under construction or awaiting LEED certification."

Via: PRNewsWire LINK

The ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication building in Phoenix has achieved LEED Silver performance level through its design, orientation, materials, xeriscape, fixtures, and sensors. …

… “The Cronkite building was constructed with numerous sustainable features, including an east-west orientation for solar control, exterior overhangs and sunscreens for shading windows, energy-saving materials to help optimize building-energy performance, low or no-water landscaping, low-flow plumbing fixtures, building materials that meet LEED low-emitting product requirements and occupancy sensors for lighting control. ” …

Via Arizona State: LEED Cronkite building

The Willis Tower (Sear Tower) is undergoing a green renovation that will confront scale issues that are not present in smaller buildings. It will serve as a lab for efficiency retrofit buildings. And, because of its scale, energy savings will be significant. …

… “the only visible sign of what the owners hope to be an environmental model for the world is a pallet of dirt and sedum on the tower’s 90th floor roof, the beginnings of a green roof so high that only mountain vegetation can grow there. ” …

Via Chicago Tribune: Willis Tower