Embodied Energy
Net Zero Buildings Explored: Joyce Centre @ Mohawk College
June 12th, 2023Net Zero Buildings Explored: Delta Electronics Americas HQ
May 15th, 2023
Net Zero Buildings Explored: GSA Wayne Aspinall Federal
The GSA Wayne Aspinall Federal Building is a heritage building located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and stands as a testament to historical net zero conversions. The building was GSA’s first net-zero energy building on the National Register of Historic Places, achieved LEED Platinum, an AIA COTE Top 10 Award, and continues to be an example […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: United Therapeutics
United Therapeutics Corporation is an American publicly-traded biotechnology company that specializes in developing innovative therapies for rare diseases. In 2019, the company completed the construction of a new 135,000-square-foot headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Unisphere is a testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability, using a variety of energy generation, efficiency, and embodied carbon […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: The Forge, Bankside
Completed in January 2023, The Forge, Bankside, comprises two new-build net-zero commercial office buildings of nine storeys each and almost 140,000 square feet of internal space. It is the first commercial office development constructed and operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) net zero carbon buildings framework. Property developer, Landsec, has constructed […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: Powerhouse Brattørkaia
When the world’s northernmost net zero building uses solar power to generate twice as much energy as it consumes, then the green building movement seems more possible. The Powerhouse Brattørkaia in the fjord-side city of Trondheim, Norway, utilizes energy generation, storage, efficiency, and embodied carbon approaches to reach energy-positive status and even supplies clean power […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: Boston University
“A Jenga tower… a stack of books… a game of Tetris…” are some of the reactions to the look of the latest addition to Boston’s skyline, but this oddly shaped building is hiding a range of smart, efficient, and sustainable elements that have allowed it to achieve its Net Zero buildings status. Opening to students […]
How Does Biden’s New Clean Energy Bill Impact Smart Buildings?
Last week, President Biden signed the new Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, which will drive over $430 billion toward clean energy and sustainability solutions, with a specific focus on buildings. While the total amount is a step down from the $550 billion suggested in the 2021 Build Back Better proposal, the emphasis on buildings in addition […]
Curving the Linear Model of Construction Towards Circular Buildings
The business case around circular economy approaches in the buildings sector is conclusive and the environmental case against the current linear model of construction, demolition, and disposal is damning —yet wasteful building development culture persists globally. The equivalent building development of the city of Paris will be built each week around the world from now […]
The Role of Buildings in a Smart City’s Circular Economy
“A growing and wealthier global population are straining the biocapacity of our planet. In the densely populated and prosperous Netherlands, for example, we consume more than three times what the Dutch ecosystem can produce, while globally we consume 1.7 times what the Earth can produce. The current rate of resource consumption is unsustainable, both for […]
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