MIT is world-renowned for its pioneering role in sustainable technology, and boasts some of the best architecture and planning programs in the nation, and has a handful of LEED-certified buildings on its campus.

The Brain and Cognitive Science Center, completed in 2008, was awarded a LEED Silver rating; unlike the Sloan and Koch buildings that were planned from stage 1 to be green, it was an old building that was retrofitted to meet the highest standards in green design.  One of the project’s highlights is the conservation of water throughout the building.

The retrofit features a collection system that recycles rainwater that can be used in various applications throughout the building and landscaping.   Additionally, low-flow water fixtures were installed in all bathrooms and laboratories.  The Center also took a step outside of its own surroundings to address the preservation of the larger ecosystem by installing a comprehensive storm water management system to reduce the University’s impact on the Charles River.

Since 2007, M.I.T. has undertaken three more LEED-certified building projects.  Two of their buildings, the Stata Center and Simmons Hall, were green even before the LEED standard came about.  And the University started a Green Building Policy in 2001, before most schools were on board with the green movement.

Still, the Sustainable Endowments Institute “Green Report Card” gives the school an overall sustainability rating of B+.  In comparison, Harvard has achieved an A-.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Greening Campus: Spotlight on MIT.

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Thinking of the sprawling, materialistic metropolis of Las Vegas can send shivers up the spine of any environmental advocate: excessive water use, unsustainable urban planning, and unnatural buildings in the middle of a desert.  Over 50 green, manicured golf courses in an area that shouldn’t have one.  The ostentatious display of water flowing in monumental fountains, combined with a car-dependent population and enormous energy inefficient buildings, will leave anyone doubtful of sustainable developments in the building sector any time soon.

Yet new legislation is being considered in Las Vegas that will jumpstart the green building movement.  At least we hope.  As of March 2009, the debate continues over increasing tax credits for sustainable buildings throughout the state.  The outcome looks good, as stimulus funding is flowing from the federal government to jumpstart the green economy.    What’s more, the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 was held in Las Vegas this past Monday, August 10th, a sign that things might be changing in this desert oasis.

Meanwhile, some developers have decided to take matters into their own hands by creating a 62- acre “eco-development.”   Spearheaded by MGM, the city’s new CityCenter is expected to be complete by the end of this year and perhaps become the nation’s largest LEED-certified project.  There is talk of other developers following suit.

The developers hope to reduce utility bills, decrease energy use, and foster a healthier environment for guests and employees.

The increased attention being paid to Las Vegas as a potential center for environmental leadership will help make green building mainstream.  While Nevada may lack water, it certainly does not lack sun.   As the National Clean Energy Summit leaders remarked, “Nevada has abundant clean energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and efficiency technologies that could be developed to meet its future energy needs. The question is whether Nevadans—and all Americans—will shift to a clean energy economy.”

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Las Vegas to Promote Green Building?.

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Design teams are competing to make your hotel room greener.  The US Green Building Council has joined forces with The American Society of Interior Designers and The Hospitality Industry Network to launch the Sustainable Suite Design Competition.  The winning sustainable suite will be on display May 2010 at the Hospitality Design Expo (HDExpo) in Las Vegas, NV.
Hotels have given the nod to green (and savings) through low-flow showerheads, in-room recycling bins, and allowing guests to put the hold on towel and sheet changes.  LEED-certified element Hotels boast recycled carpet, low-VOC paints, and bathroom dispensers in lieu of individual bottles.  With fresh innovation, who knows what’s next?

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Sustainable Suite Design Competition.

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Up a winding dirt drive, emerging out of blooming meadows…three normal-looking houses–passive solar homes that are the start of a community where both individuality and sustainability can flower.

At White Hawk Ecovillage, living sustainably isn’t just the latest hype; it’s an everyday experience.  Green communities are not some bastion of exclusivity to which only the patchouli-scented and sanctimonious are admitted.  Now sustainable living is fully accessible to Joe Schmoe…er, rather…Joe Italiano.

Joe Italiano, father of two, perfectly normal American male, and ecovillage resident:  “Sustainable living shouldn’t be hard, and it isn’t.  It’s about simplicity, and at a place like White Hawk, learning from your neighbors.”  He notes how his neighbors are experimenting with green roofs and rainwater harvesting.  “It’s a living laboratory, so it’s easy to pick up information about what you might want to try next.”

Joe shares his 1000-square-foot home at White Hawk with his two young children and wife Julie Boerst.  “Our home and our hot water are heated with one on-demand water heater connected to a radiant heating system,” she says.  “Water for washing hands is used a second time to flush the toilet.  Both of these solutions are simple and low-cost.  Green living can and should be attainable for everyone.”

Everyone including the cable guy.  Steven Woinoski climbs ladders by day for the local cable company, and he’s the first to admit that he’s not wealthy in terms of dollars.  “We are technically low-income by government standards, so we are proof that a low-income family can live well in an ecovillage.”  Woinoski’s home is constructed from energy-efficient structural insulated panels (or SIPs) and sided with locally harvested hemlock.

From the beginning, the founding members of White Hawk Ecovillage wanted to make their community affordable and accessible.  Looking at the other available opportunities for green living in community, they saw that most people are easily edged out of pricey eco-developments.  At White Hawk, residents can design their own homes and put in sweat equity to lower the cost.  “We loved taking the lead in designing our home because it saved us money, and that’s important because we’re a one-income family.  We have also completed much of the finish work ourselves,” notes Joe Italiano.

The neighborhood at White Hawk includes thirty homesites clustered around a pedestrian walkway that encircles a common recreation area.  The developed area is about ten acres, with the remaining 110 acres of the property available to residents for hiking, farming, and any common projects they dream up, like solar showers.  Laura Woinoski appreciates the benefits of raising children in a green community.  “It’s a wonderful place for children to really prosper…like the old days when we’d just explore for hours!”

Seven children from three families play in the Woinoskis’, living room in front of a sunny expanse of south-facing windows.  “It’s such a relaxed and nice feeling here,” says Julie Boerst.  “At-home parents don’t have to guzzle gas or cram kids in the car in order to socialize.  Beyond the obvious ecological benefits, I cannot overstate the social benefits of living in a green community.”

Outside, chickens range freely, far beyond their community-built coop.  Organic gardens have popped up at White Hawk, along with compost piles and a playground.  The residents of White Hawk Ecovillage are looking forward to learning and playing with their new neighbors.  Will you be one of them?  For more information, visit http://www.whitehawk.org.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at DIY at White Hawk Ecovillage.

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Imagine a self-sustaining dwelling that seems to have a life of its own—sheltering its inhabitants, providing food, supplying energy needs, and transforming waste. Are you in love yet? An Earthship is much more than a home; it’s an integration of harmonious systems akin to those in the human body.

Made largely of natural and recycled materials, Earthships have been more than forty years in the making. According to their creator Michael Reynolds, they can be built in any climate.

The need for heating and cooling in an Earthship is drastically reduced (or even eliminated) by the earth-bermed, passive solar design. The north side of a traditional earthship is constructed of stacked earth-filled tires, which are then earth-bermed. This significant amount of thermal mass keeps the interior temperature relatively stable. The tires are stacked in U shapes, each forming a room. Interior walls can also be constructed out of recycled material—cans in cement. The front of an Earthship is comprised of greenhouse windows with planters immediately inside. Planters serve a triple purpose—their vegetation cleanses the air; they provide growing space for food; and they serve as a greywater treatment system.

An Earthship’s roof is designed to collect water which is then channeled to a cistern. Once filtered, it is used four times:

1. For regular household use, excluding the toilet.
2. Passes through the interior botanical cells (planters).
3. Flushes the toilet.
4. Passes through to exterior botanical cells (outside plantings).

The exterior botanical cells are contained and work in concert with a conventional septic tank to satisfy many code requirements.

Part of the appeal of Earthships is that they can be owner-built. Although the process of filling and stacking tires is undeniably labor-intensive, it is relatively straightforward and does not require years of experience.

As with any basic housing design, an Earthship can be as sustainable as ingenuity and budget allow. Some homeowners are connected to the grid and have traditional drywall instead of can walls, while others stay more faithful to the original design.

This enthusiastic overview barely scratches the surface of all things Earthship. Ready to get your hands dirty? To learn more, visit http://www.earthship.net.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Earthships: The Sustainable Dwelling System.

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My grand-dad used to say “pick your poison.”  He knew that nothing is perfect.  There are good things and not so good things about every choice.   When sustainability is your primary goal, you make decisions with a different set of parameters.  You might be willing to put forth a little more time and effort knowing that the end result will benefit not only you, but the environment.  But before you begin any big project, you better sit down with a paper and pencil and make the old “T” chart.  I started one for you.  Behold, some pros and cons of earthen plaster.

Pro

• Low Environmental Impact
• Energy intensive
• Adds thermal mass for both passive and active solar heating
• Relatively inexpensive
• Easily patched and repaired
• Adds a warm, natural feeling to your dwelling
• Has great breathability
• Provides a protective shell for your straw bale home
• Lots of warm, rich colors
• Variations in texture
• Allows for artistic expression

Con

• Can get saturated by rain and constant wetness
• Can mold (grows on the organic matter in your plaster,  but there are techniques to minimize or stop this)
• Labor intensive
• Doesn’t meet building codes in some localities
• Can crack and “dust” if composition and consistency of earthen plaster is incorrect
• Requires multiple coats
• Sensitive to temperature and weather when applying
• Is pretty messy!

I think the pro list is longer than the con.  So if we follow “T” chart rules, this project is a go. Earthen plaster has been used for centuries.  Earthen plaster dwellings have stood the test of time; you can find these dwellings literally scattered around the world. Why not add your home to the list?

Looking for “recipes” for earthen plaster? You can find several in my last post, Earthen Plaster Recipes.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Should I Use Earthen Plaster: the Pros and Cons.

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We’ve heard it since our childhood.  If you want a strong house (one that can’t be blown down!) you have to build with brick.  There are plenty of folks that are proving that old tale wrong.  The majority of these straw homes are being built in the west and southwest United States, Australia and New Zealand; places with a somewhat more dry and temperate climates.  There is a registry of straw bale houses around the world—kind of interesting.

I have seen a straw home built in one of the harshest climates in the continental U.S.–Driggs, Idaho. Some years ago, I watched with great interest (and much skepticism) as this dwelling went up a mile or so from my parent’s home.  Among the old farmers in the area, the house was the butt of more than a few jokes.  Well, years later, it is still standing and functioning well and the farmers are getting used to the idea.  Besides, it’s a new source to sell all that straw that the farmers’ grain fields generate.

Speaking of farmers, it was pioneer farmers who built straw and grass homes on the prairies of the Nebraska and Oklahoma over a century ago.  No trees?  No timber?  No problem.  Straw and grass were readily available, could be stacked like bricks, didn’t require elaborate tools, and could be constructed in a shorter period of time.  The homes were well insulated, had great “breathability,” and believe it or not, were quite fire resistant.  They created  homes that were inexpensive, functional, and pleasant places to live in.  Obviously, these are qualities that budget and environmentally conscious people are looking for today.   History does need to repeat itself.

There is a plethora of websites, companies, and individuals who are eager to share their knowledge on the techniques of building a straw house.  The science of straw house building and my attitude about the whole thing has come a long way since those days of me and the Idaho farmers standing around laughing and smirking at the neighbors.  It is past time we all got serious about it.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Straw – The New Brick.

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Perhaps we can’t credit Warren Buffet specifically for the good news, but Clayton Homes, a subsidiary of Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, announced earlier this month that they will be rolling out a line of LEED Platinum rated prefab houses. These new prefabs, titled “i-houses,” appear to offer the best in affordability and sustainability. The base, 1 bed 1 bath, 723 sq. foot model starts around a reasonable $75,000, and moves up to a 4 bed/2bath, 1643 sq. foot model with sundeck and Energy Star appliances model for only around $135,000.

Core2 Flex2 LayoutD. A spacious 4 bed/2 bath.

For that price, Clayton Homes throws in a bevy of green features like a tankless water heater, dual flush toilets, low-flow faucets, low –e windows, high-efficiency heat pumps, and rainwater catchment. The truly dedicated can also upgrade to Energy Star appliances, bamboo flooring, and energy saving solar panels.

In terms of design, the i-house is aptly named. It shares the same passion for compact design and sleek, modern lines of other i-products that will not be named. The floorplans are open, simple, and clean, and the classic lines of the interior rival the finest of Ikea models. Although the house will arrive on the back of a truck, it remains spacious and modern.

However, despite all these great features, it still seems a risky endeavour. With the housing market struggling, sustainable housing still taking root, and prefab housing unproven in the U.S., Clayton Homes is putting a lot of faith in America’s dedication to down-sizing and greening. It will be interesting to see if Americans are willing to grab hold of this and other great, but perhaps foreign, solutions for sustainable living.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Introducing the i-house. Thank you Warren Buffet..

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In 2000, Battery Park City expanded its building guidelines to require all buildings to meet LEED certification requirements. A risky move at the time, it has since proven to be a boon to the neighborhood. With 8 residential buildings and one commercial building now LEED certified, some of the biggest developers moved into the area, and apartments going for 4 or 5 percent above average, Battery Park City seems to be proving that New York City is ready and eager to go green. According to Leticia Remauro, spokeswoman for the Battery Park City Authority, “People have demonstrated they prefer to live in a healthier building. They show this by their willingness to pay higher rents. We have literally changed the marketplace.”

With the most recent addition of The Visionaire residential community, developed by the Albanese Organization, Battery Park City can now boast to be home of America’s most sustainable residential community. The Albanese organization announced earlier this month that The Visionaire has been LEED platinum certified by the USGBC with the highest score of any residential community in the United States. The aesthetically pleasing and well-located building features a roof garden for rain catchment and insulation, solar panels for energy harvest, natural gas powered central heating and cooling systems, and in-building water filtration and wastewater treatment systems, too name a few. And this is the only the most recent of the Albanese Organization’s sustainable developments in Battery Park City. They also developed LEED Gold certified residential community The Solaire and the first LEED Platinum certified residential high rise in the U.S., The Verdesian. With the combination of the highest standards of sustainability, perfect design, and prime Manhattan location, The Visionaire and its siblings are proving that sustainable is not only doable in the big city, but also comfortable and stylish. So thank you, Battery Park City, for leading the way.

Check out some of the other LEED certified buildings in New York City: Archstone Clinton, The Octagon, and the Kalahari.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Battery Park City: Leading the way with LEED.

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