The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has upgraded its green building standards, requiring LEED Gold certification for all new federal construction and major renovations. GSA previously required LEED Silver for all federal facilities; the new requirement applies to all projects that are currently in design as well as all future projects. For newly constructed properties that GSA leases, the agency has maintained a LEED Silver requirement for new construction projects over 10,000 ft2 (1,000 m2). LEED for Commercial Interiors is optional for GSA facilities in existing buildings. “This new requirement is just one of the many ways we’re greening the
Photo courtesy MoMA PS1 The MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program was launched in 2000. Click on the slide show button to view past installations (pictured: Dunescape, SHoP Architects, 2000). MoMA PS1 takes a gamble when it selects finalists for its Young Architects Program, which each year gives emerging designers the chance to design an installation for a 10,000-square-foot triangular courtyard at the Queens art center. The entrants don’t initially propose schemes; rather, they are selected to compete in the competition’s final stage based on the ingenuity of their past work. “There’s enormous suspense because we really don’t know what these
According to DesignIntelligence’s Almanac of Architecture & Design 2010, the Lexington, Kentucky-based Mason & Hanger has been in business for 183 years, making it the oldest in the United States.
Photo courtesy Christine McMonagle/The Jewish Museum “Daniel Libeskind’s Line of Fire” runs through January 30, 2011, at The Jewish Museum in New York. Libeskind designed the exhibition using 40 menorahs from the museum’s collection. Click on the slide show button to see images. Daniel Libeskind’s building signature is often characterized by a lightning-bolt scrawl, clearly visible in his designs for The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, the Jewish Museum in Berlin, and even “Villa Libeskind,” the prefab housing line he launched in 2010. The latest rendition of the architect’s signature can be found in a small gallery in The
Like a runaway recycling truck, green building’s momentum hasn’t been stopped by the economic recession and will keep speeding through the recovery, according to a report released just prior to the construction industry’s annual green-building conference. At the same time, experts say building owners are looking to go green more for economic reasons than environmental ones. “Green building is the silver lining creating opportunity in the down economy,” says Harvey M. Bernstein, vice president of McGraw-Hill Construction (ENR is a unit of McGraw-Hill Construction). “And with this growth comes increasing attention on the value and performance of these buildings.” Related
“A lot of those projects should be coming up for certification soon,” Cheatham explains, adding that the economy’s shaky condition is “setting the stage for a project not obtaining certification becoming the subject of litigation.” Related Links: Greenbuild 2010: Full Coverage Passive House Program Gains Momentum in U.S. Robert Redford Teams Up With USGBC for Schools Summit USGBC, LEED Targeted by Class-Action Suit Supporting these fears is data showing that the appearance of LEED in project specifications is on the rise; furthermore, it is rising on the more high-stakes projects. The number of project manuals referencing LEED increased to 25.9%
At 1,322 feet, the St. Petersburg skyscraper would be Europe's tallest building. UNESCO is threatening to revoke the city's heritage status if the tower gets built. November 23, 2010 A skyscraper that would be Europe’s tallest is one step closer to reality, even if controversy continues to dog it. The Okhta Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia, which is being designed by London-based RMJM, received a key approval last month from Glavgosekspertiza, the federal building agency, according to news reports. That approval was required because the steel-and-glass tower, which is to stretch to 1,322 feet, will be three times taller than