Magén Arquitectos, Environmental Unit Headquarters, Zaragoza

Located in Zaragoza, Spain and in built-up area of the city center, the Environmental Unit Headquarters, offers an impression that floats above the garden and panoramic view of a continuous projection on the floor and roof level. The project is based on two fundamental ideas. The first idea is in response to the special urban and landscape importance of the location; the second aims to express the intrinsic relationship between the environmental commitment of the project and its materiality and the building programme. The relationship with the adjacent urban spaces and the topographic features of the site become active conditions for the implementation of the building; it can clearly be seen in the project section that also expresses the extension of the public space of the entrance, via the roof and the configuration of the building as a platform-viewpoint onto the Ebro river. The roof is an essential element within the landscape design of the building as well as the main image of the building. It is configured as a viewpoint at different levels, which are joined together by gentle ramps and a terraced grandstand, designed as an outdoor amphitheatre for possible recreational uses.

Gazprom Tower Tallest Sustainable Building in Europe

The Gazprom Tower, or the Okhta Tower has been given a green light for construction, upon completion of which it will be the tallest building in Europe.
To be built in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 77-storey tower isn’t just about height, the modern building will also be full of environmentally friendly features.

It will have plenty of natural lighting and ventilation, thermal insulation to protect against the cold and harsh weather of St. Petersburg, and specialized water, heating and ventilation systems to minimize energy needs.
The 400-meter tower will serve as the headquarters of Gazprom’s oil unit OAO Gazprom Neft, and will also include a concert hall, museum, hotel and a business center.

Source: Inhabitat

Sustainable Architecture in Underdeveloped Countries

S-Archetype is a true believer of sustainable building practices and green architecture, when it comes to our future we see no other way, so it was a pleasure reading this short article on the IMX Green blog, on how under development countries can actually be the ones to make a huge difference on this planet.There are great news in the horizon, we all know we can weatherize our homes and make them more energy efficient. But what is built in outdated CBS blocks is already built, what matters most is the “Shift” from the Middle Ages to the buildings technologies we know and which are already being widely used today.Sustainable architecture is definitely the present and the only future for most Governments of Underdeveloped Countries in Africa and elsewhere. They are in desperate need of low income housing for the poorest people, and have a giant opportunity to build all their new green houses from here on! That is a huge opportunity to make sustainable architecture and green homes a standard.
It is also a great opportunity for them to reduce their energy consumption right off the bat and save 50% to 100% in those green homes energy consumption. Lets hope many other Countries and Continents will follow that lead for a greener future, building net zero houses and homes worldwide.

Architects are creating toxic 'killing machines'

I can really say that I was shocked reading this quote by William McDonough a concerned architect and a sustainability expert, with strong eco friendly believes.

“Architects are creating killing machines by not considering the toxicity of the materials used in buildings” William McDonough said expressing the thoughts of many of us.

Over-focusing on carbon neutrality or reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions is skewing the sustainable agenda. And while there’s so much focus on carbon, architects are still using toxic materials and effectively delivering a killing machine.

Now more than ever we need to focus on materials as much as we do on energy and although this is not an easy task, toxicity should be an integral part of any governmental initiatives and protocols.

A Good Read by Green Guru Michelle Kaufmann

Michelle Kaufmann, award-winning green architect and sustainable living expert, today announced the release of the white paper, "Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighbourhoods," and with it, her firm's 10 EcoPrinciples for Communities.

In the white paper, Kaufmann looks toward the future--when the economy begins its inevitable recovery and credit flows again--and argues why we must resist the temptation to recommence our most unsustainable mode of developing new housing: suburban sprawl. By turning to sprawl's alternative, smart growth, Kaufmann asserts we can open the door to a new era in housing development that helps secure the health of our communities and our planet.

The white paper, which is available for download , also introduces Kaufmann's 10 EcoPrinciples for Communities. From Smart Design and Water Conservation to Smart Auto Strategies and Location, the 10 EcoPrinciples map out elements that can be incorporated into a community to make it even more sustainable.

"Now is the perfect time to reexamine the qualities we value in our neighborhoods and hopefully shift our focus onto those qualities that are conducive to financial, environmental, and sociocultural sustainability," explained Kaufmann, founder and chairwoman of Michelle Kaufmann Companies.

By reducing resource consumption, waste, costs, and building time by up to 50%-75% over conventional building methods, Michelle Kaufmann's prefabricated, modular building techniques deliver benefits to individual homebuyers as well as builders/developers, who are interested in building green multi-family and community developments.

Green Living - Solstice on the Park, Chicago

One of the newest developments planned for the Hyde Park area and one of the most interesting additions to the Chicago skyline, is Solstice on the Park, a 26-story residential tower, offering 145 apartment units.

This unique glass and steel tower is literally shaped by solar access and will become one of Chicago’s greener residential buildings and the largest new condominium development in Hyde Park in more than 15 years.

The surface of Solstice on the Park has an optimum angle for 41.5 degrees north, that maximizes passive solar warming potential during the winter while keeping the sun out during the summer thus reducing cooling needs.

The completion of the project is planned for late 2010.

Green City in Sanghai - Dongtan Eco City

Green cities seem to be the new initiative of development companies around the world.

One of the most promising being Dongtan the new eco-city planned for the island of Chongming, the third largest island in China, at the mouth of the Yangtze River, near Shanghai.

Planned to open by the time the Expo 2010 opens in Shanghai, it will house 50,000 residents, while by 2040, the city is slated to be one-third the size of Manhattan with a population of 500,000.

Dongtan will produce its own energy from wind, solar, bio-fuel and recycled city waste, and—in order to reduce its impact on the environment—will only allow hydrogen-fueled or renewable-energy-fueled cars on its streets.

The city will also be designed around a series of village-style neighborhoods to make it pedestrian rather than car friendly.

Jumeira Gardens: A Super-City Within Dubai

As the inexorable juggernaut of Dubai’s construction boom wears on amid a turbulent economic era, the city recently unveiled an incredible new development that is intended to cement its status as “a global city of the future”. Master-planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and developed by Meraas, Jumeira Gardens is a modern megopolis that will feature no fewer than three soaring superstructures designed by AS + GG: 1 Dubai, Park Gate, and 1 Park Avenue. Although the super-massive project will consume approximately $95 billion, it’s encouraging to see that the entire community has been designed with sustainability in mind. Conceived as “an integrated city within a city”, Jumeira Gardens is designed to be a mixed-use development that incorporates low, medium, and high-density zones for business, residences, retail, leisure, and recreation. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill master-planned the East Park Zone, while Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill master-planned the Atrium City area. Although plans are still being finalized, Meraas Development has confirmed that “‘Green’ buildings and construction, resource conservation and overall sustainability will inform every aspect of this new district, with tools such as intelligent infrastructure technology and cutting-edge eco design serving to reduce the district’s collective ecological footprint.” Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture are credited with designing scores of other structures that incorporate sustainable strategies. The centerpiece of Jumeira Gardens will be 1 Dubai, A tri-partite skyscraper that will rise to 3281 feet, making it the third structure tower in the UAE. Its soaring towers will be connected by a series of glass suspension sky-bridges. Park Gate comprises six mid-rise towers that are arranged in facing pairs. A hanging garden canopy stretches between each set of structures, providing shade and cooling the neighborhood by as much as 10 degrees centigrade. The smooth curves of 1 Park Avenue evoke Dubai’s historic relationship with the Arabian Gulf. The 1,800 foot tower will incorporate solar panels, wind turbines, and a variety of other sustainable strategies in its design.
Excavation for Jumeira Gardens has already begun, and the development is expected to take 12 years to complete.
+ Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
+ Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
+ Meraas Development

source: World Architecture News , Inhabitat

Eyewear chain goes green

There are already a few brands of eco-friendly eyewear out there, ranging from those that simply refurbish old glasses to those with sustainable components or manufacturing processes. Singapore's Nanyang Optical retail chain, however, has recently begun an eco-conversion of its brand through which it will sell only eyewear brands that are significantly green. Three collections of green eyewear are now available in Nanyang stores, including award-winning LinkSkin, Flexis and Urband. LinkSkin glasses, for example, are manufactured to be RoHS-compliant using recycled materials with no lead, mercury, cadmium or soldering. Flexis rimless glasses, meanwhile, are constructed from recycled steel and polymer, also without the use of soldering, and Urband avoids soldering as well. As part of the eco-conversion of its chain of stores, Nanyang has also implemented a full-circle system that accepts old spectacles, contact lens case and solution bottles for recycling. A new look, including bamboo flooring, is part of the chain's rebirth as well. It's one thing for a retailer to offer select green products, but to embrace eco brands to the exclusion of all others and even redesign your whole brand around the concept? That takes eco-iconic to a whole new level—one that will surely cause competitors to turn green as well (from envy, if nothing else). One to bring to eco-minded (and far-sighted) consumers near you....? (source, http://www.springwise.com/)

Greener Gadgets

This year's Greener Gadgets Conference will take place on February 27, 2009 in New York City. As part of the event, Greener Gadgets has once again partnered with Core77 to generate outstanding design innovations for greener electronics. This design competition challenges established design firms, emerging designers, and design students to come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development.