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Net Zero Energy Through Design and Operation Strategies
On October 15th, the Packard Foundation announced that it had “achieved the goal of operating its headquarters building at net zero energy by generating more than enough electricity to meet is needs during the first full year of occupancy.” It is the largest building to-date to receive Net Zero Energy Building Certification through the International Living…
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The Packard Foundation’s Headquarters Is a Conservation Success
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to take a private tour of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s newly built headquarters. It’s an elegant, well designed, and very green office building located in downtown Los Altos, California. It has an understated presence that respects its surrounding neighborhood and provides a strong anchor for the…
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Building Dormitories With Local, Recycled Timber and Renewable Bamboo in Thailand
The armed conflict that has persisted for decades in the Karen State of Myanmar results in a daily flow of refugees and immigrants to neighbouring Thailand. In the Thai town of Mae Sot, a few kilometres from the Burmese border, numerous schools and orphanages offer accommodation and education for the refugees and immigrants. One of…
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Don Hisaka, FAIA: Architect, Mentor, and Friend
Earlier this year, an architect very dear to my heart peacefully passed away at his home in Berkeley, California. The late Don M. Hisaka, a world renowned architect, was my professor at UC Berkeley, a former boss, a long-time mentor, and a friend who taught me many things about life. During the twenty plus years…
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Wind Turbines Ride the Wave to Renewable Energy Future
Editor’s Foreword: Earlier this year, the first full-scale prototype of a revolutionary floating support structure for offshore wind turbines made its debut off the coast of Aguçadoura, Portugal. It was inaugurated and celebrated by Portuguese government officials, clean-tech investors, and its engineers and builders. Each floating support structure, known as the WindFloat*, is a three-column…
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Greenbuild 2012 Call for Volunteers
Greenbuild has always been one of my favorite conferences dedicated to green building. Greenbuild 2012 will be held in San Francisco, California at the Moscone Center this year from November 14-16. The USGBC will offer free conference attendance to volunteers who complete 8-hours of volunteer time during the conference. Volunteers must be a full-time student…
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Ecobuild, What Happened to Green Innovation?
I only attended the last two days of Ecobuild in London this year. On the first day there, I was fully absorbed in finding the booths that shouted “this is the Landscape Architecture section,” never really bothering to slow down and take a look around. I found very few booths representing the field of landscape…
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Green California Summit 2012
It’s not too late to register online! The Green California Summit and Exposition will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center in California from April 26th to the 27th. The Keynote, the Expo, and the Green Leadership Awards Reception are free to all registrants. Speakers include Kevin Johnson (Go Bears!), the Mayor of the City…
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Fallingwater Goes Digital
It’s pretty neat to see a friend featured in the New York Times. This February, NYT reporter Steven Kurutz interviewed Tim Sakamoto, my long-time friend and fellow alum from the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design (CED). The interview focused on his latest product, the Frank Lloyd Wright–Fallingwater mobile app. The What: Let’s call it…
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Drawing More Power Than You Think
Energy efficient building design has come a long way to improve building system energy performance. But what happens when the users move in? Additional equipment and appliances added after occupancy can dramatically impact actual building performance with surprising and expensive results. Plug loads and process loads have been long considered outside the design team’s scope…
