GAB Report library
Buildings
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Highlights from Net Positive Energy and Water Conference
The 2014 Net Positive Energy and Water Conference took place this February in San Francisco, California. Organized by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), the conference brought together more than 350 passionate attendees concerned with making the world a healthier and more sustainable place to live. The conference started with an optional tour to two…
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Historic YMCA Transformed Into Green Affordable Housing
One of the things I miss most from working at Citizens Housing is my weekly visits to our construction sites. I had the chance to witness buildings get built from the ground up and renovated into modern, seismically safe, and energy efficient buildings. You can imagine the excitement I had when I was invited to…
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Gilroy’s First LEED Platinum Project
Gilroy, California is well known for its garlic crop, but it also has at least three LEED projects within its 16 square miles. The newly built Gilroy Sobrato Apartments developed by South County Housing is the first LEED for Homes Platinum rated project in Gilroy. It provides 25 studio units of permanent affordable housing for chronically…
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Taiwan National Stadium Sculpted from Concrete, Steel, and BIPV Panels
Taiwan has one of the coolest looking and greenest stadiums in the world. I first saw photos of this amazing building, the Taiwan National Stadium, at the Symposium on Taiwan-France Cooperation in Intelligent Green Buildings. Last fall, on a perfect sunny day, I joined a group hosted by the Taiwan Green Building Council for a…
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Växjö Tennis Hall Concept Wins World Architecture Community Award
Editor’s Foreword: Italian architect Alessandro Rollino recently won an award from the 20+10+X World Architecture Community Awards (2013 -14th cycle) for his conceptual project, Växjö Tennis Hall. The project was initially developed for an international architectural design competition held in Växjö, Sweden. The 20+10+X World Architecture Community Awards promotes the talent of young architects and students from all over the…
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5 Terre Vertical Farm Concept Addresses Urban Population Growth
Editor’s Foreword: Capellini Architects is an architecture studio based in La Spezia, Italy. The firm was selected as one of the 30 finalists among hundreds of contestants for the 2013 Vertical Farm & Botanical Garden SkyScraper (Seoul) Competition organized by SuperSkyScrapers. For its competition entry, Capellini Architects created a 250-meter tall skyscraper built to cultivate fresh, high…
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How RFID Can Facilitate the Lifecycle of Intelligent Buildings
Earlier this year, I attended the Symposium on Taiwan-France Cooperation in Intelligent Green Buildings hosted by the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) and the French Office in Taipei. Taiwan and France have been actively exchanging science and technology information for more than thirty years. Sharing insights on intelligent green buildings and measurement…
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Juvenile Detention Home Revived As Green Home for Veterans
The historic landmark at 150 Otis Street in San Francisco, California has seen much in its lifetime. It was designed by architect Louis Mullgardt and built in 1916 as the City’s Juvenile Court and Detention Home. Throughout the years, it has served as an office for the City’s Department of Human Services, a storage space,…
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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…