GAB Report library
Net Zero
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Zero Competition Architecture Responds to California’s 2020 ZNE Goals
Team Folium, consisting of Herman Coliver Locus Architecture, EBS Consultants, and Architectural Lighting Design, won the Special Recognition Award from the Architecture at Zero 2013 design competition. The Folium concept presents a fresh urban design solution that brings a sense of vitality and adds architectural interest to the surrounding neighborhood. A high-density, residential-commercially zoned site…
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Karuna House Achieves Green Building Triple Crown
Last December, the Karuna House earned its LEED for Homes Platinum rating with 101.5 points, making it the first home in the world to achieve a total of three green building certifications. The project not only achieved Passive House PHIUS+, but is also the first Minergie-certified home in North America, earning the top rating of…
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Green Engineering Insights from Integral Group
International Living Future Institute and Integral Group are pleased to announce the publication of Integral: Revolutionary Engineering. The Integral Group is a U.S. based company consisting of a team of local leaders with global voices and a passion for deep green engineering solutions. From concept and design through performance, they specialize in elegant systems for…
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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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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…
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Exploratorium’s New Home Addresses Historic Preservation Design and Construction Challenges
When I was working as a construction manager, I was involved with a handful of complex historic preservation projects including the conversion of a historically significant church into affordable housing (Buena Vista Terrace) for seniors and the renovation of a small historic landmark (The Fireside) into a community center. Historic preservation often presents additional challenges…
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A Green Transformation of Eichler House Model MS-134
My first in-depth encounter with Eichler homes was a few years ago on a blazing hot 90°F Saturday afternoon in Palo Alto, California. I participated in a self-guided Eichler Home Tour which benefited Habitat for Humanity. It was such a treat to get a glimpse into what lay within the Eichler homes that modernized the…
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Team California’s Refract House Starts 2,848 Mile Trek to the 2009 Solar Decathlon
It’s the 2009 Solar Decathlon, but the journey began two years ago: 16 design proposals narrowed down to one winning scheme, design development, refinement, hours of hard work, construction, close-in, and finally, today’s auspicious send-off for the Refract House. Team California, a partnership between the California College of the Arts and Santa Clara University, has…
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What is Your Building’s Carbon Footprint?
As design professionals and consumers, we have become smarter about the decisions we make in selecting building products and we are asking more questions of the vendors and manufacturers. We now have the knowledge to evaluate and select green materials such as FSC certified wood or a solar photovoltaic system. However, we can take it…