GAB Report library
Urban Planning
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San Francisco Exploratorium’s New Home to Become Largest U.S. Net-Zero Energy Museum
Salty air breezes off of the Bay. Seagulls are flying about. A six foot diameter concrete pile gets driven into the sea floor. An energizing hum of activity reverberates throughout a waterfront construction site–the future new home of San Francisco’s Exploratorium. In October of 2010, the Exploratorium–the Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception, broke…
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New Directions for Living Roofs and Walls
The evolving technology of green roofs has been leading to the use of greater diversity in their designs. After years of implementing green roof designs, the industry has seen a steady move towards more diversity in both elements of construction and plant materials. What is most fascinating of the improvement in green roof design is…
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Urban Landscape Moves Up 15′ and Targets LEED-CI
On my recent trip to Calgary, Canada, I came upon the “+15”, an intricate network of more than 57 enclosed bridges elevated approximately 15 feet above street level that connect at least 100 buildings in downtown. My exploration led me into an active construction site of four stories of scaffolding within a shopping mall dotted…
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Cycling for Transportation: More Than Just Nice
Ah, a windmill and bicycles. Where else could this idyllic scene be other than the Netherlands? This windmill in Amsterdam is indeed a quaint historical relic, but the bikes most assuredly are not. In fact, they are the dominant mode of transportation in the modern-day city by the banks of the Amstel River. What, you…