To get a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certificate, a building must cut energy use to about half that of a typical structure. That’s tough. What’s tougher? The Living Building Challenge (LBC).

According to Time magazine, the LBC was created six years ago, and to win certification a building must use half the energy of a LEED platinum building and have net-zero energy and water systems. So far, only three buildings have managed that feat, and they’re quite small. However, a six-story, 4,600-square-meter office building will open this fall in Seattle that’s aiming to meet the LBC requirements.

The $30 million Bullitt Center will house the Bullitt Foundation, whose president is Denis Hayes, a former staff director who worked with Earth Day founder Former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson.

Read More

Filed under: Architectural, Civil, e-News, Environmental, Materials | Comments Off on World’s Greenest Office Building?

Tags: Architectural, Bullitt Center, Civil, construction, Denis Hayes, Design, Electricity, Energy, Environmental, Green Technology, LDC, LEED, Materials, recycling, solar power, toilet

In Greek mythology, flying too high cost Icarus his life when the sun melted his waxen wings. Today, solar energy factors in another epic flight – an trans-Atlantic attempt by the world’s first solar-powered airplane. And the Internet can put any arm-chair pilot in the cockpit.

Read More

Filed under: Aerospace, e-News, Explore Engineering, Mechanical, Transportation | Comments Off on Solar Flair

Tags: Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, aircraft, Aviation, exploration, Solar, Solar Impuse, solar power