A burgeoning USGBC-sponsored organization for students and young professionals launches a design competition aimed at drawing more people in. Read more
Perhaps because of a cooling housing market, new product introductions at this year's International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., were short on excitement. But green products had a strong showing. Read more
FAIA's Steven Winter offers tips on how to meet residential green building standards. Read more
After several years of tentative steps, national green building programs are making strides toward getting their residential guidelines—and their delivery systems—up and running. Just finishing up is the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes pilot project, a year-and-a-half-long experiment that involved more than 200 builders and resulted in 31 green-certified homes. Demand for the program is strong. Read more
Australia's natural environment is harsh, unpredictable, and beautiful—conditions that cause inspiration and perspiration among the country's residential architects. Read more
Architects all over the world strive to establish a strong indoor-outdoor connection in their work. But a 12,863-square-foot lodge in South Africa by Los Angeles-based DRY Design takes the idea of living with nature even further than most. Read more
This Miller/Hull Partnership project focuses on the sustainable basics of responsible orientation, passive heating and cooling, and sensitive site preparation. Read more
big and green
big and green
green building is booming, but until homeowners are ready to embrace the less-is-more attitude can big and green peacefully coexist? Read more
The temperature atop Chicago’s City Hall building on an average summer day is usually 14 degrees to 44 degrees cooler than the county office building across the street. The reason: the county building has a typical black-tar roof, while City Hall has a green roof planted with grass, plants, and flowers. The idea of planting grass or other vegetation on the roof of a building or house may seem like a holdover from the ’60s counterculture movement, but proponents say such roofing systems are the solution to a wealth of environmental problems plaguing cities and jurisdictions across the country. Read more
Eco-Terr terrazzo tiles from Miami-based Coverings Etc are formed using 80 percent postindustrial stone and glass chips and a cement binder. The manufacturer claims the resulting tiles are thin, strong, and ideal for residential applications, particularly high-traffic areas. Read more
Japanese sliding doors from German shoji manufacturer Shoji Living are now distributed in the United States. Crafted of vertical-grain Douglas fir recovered from managed forests, the handmade screens can be speced with three different facings: polyester-reinforced paper, PVC-laminated shoji paper, or environmentally friendly decorative resin panels from 3form. Read more
Made from end-grain bamboo bonded with a formaldehyde-free and food-safe adhesive, the 1 1/2-inch-thick panels come in three standard sizes--30 inches by 96 inches, 36 inches by 72 inches, and 48 inches by 96 inches. Read more
AMD Architecture's Angela M. Dean offers her top product picks. Read more
AMD Architecture's Angela M. Dean offers her top product picks. Read more
AMD Architecture's Angela M. Dean offers her top product picks. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
planet-friendly finishes make all the difference, inside and out. Read more
an advanced plug-and-play system caters whole-house audio control to the information age. Read more
A San Francisco office building seeks to become more environmentally-conscious through relocation. Read more
