Eco Lifestyle

9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Maes says bike share threatens 'personal freedoms'

2010-08-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Maes says bike share threatens 'personal freedoms'

AIA Denver COTE Presentation: Green Walls

2010-03-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

Friday, March 5, 11:30am-1:00pm – UC Denver Building, Room 470, 1250 14th St, Denver

Keith Loftin, Associate Professor of Architecture, will present this session for the AIA Denver Committee on the Environment (COTE). The program will discuss the various definitions of sustainable architecture and how such buildings utilize highly technical solutions to solve architectural programs with the least expenditure of energy. The presentation will argue that the development of a truly sustainable architecture will require a dramatic change from the technological imagery of the modern project that includes the technical, the industrial and the scientific. Several well-known works of architecture will be briefly examined to make this point and an un-built project will be described that uses the imagery discussed.

AIA Denver COTE Presentation: Overview of LEEDv3 and LEED AP Program Changes

2009-12-28T10:51:00.001-08:00

Friday January 8, 2010 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Join the AIA Denver Committee on the Environment (COTE) on Friday, Jan. 8, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., for Overview of LEEDv3 and LEED AP Program Changes, a presentation by Dana Kose, board chair of the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter and Jim Bradburn, vice chair of the USGBC Colorado Chapter. The presentation will take place at the University of Colorado at Denver, Room 470 (1250 14^th St., Denver, Colo.).

The program will provide an overview of the changes made to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System Version 3 and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Professional Accreditation (LEED AP) program. The presentation will explain the reorganization of the existing LEED rating systems and the new key advancements. It will also explain the changes the LEED AP program is undergoing to strengthen its strengths and improve its weaknesses, as well as allow the credential to be relevant while offering differentiation and specialization.

Attendees can earn 1.0 health, safety and welfare (HSW) AIA continuing education learning unit. Under the state of Colorado’s rules for continuing education for state licensure renewal, this program meets the requirements for 1.0 HSW professional development unit.

RSVPs are requested and must be made by Thursday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m. by contacting Jenna Cather at 303.446.2266, ext. 112 or jenna@aiacolorado.org. This presentation is free for all AIA Colorado members and non-members not seeking continuing education credit. Non-members seeking continuing education credit may attend for a fee of $15. Download a non-member registration form here.

AIA Denver COTE Meeting 11-6-09

2009-10-30T16:01:00.001-07:00

ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY
Friday, November 6, 11:30am-1:00pm – UC Denver Building, Room 470, 1250 14th Street, Denver

Join the AIA Denver Committee on the Environment (COTE) for Architecture for Humanity, presented by Sarah Karlan and Matthew Hamann. This presentation will discuss Architecture for Humanity as a volunteer organization who provides pro bono design services to local and international communities in need and how they strive to promote environmentally and socially responsive solutions through education and a strong collaboration with client and community. While working in conjunction with other humanitarian based organizations and community networking, Architecture for Humanity aims to continually expand their influence and advocacy and promote a better way of life through an architectural medium. RSVPs are requested and must be made by Thursday, Nov. 5, at 4 pm by contacting Jenna Cather at 303.446.2266, ext. 112 or jenna@aiacolorado.org. Cost: Free for members/ $15 for non-members. AIA Denver COTE meets the first Friday of each month. The presentation will be preceded by an AIA Denver COTE business meeting at 11:30am. For more information about this committee, contact AIA Denver at 303.446.2266 or visit the website.

The Cost of Building Green

2009-04-03T19:14:00.001-07:00

(Source: AIA - American Institute of Architects, March 31, 2009)

When "Green Construction" is discussed the focus inevitably turns to cost. How much additional will the green project cost? Some organizations are opposed to any additional first costs while others have some tolerance for additional expenditures.

The most prominent standard for green buildings is the USGBC (US Green Building Council). The USGBC LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program has four levels of green certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. These levels represent increasing levels of sustainability. There have been numerous studies aimed at comparing the cost of a USGBC LEED certified building to traditional designs. The average additional cost quoted is in the range of 2% to 5%. Based upon commercial building costs of $150/sq.ft. to $250/sq.ft., this is equivalent to a $7.50 to $12.50/sq.ft. premium for building green. The majority of this cost is due to the increased architectural and engineering design time necessary to integrate sustainable building practices into the projects. Another additional cost is for commissioning. Commissioning is the process of ensuring that the systems are designed, installed, functionally tested and capable of being operated and maintained to conform to the design intent. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory commissioning can save as much as 40% of the buildings utility bills for HVAC.

As more buildings are being designed to address the green initiatives the additional design as well as construction cost is decreasing.

Now let's examine the advantages of owning a "green" building. The obvious advantage is the reduced impact on the environment through waste recycling, reduced water and energy consumption, and better indoor air quality by reducing VOCs. In addition to these environmental advantages there are marketing and tenant retention benefits to owning a green building. Organizations want to locate and stay in a healthy building. Finally there is a productivity and health value associated with "green" buildings. Greg Kats of Capital E published an analysis that projects the 20 year NPV (net present value) savings of a Certified or Silver building. The cost savings are attributable to reduced water, energy, waste plus commissioning O&M and productivity and health value. Savings of $52.87/square foot for Certified or Silver buildings and $71.31/square foot for a Gold or Platinum buildings are projected. Of these amounts $36.89/square foot and $55.33 respectively are attributable to productivity and health value. Even if the productivity and health value is reduced or eliminated the 20 year NPV savings ($52.87 - $36.89 = $15.89) exceeds the cost premium stated above.

In light of the above who can afford not to build green?

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Schmurgen's Blog: Super Bowl 2009 - The "green" game?

2009-01-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

Schmurgen's Blog: Super Bowl 2009 - The "green" game?