http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Earth_Clean-Energy_Green-Building_18_151_738.html Press Review of the Earth from the most relevant websites. Keep in touch with the Earth and your future ! fr-FR http://www.earth-stream.com/logo-stream-Earth.png http://www.earth-stream.com Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:11:38 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/PREFAB-FRIDAY-BURST*008-on-MOMA-s-West-Lot_18_151_738_134855.html Imagine if your house came delivered to you in over a 1,000 precisely-cut jigsaw-like pieces. This is the idea that New York-based, Jeremey Edmiston of System Architects and Douglas Gauthier of Gauthier Architect had for NYC Museum of Modern Art’s Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling exhibition, when they created BURST*008. Combining architecture and [...] Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:25:16 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Judge-stops-expansion-of-San-Fernando-Valley-hospital_18_151_738_134834.html Providence Holy Cross Medical Center must halt construction work until the L.A. City Council decides whether more environmental review is needed. A judge Thursday ordered a San Fernando Valley hospital to halt construction on its $180-million expansion until the Los Angeles City Council reconsiders the project and decides whether more environmental review is needed. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:22:06 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Ch2m-Hill-Awarded-Contract-for-Architect-and-Engineering-Environmental-Services_18_151_738_134658.html CH2M Hill of Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for $30 million.The objective of this contract is to provide architect and engineering environmental services, restoration program, environmental compliance and conservation planning programs, in and around Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:22:04 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Em-Assist-Awarded-Contract-for-Architect-and-Engineering-Environmental-Services_18_151_738_134648.html EM-Assist of Layton, Utah, is being awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for $30 million.The objective of this contract is to provide architect and engineering environmental services, restoration program, environmental compliance and conservation planning programs, in and around Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:20:55 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/The-New-LEED-Certified-Brooklyn-Children-s-Museum-_18_151_738_134634.html A vibrant swath of yellow amid the brownstones of Crown Heights, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum re-opened on September 20 after its completed expansion. Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, the expansion will be New York City’s first LEED-certified museum in addition to being the first structure to tap geothermal wells as a means to heat and [...] Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:08:06 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/-Home-of-the-Future-Is-Sacramento-s-First-LEED-Platinum-Home_18_151_738_134562.html Photo via SMUD The "Home of the Future" is the goal of BP Solar and OCR Solar & Roofing. They’ve teamed up to create a home that is the most state-of-the-art in energy efficiency. Their design and construction hopes to encapsulate everything a homeowner could want in terms of energy production, storage and consumption. And they've put together quite the home to show off the potential of future dwellings. ... Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:15:49 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Black-&-Decker-Launches-Energy-Saver-Series-Tools_18_151_738_134545.html We are always on the prowl for gadgets that help reduce home energy consumption and save money. Three new Energy Saver Series tools from Black & Decker can soon be added to our artillery for fighting excess energy usage. Specially designed for easy integration into daily life, the three tools help to cut costs through easy monitoring of power use on home appliances to lower monthly bills, automatic lighting so the lights are only on when you want them to be, and (perfect for this time of year) detecting drafts so you can catch insulation problems before they catch hold of your wallet. ... Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:51:38 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/INTERVIEW-Serge-Appel-on-One-Bryant-Park_18_151_738_134540.html One Bryant Park, better known as the ‘Bank of America Tower’, is set to be the greenest skyscraper in the world when it opens later this year. Designed by Cook+Fox Architects, the glossy glass structure is the only skyscraper to achieve LEED platinum - the highest LEED rating. It racks up green points with rainwater [...] Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:58:36 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Financial-storm-dims-hope-of-UN-climate-pact_18_151_738_134470.html Reuters: Global financial mayhem is dimming prospects for a strong new UN pact to fight climate change, but it might aid cheap green schemes such as insulating buildings to save energy, analysts said. The turmoil, straining government coffers with bank bailouts, may sap interest in more costly projects such as burying heat-trapping carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, refining biodiesel or some renewable energies. "There will be a shift in investments" toward energy efficiency, ... Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:02:46 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/At-IIDEX-Dumpster-Diving-Design-Students_18_151_738_134441.html Setting up a trade show the size of IIDEX generates a lot of garbage. The organizers had the bright idea of setting up a charrette for students of design schools in the area, who has 24 hours to go through the dumpsters from the setup and prepare a sculpture. My favorite was this green wall being built by students from Ryerson University School of Architecture.... Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:09:43 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/The-First-LEED-Platinum-Skyscraper-Nearly-Completed-_18_151_738_134404.html After four years of construction the world’s most sustainable skyscraper is nearly completed! Situated at One Bryant park in Midtown Manhattan, the crystalline structure will be the first high-rise to receive LEED Platinum certification. Designed by Cook+Fox Architects for Bank of America, the luminous spire will introduce a dose of levity to New York’s skyline [...] Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:00:42 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Cucumbers-on-the-23rd-floor-_18_151_738_134306.html Imagine strolling a few steps in your underwear to pick fresh tomatoes from the garden, without ever leaving your apartment. All that and more in an urban desert, no less. Israeli architectural firm Knafo-Klimor recently won an international competition for their design of a modern apartment building that incorporates interior gardens into its residential units. The high-rise has 4 columns, the exterior two consisting of standard living spaces, while the two interior form contiguous, vertical gardens, attached to each individual apartment. Engineering tricks allow for sunlight and heat to enter through the windows and create greenhouse conditions, while also blocking them in summer, reducing air-conditioning needs. Given that the gardens are elevated and interior, fewer insects wander in, hence less call for pesticide. Purified gray water from the residences and rain water drawn from the roof are collected for automated irrigation, allowing for virtually fuss-free gardens. Basically, plant seeds, watch them grow, and enjoy. Aside from the gardens, the residential areas themselves leave a clean conscience, as the buildings will generate most of their own electricity and water. The whole structure aims to use green residential technology to the fullest, thusly maximum self-sufficiency with minimal impact. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:35:12 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Gallery-Giants-of-Earth-and-Space_18_151_738_134287.html : Photo courtesy H. RaabOn Oct. 2, 1608, officials in the Netherlands pondered over a patent application. It was submitted by spectacle-maker Hans Lippershey for a "device by means of which all things at a very great distance can be seen as if they were nearby." This is the earliest known record of a telescope. A few months later, scientist Galileo Galilei would get his hands on one. Initially telescopes were simple, handheld gadgets made by combining a few small lenses of ground glass, housed in tubes of wood about as long as a man's arm. But now, 400 years later, the world's largest telescopes require footholds on great mountains and tons of iron and steel to support the giant mirrors that allow scientists to see astoundingly vast distances across space. In a speech to astronomers in June 2008, author Dava Sobel asserted that looking through telescopes is some of the finest work that humans do as a species. Here's a glimpse at that work, with a few images produced by the ten largest ground-based optical telescopes. You can also send us your own photos taken of or through telescopes. Gran Telescopio Canarias Currently, the largest ground-based telescope is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, or GTC, located on one of the Canary Islands, La Palma, home to several telescopes. GTC has a 10.4-meter mirror, formed by 36 custom-made hexagonal components, each engineered to within a millimeter to fit together perfectly. To tell them apart during construction, each segment was inscribed with a unique appellation, named after the flora, fauna and folklore of the local archipelago.: Photo courtesy GTC-IACThe last of the 36 mirror segments was installed in August of this year. However, the telescope saw "First Light" in July 2007, using just 12 of the segments. The first star observed was Tycho 1205081, close to Polaris. But a bit more photogenic is this shot of a pair of interacting galaxies, UGC 10923, each displaying extended star formation regions. Exposure time wa ... Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:29:51 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Examine-the-World-Construction-Chemicals-Market_18_151_738_134240.html Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Chemicals industry industry is available in its catalogue. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:34:33 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Chinese-Algae-Fuel-Facility-to-Make-Ethanol-and-Biodiesel_18_151_738_134134.html After the successful launch of the first commercial scale algae biodiesel plant in the U.S., PetroSun is setting its sights on a new partnership in China to develop a an algae biofuel facility there. Shanghai Jun Ya Yan Technology Development Company has developed an agreement with PetroSun whereby it will provide $40 million (US) for the construction of an algae farm facility inside China and split profits with PetroSun 50/50 in exchange for PetroSun’s propriety technology and expertise. Along with planned ethanol and biodiesel output, the press release states that the facility will be producing “other commercial products” from the algae. I’m guessing that means livestock feed supplements made from what’s left of algae carcasses after they’ve been squeezed for oil and turned into ethanol — but maybe they have another surprise up their sleeves? Read more of this story » Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:50:44 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/United-Kingdom-Tenants-to-demand-energy-efficiency-improvements_18_151_738_134049.html Business Green: The market for insulation and other domestic energy-efficiency improvements should receive a further boost from next month, with the introduction of legislation that will require landlords to show tenants the Energy Performance Certificate score for their property. That is the conclusion of a new survey from the Energy Saving Trust, which found that landlords and property developers are likely to face growing pressure from tenants to achieve high energy-efficiency ratings. The ... Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:02:54 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Slow-Home-Report-October-1-2008_18_151_738_133998.html In this weeks Slow Home Report we discuss the Rue Street House by Hurt Partners Architects. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:41:08 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Spain-s-Carbon-Neutral-Ecotopia-Gets-the-Green-Light_18_151_738_133954.html While Rioja is a name that is normally associated with red or white, the autonomous Spanish province will soon be just as synonymous with green - building green, that is. This week the local government gave the green light to the Logroño Montecorvo Eco City project, an ambitious carbon neutral development north of its [...] Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:40:17 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/Financial-storm-dims-hope-of-tough-UN-climate-pact_18_151_738_133953.html Global financial mayhem is dimming prospects for a strong new U.N. pact to fight climate change, but it might aid cheap green schemes such as insulating buildings to save energy, analysts said. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:14:24 GMT http://www.earth-stream.com/Earth/Clean-Energy/Green-Building/At-IIDEX-Donate-your-Denim_18_151_738_133933.html It seems like a contradiction in terms, but they are trying to build a "green" shopping mall in Waterloo, Ontario. The addition to the Conestoga Mall uses Bullfrog wind power, white roofing, solar panels and LED lighting. They are also running a denim drive to collect old jeans from "enviro-chic fashionistas" to collect 4,000 pairs, convert them into insulation and then install it in 8 homes to be built by Habitat for Humanity. ...