Green Building : Jetson Green

Eco Development at Dockside Green

Dockside Green is an award-winning development located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  Within the 1.3 million square-foot, mixed-use community, all of the buildings, except the restaurant and pub facilities, have committed to obtaining LEED Platinum certification under the applicable Canadian LEED rating system. 

Off the Grid Urban Block for Dallas

Several months ago, we profiled all three finalists in the Re:Vision Dallas competition.  The purpose of the competition was to design a sustainable urban city block near Dallas City Hall.  Of these finalists (and several hundred other entries), the Forwarding Dallas entry has now been announced as the winning design.  The off-the-grid block, designed in collaboration between Atelier Data and Moov, is scheduled to break ground in 2011. 

Sozawe Terraced Green Roof Complex

The other day, Design Boom reported on this project for the city of Groningen in the Netherlands.  Designed by NL Architects, the project, called Sozawe -- welfare department and work agency -- has office spaces, a large interior public space, and 215 parking spaces.  Each of the nine office floors includes access to outdoor spaces with trees and a view over the city. 

Portland SIPs House Now Complete!

About a year and a half ago, we mentioned a project designed by seed architecture studio called the SIPs House in Portland.  Built by Kaya General Contractors, the home is now complete.  Since it hasn't sold yet due to market conditions, the developing partner is going to move in. 

The all-electric home is one of the first homes in Portland to be built with SIPs and features a number of green features:

Nashville Hutton Hotel Goes Green

Earlier this year, Hutton Hotel opened its doors in Nashville, Tennessee.  Hotel Interactive recently referred to the building as "one of the most sustainable focused properties" it had ever seen, although the developer, Amerimar Enterprises, decided to skip LEED certification.  Built from the skeleton of a former office building, Hutton Hotel has 248 rooms and some of the following green elements: 

Caulkers Cash, Smaller Homes, Green Building Benefits, + Energy Monitors

• Smaller homes are in the ascendant.
• How to choose energy-efficient windows.
• Hohm vs. PowerMeter: a side-by-side rundown.
• A stimulus that could save money: cash for caulkers.
• Green buildings reduce energy use, lower financial risk.
• Green buildings: fewer sick days, higher rents.
• Green building practices expand globally.

Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.

LEED Platinum Ross Street House

This is the Ross Street House in Madison, Wisconsin.  It's located just a mile from the University of Wisconsin campus and the first LEED Platinum home in the entire state!  I first noticed the home in an article on Cadalyst, where author Kenneth Wong discussed the use of ArchiCad software to model the home and neighboring properties for context.  Owner Carol Richard, partner in the Atlanta firm of Richard Wittschiebe Hand, also used modeling to optimize the amount of natural light brought into the home. 

SMU Bush Library Goes for Platinum

Yesterday, First Lady Laura Bush, architect Robert A. M. Stern, and landscape architect Matthew Urbanski unveiled the design of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.  Located on the east side of SMU's campus, the design will complement the consistent Georgian architecture of the rest of the university.  And when complete, the $250 million building will be LEED Platinum certified.  

Five Unique and Green Home Designs

Architect and interior designer Johnna Barrett, Barrett Design, Inc., recently launched a set of five modern green home designs ranging in size from 1,800 to 2,500 square feet.  Offered for sale on Sustain House, the designs are contemporary and provide for energy savings of 20-30% above a home built to code.  The plans also include a LEED checklist designed to facilitate the earning of a LEED Gold or Platinum level certification, assuming an optimal site selection.  Check out these five homes in the Modern Forest Series ... do you have a favorite design?

Green Clayton i-House Set in Kentucky

There's been a lot of talk of the i-House ever since Clayton Homes announced its launch in about January of this year.  The home is contemporary, affordable, and energy efficient.  Landowners Bob and Melinda bought a 37-acre swath of land in 2006, hoping to someday build a home on it and live the good country life.  They're 95 miles from Louisville in western Kentucky and had an i-House delivered just about a month ago.