By Jerry Yudelson, Speaker, Author, Green Building Consultant
December 6, 2016
Here are the second five of the ten green building megatrends. Note that these are not necessarily in order of current or future importance! Part one was posted on November 29, 2016. The discussion is taken from my latest book, Reinventing Green Building (New Society Publishers, 2016). (more…)
By Jerry Yudelson, Speaker, Author, Green Building Consultant
November 29, 2016
In 2016 book, Reinventing Green Building, Jerry Yudelson identified 10 megatrends that he believes will shape green building technologies, markets, government rules and certification systems through 2020 and beyond. And, by the way, Jerry Yudelson doesn’t think that the election of Donald Trump will in any way disrupt these trends! (more…)
The book Reinventing Green Building, by Jerry Yudelson, will be available about June 1st. It’s full of detailed statistical analysis of how green building in the US has hit the wall the past few years, commentary from two dozen industry leaders, and detailed recommendations on how to start growing the green building movement once again.
Buildings and their associated systems are the largest source of greenhouse gases in the world. The 2030 Challenge aims to produce zero net -energy from new North American construction by 2030 while achieving a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from existing buildings. With less than 4% of commercial and residential structures in the U.S. and Canada certified by 2015, we seem destined to fall catastrophically short of this target. (more…)
The new administrative building of the Vorarlberg Illwerke was built in six weeks of construction primarily in wood
Outdoor natural, inside nature: the 130-meter-long Illwerke Center Montafon was built by Hermann Kaufmann almost entirely of wood finished parts.
Vandans – Outside the window unfolds with its never-ending coniferous forests and its clammy each other back rocks the rugged landscape of the Montafon. Inside the desk increases at the same time, resinous wood scent in the nose. You already smell the superlatives: The recently completed Illwerke center Montafon, short IZM, with its 10,000 square meters of floor space is currently the largest timber hybrid building in the world. So it’s at least what the client, the Vorarlberg Illwerke AG.
Credit to: Yudelson Associates
Photo: © Yudelson Associates
What are the major trends likely to affect the green building industry and markets in the US in 2014? As one of the world’s leading green building consultants, keynote speakers and authors, Jerry Yudelson thinks he knows the answers. In fact, his Top 10 list of green building megatrends has become an annual event.
At the top of Yudelson’s 2014 list is the prediction that Green building in North America will continue its strong growth in 2014, with the ongoing expansion of commercial real estate construction together with government, university, nonprofit and school construction. “Green building is the tsunami of the future that will inundate the entire real estate industry,” says Yudelson. (more…)
Credit to: RMI
Lovins image copyright RMI.
By Amory B. Lovins
Popular media and political chatter are abuzz with a cacophony of energy news and opinion. Amid the chaos, some orderly strands can be discerned. Here are three themes that merit attention:
EFFICIENCY IS ACCELERATING
Government forecasts predict U.S. energy intensity (primary energy used per dollar of real GDP) will continue to decline roughly two percent annually through 2040, but that the drop will be steepest in automobiles.
Motivated in part by more stringent fuel economy standards coming down the pipeline, lightweighting—the core of the new “platform fitness” approach, which focuses on optimizing a vehicle’s structure first before addressing propulsion technology and fuel source—has been the industry’s hottest strategic trend for several years (see “Battling America’s Automotive Obesity Epidemic,” page 28). (more…)
“Bonapace” offers energy efficient rooms with holiday flair
Credit to: www.passivehouse-international.com
Torbole/Innsbruck. Spending holidays in a Passive House is now also possible in the small town of Torbole at the edge of Lake Garda, where just in time for the summer holidays, a family enterprise has opened a hotel built according to the extremely energy efficient Passive House Standard. As typical for Passive House buildings, the rooms can be heated and cooled via the air filtered in through the incredibly silent ventilation system. With their increased level of sound proofing, triple-glazed windows provide for peaceful holidays and exceptional comfort.
A few weeks after the 1 May 2013 opening of the hotel, those involved in the project met in Torbole for the official awarding of the Passive House Certificate. “The building has been meticulously planned; all connections as well as the technology have been implemented in an exemplary way,” said Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Director of the Passive House Institute, after a tour through the new building. (more…)
