New green building certifications and technologies have been developing steadily all over the world over the last few years.
Environmental certifications such as BREEAM (UK), LEED, (US & Canada), HQE (France) and DGNB (Germany) aim to reduce environmental impact and energy, enhance a property’s value on the market and ensure compatibility with current legislation.
As this environmental trend continues to grow, we take a look at recent innovations across all construction sectors with five of the most inspiring green buildings out there.
Green Warehouses
Warehouses are usually some of the biggest culprits in terms of environmental impacts but this is changing. New green technologies such as fuel cells and space solutions such as mezzanine floors help optimize space, thus reducing energy waste and carbon footprints to a great extent.
A great example of this is Suffolk’s Adnams Brewery, which was also crowned greenest warehouse in the UK in 2010.
As well as being made with environmentally friendly materials, it remarkably features a striking green roof. This means the building is extremely well insulated and is much easier on the eye than your traditional warehouse building.
“Energy positive” housing
The E+ property development in Boston was named one of the best green property projects of 2015 by Fast Company. Developed by architect and president of Urbanica + Development, Kamran Zarhedi, this replicable and inexpensive project is world class. With its solar panels generating even more electricity than needed, maximized daylight and optimal insulation, it does brings green housing to the next level.
The greenest office space in the world
The Bullitt center opened its doors in 2013 right in the middle of Seattle’s Capitol Hill and has been conceived to last 250 years: now that’s sustainability! Its self sufficiency goes from producing its own electricity thanks to photo-voltaic solar panels to recycling its own waste and water.
Tel Aviv University: Israel’s green gem
Located on the university campus of Tel Aviv, Israel, the Porter building was awarded last December with the highest LEED certification, the LEED platinum, scoring 92 points out of 110.
It opened in June 2014 and features an iconic looking ‘Eco-wall’ with solar panels and up-to-date LED displays of water and energy consumption.
The World’s first and tallest green skyscraper
The Shanghai tower should open its doors in 2016 and it’s already been labelled the world’s first eco-friendly skyscraper.
It will stand at 632 meters high, becoming the third highest building in the world. The tower will hold 30 000 people and green areas will occupy an astonishing one third of the entire building.
The tower’s chief architect, Marshall Strabala, promised: “”It will be an impressive building where China looks ahead to both the future of this bustling and ever-changing metropolis, but also to the future of the dynamic Chinese spirit. There will be no other such unique and well-conceived tower like it anywhere in the world”.
