Your One Stop Tenant Improvement Shop
A 12-storey tower in St. John's, N.L. stands to be the first building in that Atlantic Canada province to use seawater for heating and cooling. The building, under construction at 351 Water St., will bear the same name and will overlook St. John’s picturesque harbour. What makes the project stand out, however, is a geothermal system that will use seawater from the harbour to heat and cool the building ... »»»
Just because you are old and you leak a little, it doesn't mean you should be put down. I am also referring to buildings. Most architects have heard "the greenest building is the one that already exists." Consider how much energy it takes to create a new building. It takes approximately 65 years for a green, energy-efficient new office building to recover the energy lost in demolition. Most new buildings in Canada are certainly not designed to last anywhere near that long ... »»»
We're seeing projects that will never have an energy bill and water bill or release carbon into the atmosphere. From modest homes made of recycled shipping containers, to living laboratories that actually produce more energy than they consume. In the past decade, there have been positive developments in British Columbia, and particularly Vancouver, toward greener building practices. But we still have a long way to go ... »»»
The findings of a new U.S. Forest Service study indicate that wood should factor as a primary building material in green building, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today. "The argument that somehow non-wood construction materials are ultimately better for carbon emissions than wood products is not supported by our research," says David Cleaves, U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Advisor ... »»»
A rounded form is just one of the many unique features in the University of Calgary's eco-house, an entry in the United States Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011. The 1,000-square-foot structure was a collaborative effort by University of Calgary students from various faculties, such as environmental design, engineering and Treaty 7 First Nations of Southern Alberta, to build a durable net-zero solar powered home that addresses issues in Aboriginal housing ... »»»
First it was wood and coal, slowly replaced by hydroelectric energy and then in the 20th century nuclear power became our friend and enemy. More recently Bill Gates, who in 2010 turned his attention to saving the world and producing ‘0’ climate emissions instead of zeros and ones. His proposal is to capture U238, the unused energy from U235, as a form of ‘free’ energy hidden all over the world, a waste product from nuclear power plants and all types of unused weapons ... »»»
It’s been proven that greening your building operations can save you money over time, provide healthier occupant spaces, and safeguard the environment. The path to realizing these achievements relies on relationships as much as it does operational strategies. When pursuing green commercial interiors projects or LEED certification, the way landlords and tenants work together is crucial ... »»»
Congratulations! Completing an energy audit is a major undertaking for most organizations. You probably spent a lot of time and involved a lot of people. Just doing an audit is worthy of praise. Now get ready for the real work. What comes after the audit is the key. Here’s where it gets complicated: because there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for setting and achieving energy reduction goals ... »»»