DETAIL Green News-Feed Background

Heating energy from a tunnel

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

No potential source of heating energy should be left unused if the German energy turnaround is to be successful. A promising pilot project has been realised in Jenbach, Austria: ground source energy from a railway tunnel is used to heat buildings.

50 times 48 metres deep

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The biggest seasonal borehole thermal energy storage system in Europe is being built in Braedstrup, Denmark. The aim is to store the energy collected in a gigantic solar thermal energy system in an array of borehole heat exchangers over the winter, thereby significantly increasing the solar component of the local district heating network..

EDUCATE - sustainability in University curricula

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

An EU project aims to implement environmental design in academic education as the promotion of sustainability in the design of the built environment is a key-factor for addressing the challenges mankind faces in response to finite resource availability, energy consumption and climate change.

Masdar Institute - germ cell for an urban vision

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Since being unveiled, the Masdar City project has proven a considerable topic of debate. Opinions range from excitement to scepticism.

5 drafts for Manhattan 2030

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Architects from New York proceeded the concepts of the Audi Urban Future Award 2010. Our reporter Frank Kaltenbach visited the exhibition at the New Museum.

ECOWEEK proposals for Thessaloniki

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

More than 300 young participants developed ideas at the 6th ECOWEEK "Urban Communities and Green Architecture".

Life Cycle Assessment of Infrastructures - Buildings

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Chair of Sustainable Construction at ETH Zurich is conducting a major research study on how comparative Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of residential buildings may be simplified in the future.

Triple plus for maximum energy efficiency

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

At the end of 2010, the European Union launched a new - currently voluntary - energy label for household appliances. The existing efficiency classification from A++ to G will remain, but there will a new addition of A+++ for especially efficient appliances.

New graduate school for climate-conscious construction

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) intends to address sustainable and climate-conscious construction in different climate zones more strongly in the future. A fundamental part of this research project will be formed by an international graduate school - Climate Culture Building (CCB) - which is to support implementation of the relevant basic research.

Bamberg is switching to renewable energy

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In the German city of Bamberg, both city and county are working together towards a 100-percent supply of renewable energy. This should be realised by 2035 - reason enough for the Renewable Energies Agency to declare Bamberg the "Energy Municipality" of the month for August 2010.

Norman Foster honours plus energy houses

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Swiss Agency for Solar Energy (Solar Agentur Schweiz) found a prominent patron for its 20th anniversary of the Swiss Solar Awards. For the first time, outstanding plus energy houses had been nominated for the 'Norman Foster Solar Awards'.

German DGNB goes international

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Buildings in China and Bulgaria are to be certificated according to the German DGNB standard (German quality certification for sustainable construction) soon. Also other countries decided to use the German DGNB certification, which international alignments were presented at the "Consense" conference in Stuttgart.

AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects selected

Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that AIA members have planned and built throughout the world during the last year. The projects will be honored at the AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami.

"Building green" goes east

Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The second edition of Build Green CEE was organized this year in Budapest bringing together representatives of Green Building Councils and their member companies - developers, investors, providers of green solutions, academics and media representatives.

Wanted: The triple zero

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The requirement that buildings must cover their own energy and water needs in future and, on top of this, should be CO2-neutral in the way that they are operated is often held up as a goal but is rarely put into practice. The American ZEROprize will now be awarded to the first restoration project that verifiably achieves a zero carbon footprint.

"Holcim Award" in gold goes to Morocco

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Prizes for one of the largest competitions in the field of sustainable architecture are currently being awarded in several countries. Presented every three years, the Holcim Award in 2009 will go to projects from Morocco, Vietnam, China and the US.

Sustainable plans on the Persian Gulf

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Persian Gulf - a desert region when it comes to sustainable building as well? This seemed to be the case there for quite a long time. But in the meantime, Abu Dhabi in particular has become one of the world's biggest investors in solar energy and is now in the process of creating Masdar City, a model of ecological building. Moreover, it has initiated its own certification system for sustainable buildings.

From 2018 onwards, new buildings must cover their own energy requirements

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Shortly before the European elections, the European Parliament decided on the direction that building is to take in the future in Europe. Accordingly, all new buildings in the EU from 2018 onwards are to cover their own energy requirements. Moreover, a method of calculating the overall energy efficiency of buildings is to be developed by March 2010 and is to be uniform throughout Europe.

DGNB Seal of Quality - Sustainable in Every Respect

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Of the 28 buildings that were awarded the seal of quality of the German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) at the beginning of the year, the Paul Wunderlich House in Eberswalde, Brandenburg, had the best overall score. Completed in 2007, this seat of the district administration and the state council of Barnim sets a new scale for sustainable building.

Market Premises of Sustainable Certification

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

On the property market, certificates of sustainability still have to prove their worth, despite early successes. The international dimension and the quality the various labels are nevertheless regarded as the basis of any long-term market acceptance.

On the sustainability of ecological model cities

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"Eco-cities" are currently being planned in various locations around the world. In an age of climate change, planning cities according to the criteria of sustainability has become conceivable. However, one must be wary that the "eco" prefix is not simply a kind of lubricant that makes it easier to slip hypertrophic urban visions past political decision makers.

An Interview with KieranTimberlake

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

KieranTimberlake (Philadelphia) is known for LEED platinum certified projects as well as experimental structures like the Loblolly House. Thomas Madlener talked to James Timberlake and Richard Maimon about recent developments in sustainable architecture in the US, and how it will evolve in the future.

The sun won't send us a bill

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It has never been easier to be ecologically sensible than it is today. Because 'eco' pays. The majority of those living in rich countries haven't become ecologists overnight. But they will change over to ecological sources of energy and better energy efficiency because they want to save money.