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 ...

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.

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

“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 ...

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.

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.