Articles by Paula Melton

Honest Buildings is a new social media platform that connects people to the buildings they live, work, and spend time in. The Honest Buildings website profiles more than 50,000 buildings (and counting). The founders hope that transparency and competition will accelerate demand for high-performance buildings. Imagine an online social network that’s all about buildings. Architects, contractors, and engineers can connect with future clients and subcontractors, give and receive referrals, and even get RFPs and submit bids right in the same platform. Property managers and building owners can show off their retrofit projects and rental spaces. At the same time, prospective

Photo courtesy BNIM Architects The design of the Bancroft School project will include both new construction of residential units and the renovation and restoration of the existing historic Bancroft School structure. Photo courtesy LivingHomes The new LivingHome C6, developed in collaboration with Make It Right and William McDonough, can be fully constructed in less than two months and installed on-site in one day. The Make It Right Foundation, founded by Brad Pitt to help build sustainably designed, flood-protected homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, has broadened its scope to back affordable housing projects in other cities. Working with BNIM

The AIA's Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) has selected seven communities to receive pro bono design and planning services. Click on the slide show button to view additional images. Students work with the Regional UDAT team members on the Pratt City disaster response project in Alabama after tornadoes devastated the neighborhood. Thanks to The American Institute of Architects’ Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program, seven communities will receive pro bono design and planning services to help them in their quest for sustainability. The program has assisted more than 50 communities with development planning since 2005. Cities submit applications outlining the

Photo © Herb Swanson (Vermont Public Radio) This Habitat for Humanity house in Charlotte, Vermont was designed to meet the strict energy use and airtightness metrics that govern the international Passive House standard. A new certification introduced by Passive House Institute U.S. might change the way some Passive House Buildings are modeled, designed, and commissioned in North America. Related links: Passive House Schism Leaves U.S. in Limbo Interview with Dr. Wolfgang Feist From Green Extreme to Mainstream: Passive House Program Gains Momentum in U.S. A new certification system combining the Passive House standard with the Home Energy Rating System (HERS)

Photo © John Linden Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, CA The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA-COTE) has announced its Top Ten Green Projects for 2011. “The bar has been raised” since the Top Ten competition began, noted members of the jury. “Now we want to see diverse project types, projects that resolve urban issues or social issues, projects that change occupant behavior.” Related Links: Cherokee Studios LOTT Clean Water Alliance OS House NREL Model Crafted for Buildings To Achieve Net-Zero Energy Use Step Up on Fifth Vancouver Convention Center West The jurors also noted particular interest in

If you thought the war of the woods was over, think again. Paper is the new front in the ongoing battle between the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The advocacy group ForestEthics recently announced that seven major companies would stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Seven major companies, including Allstate Insurance Company (above) and Office Depot, recently announced that they will stop using the SFI label on their paper products. Related Links: Not Enough Votes for LEED-Certified Wood Benchmark GreenSource Magazine According to a ForestEthics press release, the following

Photo © Bobbi Goodman/Illustration by Carolyn Wong Designers, city planners, Facebook executives, and local residents brainstormed ways to connect the new Facebook campus with Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood in ways that would benefit everyone. The 174-person design charrette helped untangle a variety of issues related to economic development, an adjacent wetland, and lack of public transit. Dear Menlo Park, you have a new notification. Facebook posted on your wall: We’re moving in! Isn’t there anything to do around here? Thus the seed was planted for a large-scale design charrette aimed at finding ways to connect the new Facebook campus