To encourage residents to build greener houses, Phoenix is offering free design and construction plans for a sustainable residence designed by Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects.

The new guidelines will support the creation of zero net carbon buildings by combining efficiency standards with protocols for renewable energy.

The net zero building for the Discovery Elementary School informs a green curriculum.

The ambitious environmental agenda of a new elementary school by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) on Staten Island, New York, is obvious from the first encounter: almost 1,600 photovoltaic (PV) panels cloak the 68,000-sqare-foot, two-story structure, covering the south facade, extending over its roof, and cantilevering out to float above a playing field.