Green Technology Wonders of the World

Organized by Joe NaumannImages and test mainly from

Businessweek.com

Reichstag, New German Parliament, Berlin (1999)

• Norman Foster's renovation of the Reichstag showed the world that green architecture could be a powerful symbol. Embracing the bones of the historic parliament building allowed for a recycling of both materials and ideals. The new glass dome brings daylight deep into the building, while opening up the government functions inside to public scrutiny.

• Technically, the building creates its own electricity using refined vegetable oil, and stores excess heat in a groundwater loop, while its iconic light reflector inside the dome also acts as a chimney, drawing warm air out of the building. The combined result is a 94% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and a great deal of pride on the part of the German people.

Menara Mesiniaga/IBM Tower, Kuala Lumpur (1992)

• The IBM Tower in Kuala Lumpur was the first modern green skyscraper—although its architect, Ken Yeang, prefers to call it a "bioclimactic" building, because of the way its natural ventilation strategies make the building feel as if it were breathing. The design was the first to bring low-energy use to a high-density urban environment, reflecting Yeang's idea that only the sustainable development of cities can accommodate the world's population growth.

• But unlike the sophisticated technical engineering of later green skyscrapers, most of its strategies are passive—such as a spiraling atrium that accommodates "vertical landscaping," improving indoor air quality and aiding natural ventilation, and external louvers that reduce solar heat gain.

J.M. Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia (1998)

• Renzo Piano's cultural center in the South Pacific was the first to show that green architecture is as much about culture as technology. The use of local iroko wood and traditional construction methods reflect sustainable principles—both by reducing the distance materials must travel, and drawing on this French island territory's local economy. By riffing on the shapes of the area's traditional Kanak huts, the 10 individual structures dramatically blend into the landscape, while their vertical slats allow the prevailing winds to ventilate the interiors.

Ford Dearborn Truck Assembly Plant, Michigan (2004)

• The sedum-planted roof of Ford's truck assembly factory at River Rouge has become the primary symbol of the greening of Corporate America. Conceived as part of a broader re-imagining of Ford's historic—and legendarily polluted—River Rouge complex, the 10.5-acre green roof, installed in 2003, is one of the world's largest. The plantings work as a sponge (reducing storm water runoff) and as insulation (protecting the building in both hot and cold weather).

• But more than that, its location near the visitor's center makes the nine varieties of plants—and the birds and wildlife they attract—a powerful communication tool for Ford's story of environmental reclamation.

Colorado Court, Santa Monica (2002)

• There's no shortage these days of projects rated "gold" on the Green Building Council's LEED—for Leadership in Energy and Economic Development—scale, but what attracted attention to Colorado Court when it opened in November, 2002, was its combination of affordable housing and energy neutrality in a dense urban environment.

• It has 44 single-room-occupancy units for very low income tenants, and its combination of an on-site natural gas cogeneration plant system and photovoltaic panels allows the building to send electricity back into the grid during the day. Passive cooling eliminates the need for air conditioning, while rainwater collection prevents polluted water from entering Santa Monica Bay.

BedZED, London (2002)

• The "Beddington Zero (fossil) Energy Development"—or BedZED—applies the concept of carbon neutrality to a small London neighborhood. Developed in partnership with the engineers at Ove Arup, the goal was a "triple bottom line:" social amenity, financial effectiveness, and minimized environmental impact. All of the eighty-two units have gardens to provide a sense of connection to the outdoors.

• Extra insulation reduces energy consumption—to the point, even, of eliminating the need for conventional heating. Instead, the development uses local tree waste as a fuel source for both heating and power, along with a combination of photovoltaics, wind turbines, and wind-driven ventilation (which explain those distinctive chimneys).

Arcosanti, Arizona

• Architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri first broke ground on the new desert town of Arcosanti in 1970, with the idea of building a sustainable community for 5,000 people. Today, the population typically still hovers around 100, and most of those are visiting students, but Arcosanti has become shorthand for visionary, utopian solutions to the challenges of global development.

• Like a medieval village, it's designed for everything to be within walking distance, and the thick earth structures are oriented to the sun for heating, cooling, and lighting. As Soleri—who recently won a National Design award for Lifetime Achievement—explains, at Arcosanti, "the built and the living interact as organs would in a highly evolved being."

30 St Mary Axe, London (2004)• Inevitably known as the Erotic Gherkin, Norman

Foster's London landmark raised the bar for sustainable skyscrapers around the world. Its distinctive tapering profile is the key to its energy efficiency because it creates a pressure differential between inside and outside, driving fresh air into the building. The diagrid structure—repeated, in a different form, in Foster's Hearst Tower in New York—allows for floor-to-ceiling windows, ensuring the maximum amount of daylight.

• A system of atria acts as the building's "lungs," circulating fresh air drawn through the facade's double-skin. Combined, the features reduce the building's energy consumption by half, compared to a typical air conditioned office tower.

The City of Chicago• It may seem odd to call the city of broad

shoulders a green wonder of the world, but Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has set the standard for comprehensive urban environmental initiatives with his plan to make Chicago "the greenest city in America." In 2001, Chicago's City Hall became the site of the first municipal rooftop garden in the nation. Since then, over two hundred buildings throughout the city have added similar gardens.

• All new municipal buildings will be designed to receive at least Silver LEED certification—400,000 trees have been planted, recycled materials are being used to pave the streets, and there are plans to install four wind turbines on the roof of the Daley Center, adjacent to city hall.

San Francisco Federal Building (2006)

• While it won't open for another six months, the San Francisco Federal Building is already shaking up expectations for green architecture. The 18-story home for Federal workers will be the first office tower in the U.S. to eliminate air conditioning, at least over 70% of its area. It accomplishes this through a computer-controlled skin, developed with engineers at Ove Arup, which actively adjusts to weather changes.

• Its narrow floor plate allows for natural ventilation, while metal sunscreens shade the floor-to-ceiling windows. But most striking are its bold design and social agenda: Skip-stop elevators, sky gardens, and open stairs will foster interaction among employees, with the idea of creating a healthy office environment and a healthy culture.

Subaru of America's Indiana Plant Achieves ZERO LANDFILL Status

• Everyone knows about Subaru and their fuel efficient line of cars .... BUT ... did you know that: When you carry out your trash at home ... next collection day, you'll be sending more trash to landfills than the entire Subaru manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana (SIA). ... was the first auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status - nothing from its manufacturing efforts goes into a landfill. It's all reused and recycled."

2305 W. Adams StreetChicago, Inner City 2004-05

• Our aim is to construct an urban single-family home that is ecological, socially regenerative, and self-sustaining. We will only use energy generated on site. We would like this building to be an inspiration to other homeowners and developers in urban environments.