Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, Pittsburgh’s David Lawrence Convention Center along the waterfront has a Gold LEED rating, and is both the largest “green” building and first “green” convention center in the world. Inhabitat
BFD. It's better than nothing. I get really irritated when people diss the LEED system because it isn't sustainable enough. If you REALLY want sustainable, don't build anything, or face up to the fact that minimizing impact is the best we can do.
yes, we shouldn't build many things and there is no recognition of that in LEED or in architecture. it doesn't serve their interests. 'minimizing impact' makes doing slightly less bad seem like you're doing good. the aim og the good should be somehting better than merely doing less bad. LEED makes for a fine alibi, but architecture is still complicit in too much even with LEED. the best you can do is not LEED.
i'm starting to agree with switters (the writer says sarcastically): Per my previous response to him under the Vegas Hotel article, consider clubbed baby seal skin carpeting, old growth forest subflooring, and HVAC composed of tsunami victims fanning patrons with giant ostrich feathers.
I think your fight is with the other two points on the construction triangle, switters: the property owners and contractors, not the architects. We are merely servants and go-betweens.
service profession, re: philli johnson's quote from above. of course someone else will do it, probably with marlin's LEED certified whaleskins, unless they go for a different point in the grand LEED checklist. however, it doesn't change the ethics at all. architecture is a profession before it is a service and its fiduciary responsibilities far exceed the need to be a go between or a servant or a mindless tool. you have to question the limits of development to think and practice sustatianably. i don't think that is an absurd proposition.
I think that if this building or any building has to be built, the least that the people can do is make as sustainable as possible. Face it people are gonna build just because they can or they need to. So be thankful that some people are taking it in to there hearths and actually pay some attention to these issues.
Jan 26, 07 11:35 pm ·
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11 Comments
is this an oxymoron? green convention center.
?
green casino, green convention center
this is the irony of LEED. they should call a spade a spade: it is perhaps a slightly less resource-intensive convetion center.
BFD. It's better than nothing. I get really irritated when people diss the LEED system because it isn't sustainable enough. If you REALLY want sustainable, don't build anything, or face up to the fact that minimizing impact is the best we can do.
I think you're right Janosh! the highest LEED rating should be awarded to those that do nothing.
yes, we shouldn't build many things and there is no recognition of that in LEED or in architecture. it doesn't serve their interests. 'minimizing impact' makes doing slightly less bad seem like you're doing good. the aim og the good should be somehting better than merely doing less bad. LEED makes for a fine alibi, but architecture is still complicit in too much even with LEED. the best you can do is not LEED.
i'm starting to agree with switters (the writer says sarcastically): Per my previous response to him under the Vegas Hotel article, consider clubbed baby seal skin carpeting, old growth forest subflooring, and HVAC composed of tsunami victims fanning patrons with giant ostrich feathers.
I think your fight is with the other two points on the construction triangle, switters: the property owners and contractors, not the architects. We are merely servants and go-betweens.
Philip Johnson had another name for us...
"Architects are pretty much high-class whores..."
...the highest LEED rating should be awarded to those that do nothing...
do nothing=no projects=no income. great idea!
duh, if you don't build something, someone else will. architecture is a service profession.
service profession, re: philli johnson's quote from above. of course someone else will do it, probably with marlin's LEED certified whaleskins, unless they go for a different point in the grand LEED checklist. however, it doesn't change the ethics at all. architecture is a profession before it is a service and its fiduciary responsibilities far exceed the need to be a go between or a servant or a mindless tool. you have to question the limits of development to think and practice sustatianably. i don't think that is an absurd proposition.
I think that if this building or any building has to be built, the least that the people can do is make as sustainable as possible. Face it people are gonna build just because they can or they need to. So be thankful that some people are taking it in to there hearths and actually pay some attention to these issues.
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