"an engineer monitors the efficiency of a building from its design through its initial operation" The practice of “commissioning,” in which an engineer monitors the efficiency of a building from its design through its initial operation, just may be the most effective strategy for... View full entry

New AD number edited by David Gissen rolls out. New AD number edited by David Gissen rolls out. (Here is David's announcement). Territory: Architecture Beyond Environment Needless to say it, but I'll say it anyway, I'm incredibly excited for this issue of Architectural Design. My article on... View full entry

This week NPR's Studio 360 discusses "Warming Oceans, Threatened Cities". This week NPR's Studio 360 discusses "Warming Oceans, Threatened Cities".If there's one climate change scientists are sure of, it's that sea levels are rising - and coastal cities are in their way. In a new exhibit up at New... View full entry

AP reports on Plastic soup seen in Atlantic, near Puerto Rico.AP reports on Plastic soup seen in Atlantic, near Puerto Rico. (Hooray for dispossessed peoples everywhere! Now the Dutch can design you another homeland where you can disappear to). View full entry

The Far Eastern Group sponsored an incredible three story “EcoARK” Pavilion for the 2010 Taipei International Expo. The just-finished structure features walls made entirely out of plastic bottles and is built to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. These aren’t your average-joe... View full entry

A group of architects from the Netherlands have a crazy idea to take all the plastic floating out there in the Pacific Ocean, and recycle it into a floating island the size of Hawaii. Climate refugees would be able to move there and live in recycled plastic homes, and work on farms or grow... View full entry

Can a big house be green? Berkeley residents who are destined to be neighbors to millionaire Mitch Kapor don't think so, and have shared their concerns with the New York Times. Can a big house be green? Berkeley residents who are destined to be neighbors to millionaire Mitch Kapor don't think so... View full entry

The Maldives government and Dutch Docklands/Dutch Watervalley just signed an agreement yesterday to develop several floating facilities for the islands, including a convention center and golf courses. Designed by architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.NL, the people who brought you the Citadel... View full entry

As the Winter Games kick off this weekend, a look at the particular Vancouverism that makes these the most sustainable Olympics ever. From local architects and materials, to reused buildings, call it the polar opposite to Beijing. As the Winter Games kick off this weekend, a look at the particular... View full entry

Solar engineers have long sought to develop an energy-generating glazing that is as capable of producing power as it is easy on the eyes. The feat may just have been accomplished by The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), who have developed a see-through concentrating solar system... View full entry

There are even better ways I personally could see for bloated military budgets, and there are other not-so-veiled assumptions about "developing" countries in here, but anyway... Here's an idea... There are even better ways I personally could see for bloated military budgets, and there are other... View full entry

7.0-magnitude earthquake left the Haitian capital in a shambles. round-up of a few news sources.Reuters blog | NYT | twitter: @caribnews | internetHaiti View full entry

The EPA has released a new interactive map that lays out the locations of facilities across the US that have violated environmental laws, been caught by the EPA, and subjected to enforcement actions. "The EPA has released a new interactive map that lays out the locations of facilities across the... View full entry

Check it out at ASLA's DIRT Check it out at ASLA's DIRT... ASLA created a new online resource guide on using low-impact materials in sustainable residential landscape architecture. The guide contains lists of organizations, research, concepts and projects related to plants and sustainable... View full entry

"The nation’s top scientists and spies are collaborating on an effort to use the federal government’s intelligence assets — including spy satellites and other classified sensors — to assess the hidden complexities of environmental change." NYT "The nation’s top... View full entry