Green Builders Blog

Jessica C asked:


My parents are building a pool and we have selected burgandy brick coping to line the pool (it matches the house) and we are looking for either a stone-like tile to match, or something with a little green in it. Anyone know of any good websites that offer design ideas?

Rose

ktray1275 asked:


and yes I do run into burning buildings

Ann

Colt S asked:


I’m still in high school, but I’ve started to think about what I’d like to do later in life. I know that I want to do something involving business and the environment, like vertical farming, green architecture, etc. What I don’t know is what kind of major this would be (environmental science, business?).

Gil

Lost. at. Sea. asked:


Some days ago I pass a building that was made of exposed concrete (without paint). The owner paint the entire building in an horrible green (mint). Can you imagine a person that buy a Monet paint only to be use as canvas for another paint? In what way are the architects the owners of their desings?
r u randy:
Can you imagine the Sydney Opera House painted in Yellow or a building of Frank Gehry with the titanium cladding removed? Or what about White House painted in gray.

Jamie

Liola asked:


And why? Romantic? Green? Nice architecture?…

Burton

J p asked:


If someone would help me come up with a name for this design project I have. Some details are it is in NY, is “green”, and uses the building’s shape to create a wind tunnel.

If someone who is creative could come up with a catchy name for the research facility I would appreciate it
When I said “green” I meant green as in eco friendly not the color.

Needs to refernce wind in the title

Luke

Beavis and Butt-Head asked:


January 18, 2008 8:31 AM PST
Masdar City in Abu Dhabi to lay claim to greenest city
Posted by Martin LaMonica

The cleanest city in the entire world will take root next month in Abu
Dhabi, a place best known for its oil.

At the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, a model of Masdar City
is scheduled to be unveiled on Monday. The three-day conference is
hosted by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co.’s Masdar Initiative, which
is investing in a range of ventures, including clean-tech start-ups.

An artist’s rendering of the overall plan of Masdar City. A model will
be unveiled Monday.
(Credit: Masdar)

In February, Masdar (which means “the source” in Arabic) will break
ground on the six-square-kilometer city that its backers say will be
the first zero-pollution, zero-waste city. The city will be capable of
housing 47,500 people, who are scheduled to start moving there in
2009. Construction is expected to take 10 years.

The vision of the city, designed by Foster and Partners, is to be a
model for sustainable architecture.

A solar-photovoltaic power plant will deliver energy to buildings.
Builders also envision using solar canopies that provide shade, as
well as power.

A vision of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
(Credit: Foster and Partners)

The city will be placed to take advantage of the cool sea breezes,
while a perimeter wall around the entire city will protect buildings
from the hot desert air and noise from the nearby Abu Dhabi airport.

No cars will be allowed in the city. People will get around through an
electric light-rail system that will be linked to the center of Abu
Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

A desalination facility will be 80 percent more efficient than
existing plants, and all wastewater will be purified and recycled to
grow plants that could be used for biofuels.

Masdar City will be the home of the Masdar Institute of Science and
Technology, which backers hope will attract some of the best academics
from the around the world. Also envisioned are research and
development facilities from multinational companies and start-ups in
the clean technology area.
Topics:
Green buildings, Solar
What chances does something like this have of succeeding?

Traci

Moggel74 asked:


I am in my 3rd year of my Architecture class, and we are beginning to design commercial building designs. We were told to make it “green”, meaning that they want me to design the building more environmentally friendly. How are some ways I can incorporate the “green” into my designs? (right now, we are designing a dentist office)

Lazaro

God BLESS America asked:


On Monday, House Republican leaders put out a list of what they call wasteful provisions in the Senate version of the nearly _$900 billion_ stimulus bill that is being debated:

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship) (global warming equipment?)

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland
Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.” (what’s that?)

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. (I thought they were exempt from the Fed. government)

+500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

• $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job
programs. (Obama’s youth?)

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health
facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for
National and Community Service. (paid volunteers?)

• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the
Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

• $850 million for Amtrak, a business that’s been losing money for the past 20 years. ( I think Amtrak should be revamped)

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

• $75 million to construct a “security training” facility for State
Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for
use on military installations. (but O wants to cut our nukes by 80 percent?)

*If you were voting to spend _our_ money, is this how you would be doing it under the guise of “stimulus”?*

*Kentucky wisdom: “If it smells like a pig, and squeals like a pig, and
eats any slop that you serve it, then it is certainly a politician that is
pushing pork into what they would argue should be a legitimate bill.*

*Note: House Republicians have identified the above as wasteful.

What do you think?***

Ollie

qwe asked:


I am having a tough time deciding which cad software to get to design a flying machine or some other cool stuff, backpacks, arm bands, basically anything that might be useful for human life.

I use sketchup pro but really it isn’t easy to make accurate detailed drawings (where the h*ll is array hatch or mirror!!), I love the shortcuts for speed over a command line. But I’ll probably just use sketchup to present and make things pretty. There’s only so far Sketchup’s intuitiveness can help otherwise the red green and blue lines hurt more than help, and I cant keep the same view so I don’t know where or how far a line extends. The only other cad I’m used to is autocad 2004, but they’re up to 09? I used autocad 2004 almost completely for 2d though, so is it good for what I want? What else might be easy to learn with many many tutorials on youtube and some built in?
wow thanks guys, I’ve struck gold in the answers community! keep the answers coming. Right now it’s sort of tied. I’ve heard great things about inventor and will at least look on youtube at it.
I forgot how huge these kinds of software were… The have a CD for a trial of inventor right?

Lincoln