Last week I grabbed a pizza and headed for Copley Square to enjoy my lunch in front of the park. When I finished my delicious Uppercrust I headed for a trash receptacle and encountered Big Belly!

Check out this article in the Globe by Elizabeth Campbell.

We love reading about innovations in alternative energy – and it was especially heartening to read in this article that Daniel Nocera from MIT was able to check his ego at the door and publish his findings early. This way he is sharing his research with the greater science community and others can apply it to their own studies. He’s basically bringing us closer to a society that is not dependent on fossil fuels.

Go Daniel!

“MIT researchers say they have discovered a way to use solar energy cheaply even after the sun goes down, which could make it a mainstream source of power within the next decade. ….

Nocera and the MIT research group said they opted to publish their findings to allow the science community to work on the technology.”The challenges confronting the world in energy are too big to let anybody’s single ego or money get in the way,” Nocera said. “And we’re talking about some really challenging problems.”"

So nice to end the work week on a positive note!

As I promised last week we will continue with our list of notable buildings. This week’s focus is on sustainable commercial buildings. Most of these buildings have similar characteristics when it comes to building sustainably. Things like using natural resources such as water, light, air, and incorporating it in their design, consequently saving electricity and eliminating for air conditioning and heating.

Let’s begin!
The Macallen Building, formerly a printing press, was designed by Office dA, Inc. in collaboration with Burt, Hill architecture firm. Located in South Boston this building has a green roof technology, that collects rainwater runoff for landscaping use, saving the building 600,000 gallons of water annually! The building also has vents that are kept open in order to let fresh air into the apartment lofts. This building also uses sustainable materials such as insulation made from recycled jeans.

The Epicenter. Home of Habitat for Humanity, a non-for-profit organization located in the South Boston. It was designed by Arrowstreet Architects, and is one of the few platinum LEED certified, non-for-profit buildings in Boston. This building features solar panels, recycled car windshields, and other recycled materials for their washrooms, most of which were recuperated from building debris. The building is conveniently facing south where huge windows let the natural light in. The Epicenter also uses natural ventilation as a replacement of air-conditioning mechanisms. To top that off they store rainwater which is harvested and stored for landscaping!

The Genzyme Center, located in Cambridge Massachusetts is designed by Behnisch & Partners, architecture firm is based out of Venice, California. The creative minds behind this impressive commercial building have incorporated a top lit atrium allowing natural light to enter the entire building while providing light to almost every corner. This building has night time ventilation, and uses a curtain glazing system. There are several indoor gardens for employees to enjoy while looking up at a complex system of mirrors that deflect the light from the sun into different parts of the building.

San Francisco Federal Building, designed by Thomas Mayne (founder of Morphosis) is located in San Francisco. This building takes into account the health of it’s employees and the environment. Take for instance the incorporation of sensors that open and close the windows mechanically during the day improving the in door air quality creating natural air flow ventilation. This building also reduces the need of electricity by having big windows that rung from the floor to the ceiling. An interesting concept in this building that perhaps not all employees are happy with is that the elevator stops every three floors to encourage employees to utilize the stairscase as a way to exercise and socialize with one another.

New York Times Building, designed by Renzo Piano (Italian architect) last on our list today demonstrating the evolution of sustainable, commercial designs. This building is made mostly from glass and steel. It uses technology to monitor the amount of direct sunlight and glare entering the building and adjusts the intensity of the light on the inside accordingly. It’s ventilation systems incorporates 85% efficient filtration and a humidification system to maintain optimum indoor air quality.

Well that’s a wrap for this weeks sustainable architecture, join me next week to see what we have on our lists

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Back in the day communities used to come together to help raise a barn. Now we have communities helping each other install solar panels – I love this! Check out the article in the Globe today and look at the amazing cost savings (see excerpt below).

“By eliminating labor costs, the New Hampshire group has been able to reduce the price from more than $10,000 for a conventionally installed system to as little as $3,000, organizers of the group say. Federal tax credits and local company rebates – such as those available in New Hampshire – can reduce the price even further, to as low as about $1,500, they say.” – May 8, 2008 Boston Globe.