Green Building is all the rage. From the latest version of LEED, LEED 3.0, to discussions of “LEEDigation.” All of this and more were topics of the first Green Matters Conference this past week in New Orleans. The fact that a conference of this type was feasible shows the growth in green construction and the [...]
After decades of declining productivity, the facility design and construction industry is beginning to benefit from powerful technologies that are poised to transform the way we design, construct and operate buildings. These technologies are commonly referred to as “BIM,” the acronym for Building Information Modeling. I personally prefer VDC, or Virtual Design and Construction, but [...]
The blogs have been crackling for several weeks with reports and analysis of the LEED “challenge” process. Chris Cheatham devoted a multiple part series to analyzing the challenge filed and ultimately rejected to the LEED Gold certification awarded to the Northland Pines High School in Wisconsin. Shari Shapiro has discussed the same and included an [...]
It’s a beautiful, warm spring day here in Richmond, VA. The sprinklers were going in neighborhood yards as I left for work this morning and the clouds are moving lightly on the breeze. With the sun shining and the birds chirping outside of my office window, even I and my old pal Eeyore could smile [...]
A recent article at the Ahead of Schedule Blog brings up a project owner’s perspective on “green” building. The article starts by stating that: Despite the explosion of articles, seminars and webinars on green building and development during the last year or so, there is a dearth of information in the development world regarding what [...]
by Christopher Hill An article in a recent issue of Constructor Magazine, the publication of the AGC of America, makes a point that I have been making for a while, namely that sustainable building is here to stay. The article quotes several contractor members of the AGC and essentially concludes that Green is the new gold [...]
Much of the devastation in Haiti has been attributed to inadequate design, building materials and construction standards. The country has been challenged with insufficient infrastructure only to be shaken to its core by a 7.0 earthquake. A lot of lessons can be learned here about the important of infrastructure investment and what the possible outcomes [...]
by Christopher Hill As I thought about my good friend Eeyore, and my prior post (and borderline obsession with children’s characters (a totally different issue)), I realized that many can (and sometimes do) take my attitudes and penchant for baby steps as skepticism toward the whole idea of sustainable construction and its necessity. Nothing could [...]
by Christopher Hill I am sitting here looking out at a wet, dark and windy day here in Richmond, VA. In many ways I can relate to the clouds. As an attorney I almost always feel like I am raining on the “sustainable building” parade. On Build2Sustain conference calls, I always feel like I’m the [...]
by Christopher Hill Much discussion has centered around the de-certification aspect of the energy reporting requirements of the new LEED guidelines. However, as I have been reading and commenting on the proposed energy reporting requirements found in the latest LEED certification guidelines, and looking at the issue through the eyes of Eeyore (my favorite A. [...]
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