August 21, 2012   

Dear Clients, Friends and Colleagues,

As we muddle through the dog days of summer during the hottest year on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, I thought I'd counteract all this heat with two really COOL ideas for green buildings.   

The first is known as the LO2P: Delhi Recycling Center, winner of the 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. Destined for New Delhi and designed as a large-scale wind turbine, the LO2P looks like a giant Ferris wheel that will be suspended over the city. It will be made of recycled cars and function as a giant "lung" to clean New Delhi's polluted air. Large greenhouses and rotating filters will be scattered throughout the building to filter the outside air. Waste heat and CO2 will be captured and recycled to grow the greenhouse plants, which in turn will be used to create biofuels. The intended location for the LO2P ----  New Delhi ----  is particularly apt as it is one of the most densely populated and polluted cities in the world, with staggering annual increases in vehicular mobility as cars increasingly replace other forms of transportation. The LO2P is a truly novel climate change solution. Bravo to all involved!   

Another great idea is the proposed new Apple headquarters building that will be situated on 175 acres in its hometown of Cupertino, CA. Another giant circular structure, this building looks a lot like a spaceship. Given its intended location in the state of California, not only does the project have to be energy and water efficient, but Apple has to establish that it will not generate any additional CO2 emissions once complete. One of the ways Apple intends to achieve this is by supplying all of its energy generation needs on-site: the campus will be entirely self-powered by on-site fuel cells, 650,000 square feet of solar panels and natural gas. Thus the grid will be a backup, rather than primary, source of power. Interestingly, once the project is complete, Apple projects that the site will be 350% more landscaped than it is now with 90% of the parking underground. We look forward to hearing more about this project.

If you're working on a COOL green building project or want to green a building project you're working on, let us know. We want to hear from you as we continue our work to make the world a greener, cooler place!