Green Architecture.

Downtown Brooklyn Citypoint Mall

Future Downtown Brooklyn Citypoint Mall Seeking LEED Silver

via inhabitat.com

Just across the Manhattan bridge, downtown Brooklyn is bustling with shoppers running from store to store, and stores there are a plenty! That’s why it’s a little confusing to us that the city of New York has just delegated 20 million dollars in stimulus funds to jump-start the building of the LEED Certified Citypoint Mall. The mall is the first phase of a larger construction project to take place on the site of the old Albee Mall — demolished in 2007 — and is part of the city’s efforts to make-over downtown Brooklyn. Call us crazy, but it’s a little odd to build a green building in order to sell more presumably not-green stuff. Especially in an area awash in retail spots already.

The project also includes a future office building, an apartment complex, and a small green space at Willoughby Street. We’re confident the building will feature some significant sustainable features as the developers, Cook + Fox have projects such as the Bank of America Tower under their belts. Still, as deep as our excitement runs for LEED certified buildings, part of being green is only creating what you need. If you’ve been in Downtown Brooklyn lately you’d have noticed the plethora of empty spaces there, including unoccupied luxury housing, desolate office space and empty retail fronts. So why the new building if we can’t fill what’s already there? Plenty of people in Brooklyn seem to be dumbfounded.

If Inhabitat had a say in this development we’d elect to have that “small green space” at Willoughby Street turned into a large green park covering the whole of the empty property. Downtown Brooklyn, while stuffed with retail stores, is sorely lacking trees and vegetation. Instead of spending stimulus money to create more commercial space, we could use that money to give people a constructive and healthy place to gather outside. For now we’ll remain perturbed about this project, though we still applaud other recent New York City projects that have caught our eye and earned our appreciation.

Stunning Treehouse Designs from Germany

BAUMRAUM: Stunning Treehouse Designs from Germany

This is old but pretty cool nonetheless.

There’s nothing like a tree-top dwelling to conjure up gilded memories of childhood adventures and endless summers. It’s even better when they’re put together as wonderfully as the ones by Baumraum, who specialize in arboreal abodes. The beautiful tree house above is one of many from Baumraum, serenely sequestered amid the woodlands of Germany where they act as playgrounds, conference spaces, and restful retreats.

Nestled amidst lush pine and magnolia trees, this treehouse from Baumraum updates a traditional backwoods form with a sharp modern profile. The quadratic cube is supported by two high-quality steel frames and features a terrace and an outdoor shower. The interior is outfitted with a full set of modern features including a stereo system, heating, and large windows that contribute ample amounts of natural light, making it a perfect place to enjoy the outdoors no matter the season.  You can see all of Baumraum’s creative treehouse designs at their website.

Baumraum

Norwegan Turbine City Could Be The Next Big Eco-Tourist Attraction

Norwegan Turbine City Could Be The Next Big Eco-Tourist Attraction

What if we could combine turbines with tourism – turbism? Tourbines? That’s what one design firm, On Office, wants to do on Norway’s coast. Their brainchild, called Turbine City, houses a posh hotel, swanky spa and culturally-stimulating museum right inside the base of a towering wind turbine!

Turbine City is a way to “spin” turbines in a new light for people who might think of them as unappealing eyesores, and could attract tourists, sailors, offshore oil-workers and others to see the beauty of wind farms with their own eyes. Plus, it makes a lot of sense to have the structures perform double duty as both energy harvesting devices and a place for people to find shelter and enjoyment.  To be located in Stavanger, Norway, Turbine City would also be self-sustaining in terms of power, needing just 1MW (from 8MW turbines) to run. Since Norway is somewhat (in)famous for its production of oil, Turbine City could also help gain the country some fans in the clean and alternative energy arenas.

Plan to DeCarbonize Chicago

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Hatch Massive Plan to DeCarbonize Chicago

The breadth of the initial phase of the Chicago Central Area DeCarbonization Plan proposes eight key strategies to meet the city’s carbon reduction goals. The first, “Buildings,” discourages new construction, and focuses on retrofitting existing structures to increase their energy efficiency, raising the value of aging building stock and tapping into the potential to transfer excess energy loads back to the grid. “Urban Matrix,” promotes residential use of the Loop area by convert outdated office buildings into homes, schools and other services. Their “Smart Infrastructure” strategy explores energy generation, storage and distribution. “Mobility” assesses public transit and connectivity. “Water,” examines resource conservation, “Energy” highlights new and existing sources of power, and “Waste,” looks at the city’s system for processing, reducing, recycling, and disposing of garbage. Lastly, “Community Engagement” outlines ideas for involving the city’s inhabitants in the greening process.  Several concepts were presented with these strategies, such as plans to create a below-grade walkway system that would make city pedestrian friendly in extreme weather conditions. There was also an idea to use the Loop’s underground tunnels for an air-powered waste disposal system. Extensions for the Chicago River walking and biking paths are also called for. We love that they also suggest publishing a standardized textbook for all city schools that would teach urban design and decarbonization for public school students.

Adrian Smith summarized the plan for the attendees of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) 2009 Conference last fall. The event, dubbed “Evolution of the Skyscraper: New Challenges in a World of Global Warming and Recession,” was the perfect place to exhibit the firm’s proposal. They also proved that it could be put in action by showing plans for the green retrofit for Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).  AS+GG has also included a full analysis of the funding resources available to help developers and existing building owners defray the cost of green retrofits and other sustainable measures. In addition, they created a parametric model to be used to calculating carbon savings achieved by various changes they are suggesting.  There is reason to believe that the City of Chicago is open to implementing these greening suggestions. “AS+GG’s DeCarbonization Plan is a creative and data-laden effort that can serve as a compelling and game-changing tool,” said Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment. “By envisioning the potential energy savings, waste handling options and redevelopment options in a framework that also considers greenhouse gas emissions reduction, the plan demonstrates both the economic and environmental values of managing large-scale properties.”

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Gary Neville’s Underground Eco Home Blends Into the Earth

Gary Neville’s Underground Eco Home Blends Into the Earth

Bolton Council in the United Kingdom may soon see the construction of its first zero-carbon underground home. Designed by Make Architects for green enthusiast and British football star Gary Neville, the one-story, nearly 8,000 sq ft structure has been designed to be beautiful and functional while keeping energy consumption to a minimum.

Far from classification as a drab bunker, this thoughtful design not only considers its eco-impact, but keeps in tune with the tranquil and expansive meadows and hillsides which surround it. The positioning and orientation of the property was carefully thought out, building materials will be locally sourced, and traditional building methods will be used where possible. A ground source heat pump will provide the heating and photovoltaic panels and an on-site wind turbine will generate renewable energy.   Almost all of the home will be constructed into the hillside, which, according to the design firm, “enables the surrounding moorland to seamlessly flow across the roof.” The layout takes the form of a flower, with the “petals” hosting areas to eat, relax, entertain, work and play, all around a central kitchen. When lit at night, the house will leave a distinctive, glowing floral impression on the darkened landscape. Amusingly, some have compared the structure to the famed Teletubby house, which admittedly shares some aesthetic value. However, the architects at Make contend their inspirartion arose from Skara Brae, a neolithic underground settlement in Orkney.