Obsolete Building Codes and Amory Lovins Changing the world

When I was up in Seattle a couple of weeks ago I met with some of the writers from worldchanging.com. I really like their site, support their work, and believe, as does Amory Lovins, of the Rocky Mountain Instititute, that" building codes are obsolete before the ink is dry."

Europe leads the U.S. in Green Building?

Here's the link and I agree. Real green building requires "systems thinking" and the integration of multiple systems and iterative design. Good ideas happen everywhere and integrating them quickly into new designs is the real innovation.

Here is an article from 2007 by New York Times architecture critic, Nicolai Ouroussoff, asking "Why Are They Greener Than We Are?" Much has change since 2007 but than Europeans have also passed a lot of new legislation mandating zero energy buildings AND moved further ahead in adopting advanced computer-aided-manufacturing technologies.

Five Green Products from Holland

Five companies introduced at the green-in-the-Netherlands event today

Jaga Heaters - design radiators and more
Thermocushion from Tonzon - thermal insulation
Green Amazons - liaison between the U.S. and EU, especially the Netherlands
Capzo - phase change materials
iDo Technology - home automation

Martin Eberhard: How blogs helped build the Tesla Roadster

Inspirational blog post on the importance of blogging, transparency, and being open and real.

Green Urban Planning and building in the Netherlands

Inspirational work by the Dutch being shown here at the AIASF office. Low energy houses are already the required standard and they are moving toward passive house standards. Here is a link to the an innovative architect working in Holland at Atelier Kempe Thill. Architect Oliver Thill is showing some great projects with prefab construction that are not only very energy efficient but also architecturally compelling.

Cleantech Venture Capital

A thought-provoking slide show on cleantech investing.

Cleantech Venture Capital Presentation - Get more Business Documents

Sustainable Urban Planning and Green Building in the Netherlands

I will be attending this event in the AIA SF office on June 25th. I have always enjoyed the innovative architecture coming out of the Netherlands and recently watched an amazing presentation on new buildings in Rotterdam.

If only we didn't have earthquakes in California making it so difficult for Renzo Piano to design buildings like this one in Rotterdam - although we do have his great California Academy of Science building.

There has also been a lot of talk recently about the Amsterdam Smart City program. It will be interesting to learn how they mash-up technology and green. Watch a great introductory video here.