PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010,...

CHICAGO—Hotel Felix Chicago has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for commercial interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first hotel in Chicago to earn this environmental status. The LEED rating system is the preeminent internationally recognized building certification system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high performance buildings. Designed by Chicago-based Gettys, whose design and procurement team is largely staffed by LEED Accredited Professionals, Hotel Felix meets LEED standards for its adaptive reuse of an existing urban structure, convenient access to public transportation, and the use of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) announced that it has awarded the LEED Green Associate credential to more than 10,000 individuals. The credential, which was introduced to the market just last year, has secured its status as the preeminent designation for professionals who support the green building industry. The LEED Green Associate exam tests for fundamental understanding of sustainable building practices and principles.  It is specifically designed for those individuals who work in industries that support sustainable building, such as manufacturing, sales, policy, real estate, property management, law, marketing, and many others. It is also a starting point for...

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo, a leading manufacturer of green building materials for residential and commercial projects made primarily from bamboo, announced its first flooring line created from cork, another highly renewable and recycled material. CaliCork is a ready-to-lay product manufactured from cork used in wineries, and is a step up from other cork floors with its proprietary ceramic wear-resistant technology that nearly eliminates the appearance of scratches, scuff marks, scoring and rough spots. “The unique, abrasion resistant surface is a big improvement in the cork flooring market,” said Jeff Goldberg, CEO and founder of Cali Bamboo. “If you are familiar with wine...

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Vancouver City Council recently approved a policy that requires all new building rezonings to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard, the highest green building standard for rezonings in North America. The change takes effect January 31, 2011, and is expected to result in 20 to 30 new green buildings being constructed annually, creating new green job opportunities in the city. “Setting a new standard like LEED Gold for new building rezonings is a significant step for Vancouver,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “This is another example of the innovative leadership our city’s development and tech...

NATIONAL REPORT—The great irony of building green is that the very concepts intended to enhance a building’s performance over its entire lifetime are many of the same things that make a building highly susceptible to moisture and mold problems during its first few years of operation. While green buildings have many positive benefits, there is also strong evidence to suggest a direct correlation between new products/innovative design and building failures. Simply put, departing from the “tried and true” often means increasing the risk of building failure. Two strong characteristics of most green buildings are: 1) the use of innovative, locally-produced products...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Eco-chic boutique Element Hotels, which is the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, has achieved LEED Volume Pre-certification from USGBC for its prototype design which will automatically qualify new build hotels to pursue LEED designation. With the Volume Pre-certification approval, Element Hotels makes it more simple, faster, and less costly for developers and partners to pursue LEED certification of new properties, according to Paul Sacco, senior vice president of development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. “Building from a prototype...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.—Wen-I Chang, founder and president of Atman Hospitality Group, Inc., has published a book that profiles 23 green hotels—both pre-LEED pioneer green hotels and the LEED certified hotels that followed. The creator of the book, called "World's LEED Hotels: Innovation, Renovation & Development," is Ling Ling Chang, project manager with Atman Hospitality Group. Twenty of the hotels profiled in the hard cover book are in the United States, one is in the U.S. Virgin Islands, one is in Sri Lanka, and the other is in Chile. Hotels profiled include: Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, Calif.; Maho Bay Camps,...

SEATTLE—GreenExpo365.com, an online resource center and virtual hub for the green building and design community, is now an approved education provider for the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Continuing Education System (CES). This makes it easier for design professionals to earn AIA credits on sustainable practice in one easy-to-access location. Interested participants can visit the GreenExpo365.com Launch Pad to view a course catalog of on-demand, AIA-registered presentations from green insiders such as best-selling author and architect Sarah Susanka, architect Peter Pfeiffer, the NAHB Research Center, and other industry experts. The site also includes a schedule of upcoming “live” AIA-registered presentations...

SAN DIEGO—In this new age of evolving plug-and-play appliances, electronics, and even automobiles, NOVI Industries, Inc. is innovating traditional bathroom construction methods by manufacturing custom-built, prefabricated modular bathrooms with the introduction of InoviaPods.  InoviaPods are manufactured off-site with efficient quality control procedures, strict health and safety standards and built using environmentally-friendly materials such as light-gauge steel framing and magnesium-oxide board sheathing. These major structural components have several advantages: fire proofing; and resistant to water infiltration, pests, mold and mildew, as well as seismic activities. They are completely non-toxic materials. Built to clients’ specifications and needs such as size, layout, finishes,...