MARIETTA, GA.—Formaldehyde is an important chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Because it is so common, there is a tendency not to give the impact of formaldehyde exposure a second thought. Every so often, however, the results of a new study, such as the Sierra Club’s recent investigation of the trailers used by the Federal Energy Management Assn. (FEMA) to house tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents left homeless after Hurricane Katrina, serve as an important reminder of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to engage the largest cities in the world through the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group and provide them with the tools to become leaders in energy efficiency and green building strategies, which will result in the reduction of carbon emissions. CCI is focusing on three key deliverables: improving green purchasing power; mobilizing and deploying technical expertise; and implementing common measurement tools in the areas of buildings, power and water; and transportation. CCI, a program of the Clinton Foundation, launched...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Orchard Garden Hotel, California’s first hotel to be built to the nationally accepted standards for green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), will open in mid-September. The new construction followed the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in order to earn the coveted LEED certification. The hotel’s green practices also include chemical-free cleaning products, a 100 percent tobacco-free environment, recycled paper and soy-based inks. In addition to the LEED certification, the Orchard Garden Hotel will be San Francisco’s first hotel to implement a guestroom key card that controls...

LOS ANGELES—Bentley Prince Street has made another step toward its Mission Zero goal of eliminating its potential negative impact on the environment by the year 2020 by thinking not just about what is in its carpets, but what is underneath them. The company announced the launch of a new eco-friendly adhesives line that sets a new industry standard for environmental innovation. These adhesives complement the company’s new recycled content backings launched earlier in the year. Healthbond 1500 Ultra Green Plus adhesive, designed for broadloom applications, and NexStep 2300 Ultra Green Plus adhesive, for carpet tile applications, both...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE will present its Introduction to Green Buildings and Sustainable Construction seminar on September 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EDT). The seminar will present the basic principles related to sustainable construction and green buildings, including a review of the integrated approach needed to achieve green/sustainable buildings, developments and projects. While motivations differ for pursuing green building design, the fundamental principles remain the same. These include incorporation of a whole-building approach to environmental improvement; decision making based on life-cycle assessment; greater balance between quality, budget and schedule; and a positive collaboration between professionals. “For design and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—“Green” projects will increase 30 percent per year during the next five years, making them one of the major development trends in commercial real estate, according to Developing Green: Strategies for Success, to be released next week by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). The book, authored by Jerry Yudelson, is designed for professionals engaged in financing, building and marketing projects with green features. It illustrates the practice of marketing green developments and includes case studies, exemplary projects, and companies that are transforming the building and development industry. In addition to the case...

Recently, “Colorado Company” magazine highlighted a developer who believes in nothing but “green” building. It was a wonderful article, but it gets at an underlying question: Why is this still a story? The idea of green building has not spread like wildfire. The mass-market building sector is oblivious. Most of the structures in trade magazines like “Architectural Digest” aren’t green. Two months ago, “The New York Times” ran an article in which Robert A.M. Stern, dean of Yale’s architecture school, said, “I think the trouble with environmentalism is that at most architecture schools it’s been confined to a dreary backwater...

LOS ANGELES— Bentley Prince Street recently launched an innovative simulation technology system, named the “Zoom Room,” in its newly opened Chicago showroom during the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair. Developed by Tricycle, this 3D visualization tool provides customers with instantaneous life-sized recreations of custom color carpet products in an actual room environment, providing an effective design tool with significant environmental benefits. The Zoom Room meets today’s designers’ needs for technology-driven visualization to speed up and assist in their design and specification process. It also reduces environmental impact by decreasing sample production, preserving non-renewable resources and reducing landfill waste. ...

NATIONAL REPORT—With baby steps. That is how the lodging industry is approaching the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Only two hotels have been LEED certified—one in Sri Lanka, and the Marriott-managed Inn & Conference Center at the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi. The Hilton Vancouver, Washington, and other hotels are pursuing LEED certification. What is USGBC? It consists of a coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. LEED certification distinguishes building...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The 226-room Hilton Vancouver, Washington, will know later this summer if it will become one of the United States’ first hotels to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is a building rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C. The hotel, which is owned by the city of Vancouver, is managed by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Hilton Hotels Corp. It was designed by Portland, Ore.-based Fletcher Farr Ayotte (FFA). The design incorporates myriad sustainable design strategies, including sensors that adjust the climate control systems when rooms and hallways are vacant,...