Case Studies

Stephen Epler Hall, Portland State University, Portland, OR: A mixed-use six-story, 130-unit residence which contains a variety of sustainable design features that reduce water and energy consumption. An estimated 90% of the materials from a former residence hall on this site were recycled or re-used in the new building.

1. http://pdx.edu/sustainability/stephen-epler-residence-hall

The Summit, Queens College, Queens, NY:

Low-rise 506-bed residence hall building which showcases a number of sustainable building strategies including stormwater management, solid waste and potable water reduction.

1. http://www.goshow.com/index.php?id=92

Eawag Forum Chriesbach, Dubendorf, Switzerland: Office and research building that uses four times less energy than a conventional building by relying on passive systems for heating and cooling the offices.

1. http://www.eawag.ch/about/nachhaltig/fc/index_EN

2. http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T513/N07-EAWAG.htm

Kroon Hall, Yale, New Haven, CT: School of Forestry and Environmental Studies campus building that uses fewer energy, water, and material resources than traditional campus buildings.

1. http://www.aiatopten.org/hpb/overview.cfm?

ProjectID=1653

2. http://www.centerbrook.com

3. http://www.atelierten.com/our-projects/highlights/kroon.shtml

Stratford Place, Sultan, WA: 20 residential lots which eliminated stormwater runoff by using pervious concrete in place of traditional concrete surfaces.

1. http://www.concretenetwork.com/pervious/design-ideas/pervious-concrete-washington.html

2. http://www.perviouscrete.com/en/photo_gallery/

stratford_place/

Sidwell Friends Middle School, Washington, District of Columbia: A renovation and addition to an existing middle school building which achieves a high level of building and site integration through on-site wastewater and stormwater management.

1. http://www.sustainablesites.org/cases/show.php?

id=27

2. http://kierantimberlake.com/pl_education/

sidwell_school_1.html

3. http://www.natsys-inc.com/portfolio/schools/sidwell-friends-middle-school/

4. http://www.sidwell.edu/green_tour/index.aspx

5. http://greensource.construction.com/projects/

0707_sidwell.asp

Dockside Green, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: LEED Platinum residential community on 15 acres of post-industrial land that treats and reuses all on-site sewage among many other sustainable site and building strategies.

1. http://www.perkinswill.com/work/dockside-green.html

2. http://greensource.construction.com/projects/

2009/01_DocksideGreen.asp

3. http://www.buildinggreen.com/hpb/overview.cfm?

projectId=1371

Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, Canada: LEED Platinum convention center that is projected to reduce potable water 60%-70% compared to a typical convention center by treating black water on-site for re-use. This building also contains the largest green roof in Canada which reduces stormwater runoff and provides habitat along the waterfront.

1. http://lmnarchitects.com/work/

vancouver_convention_centre_west

2. http://www.ranacreekdesign.com/projects/vancouver-convention-center/

Growing Power, Milwaukee, WI: A non-profit urban farm that provides access to healthy food for diverse communities and focuses on providing neighborhood-based sustainable agriculture education.

1. http://www.growingpower.org/

2. http://www.tkwa.com/growing-power-vertical-farm

The Science Barge, Yonkers, NY: An off-grid hydroponic farm demonstration project built on a barge as a moveable educational tool used to study high yield commercial grade urban food production.

1. http://nysunworks.org/thesciencebarge

2. http://www.groundworkhv.org/programs/

environmental-education/science-barge/

Gotham Green, Brooklyn, NY: An urban rooftop hydroponic greenhouse that produces food sold to local restaurants and retailers.

1. http://gothamgreens.com/our-farm/

2. http://www.dogonews.com/2010/5/21/

sustainable-farming-on-new-yorks-rooftops

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Rooftop Herb Garden, Vancouver, Canada: 2,100sf rooftop garden including over sixty varieties of herbs, edible blooms, fruits, and vegetables that are harvested for the hotel's restaurant.

1. http://www.fairmont.com/waterfront/GuestServices/

Restaurants/HerbGardenhoneybees.htm

2. http://www.cmhcschl.gc.ca/en/inpr/bude/

himu/inbu/upload/Fairmont-Waterfront-Hotel.pdf

Bryant Park, New York, NY:  A public park with a long history and series of transitions has been revitalized into a city amenity. The park provides space for multiple year-round activities such as reading, strolling, shopping, concerts, performances, ice skating, and more. The park is adjacent to the New York Public Library and forms a large green roof over a large portion of the library annex housing.  

1. http://bryantpark.org/

2. http://www.theolinstudio.com/flash#/projects/

type/bryant-park

Cowichan Recyclists (Cargo Bicycle Transport), Duncan, BC:  Year-round recycling pickup company by use of cargo bicycles. Started by two Cowichan residents in 2007, they offer a zero emissions solution to waste transport and help the city work towards a zero-waste goal.      

1. http://www.cowichanrecyclists.com/index.html

Concentrated Solar Power, Thailand: Concentrated solar power using parabolic troughs. Electrical and thermal energy combined with a biomass boiler helps to ensure continuous energy independent of weather.

1. http://www.solarlite.de/en/projects.cfm

Thermocline Energy Storage, Tower of Theiss, near Krems an der Donau, Austria: District heating accumulation tower with 50,000 cubic meters volume. Energy is collected from active solar collectors and transferred to insulated repositories to perform useful work later such as space heating, domestic or process heating, or electricity generation.

1. http://www.eere.energy.gov/basics/

renewable_energy/thermal_storage.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Thermal_energy_storage

Ball State Geothermal System, Munsey, Indiana: Designed to replace four coal burning power plants, this geothermal system is the largest in the nation. It will heat and cool more than 45 buildings and span the entire 660-acre campus. It is estimated to save 85,000 tons of carbon annually, cutting the university's carbon footprint in half. Projected completion date is 2014.

1. http://cms.bsu.edu/About/Geothermal

2. http://www.greinerbrothers.com/greiner/index.cfm/

current-projects/ball-state-geothermal-project/

Homeostatic Facade System Prototype: A shading system prototype developed by Decker Yeadon Architects that opens and closes in response to heat gain and loss through building envelope, regulating indoor temperature.

1. http://www.deckeryeadon.com/projects/

HomeostaticFacadeSystem.html

2. http://www.greenmuze.com/build/design/3446-homeostatic-facade-system.html

Greenpix Zero Energy Media Wall 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China: 20,000sf facade that uses solar energy collected and stored during the day for a colorful LED light display at night.

1. http://inhabitat.com/greenpix-zero-energy-media-wall-lights-up-beijing/attachment/11044/

Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH:  Contains a living machine that treats wastewater using a system of engineered ecologies that include microbes, plants, snails and insects. The system is designed to treat up to 2,000 gallons of the building’s wastewater per day in a beautiful, garden-like atmosphere.

1. http://www.oberlin.edu/ajlc/ajlcHome.html

2. http://zeb.buildinggreen.com/overview.cfm?

projectid=18

3. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/31516.pdf

4. http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/projects/

Worrell Water Technologies, Living Machine:  Private company offering sustainable technologies for water treatment and security. They have developed living machines for a number of buildings including schools and resorts.

1. http://livingmachines.com/

2. http://www.worrellwater.com/ 

3. http://www.livingmachines.com/images/uploads/

resources/living_machine_brochure.pdf

University of Guelph-Humber Biowall, Guelph, Ontario, Canada: Four-storey living wall containing about 1000 plants. It is connected to the air handling system and helps condition indoor air by filtering pollutants while reducing humidity and providing cooling.

1. http://www.biostem.ca/IAQ/files/

Guelph%20Humber.pdf

2. http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/

greendoorsopen/display.php?building_id=43

3. http://www.uoguelph.ca/atguelph/04-11-10/featuresair.shtml

Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Rooftop Garden, Chicago, IL: Semi-intensive therapeutic green roof retrofit of an existing three-storey structure. The rooftop garden is used for rehabilitation purposes for up to 1,800 patients per year.   

1. http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?

id=1133

2. http://www.greenroofs.org/washington/index.php?

page=schwab

Live Building Integrated Learning Centre, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada: The "Live Building"  acts as a giant laboratory for engineering students to monitor performance of its electrical, mechanical, and structural systems. Exhibits and data are available to the public, researchers, and students to help advance the understanding of engineering issues, concepts, and ideas.

1. http://livebuilding.queensu.ca/building_systems