By Rick Prohov
Oct. 26, Evanston City Council voted 8-1 in favor of an ordinance requiring large new commercial buildings to meet the LEED Silver standard of green building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a comprehensive building rating and certification system maintained by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
The green building [...]

By Kate Yoshida
The report titled Removing Market Barriers to Green Development (U.S. EPA, Northeast-Midwest Institute and Delta Institute, 2008) grew out of earlier work done to promote redevelopment on brownfield sites. By carefully identifying obstacles at every step and in every conceivable direction, EPA Region 5, the Delta Institute and the Northeast-Midwest Institute have compiled [...]

As part of an effort to stimulate sustainable and equitable economic development in one of the more socioeconomically distressed areas of the region, the City of Chicago is sponsoring one of the largest sustainable neighborhood revitalization developments in the country. Consisting of 1,140 acres in the South Chicago neighborhood, the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) plan will serve as a guide to the city for sustainable redevelopment on the south side for the next 25 years.

The thick concrete panels of the old warehouse were ripped away and replaced with windows, creating an open, very light-driven, contemporary structure like sitting in a terminal at O’Hare Airport. The building was also equipped with an overhang protecting the glass walls from emitting too much light in the wrong areas. The orientation of the building takes advantage of morning sunlight. “I don’t really consider it a loss. We feel that considering this is the first Gold Certified Police building in the country, and that there were no renewable technology added to the building, we did very well.”

PCC Community Wellness Center is a non-profit network of health care centers that has provided affordable health care to underserved west side communities for over 25 years. Now, with the construction of the Austin Family Health Center, essential services like pediatric care, diagnostic testing, women’s health care, HIV testing and family planning will be offered in a building that is healthier for staff, visitors and the environment. The 18,000 square-foot facility, slated to open next summer, will have 15 exam rooms, increasing PCC capacity by 150% and providing care for up to 32,000 patients each year.

The Greenway Self Park garage, at the corner of Kinzie and Clark, currently under construction and slated for completion in mid-2009, is designed for maximum energy efficiency and minimal waste. One of the most notable elements will be the six vertical wind turbines stacked along the southwest corner. This innovation will provide enough electricity for all of the building’s exterior lighting and contribute excess power directly to the grid.