Americans today are moving toward a more well-developed awareness of their environment, and what it takes to protect and preserve earth’s natural resources. City dwellers and suburbanites alike typically recycle paper, plastic and glass, a…
When space is a commodity, where can condominium associations put their gardens, their social spaces, even their hot tubs? “On the roof,” says Jack Carr, licensed engineer and senior vice president of Criterium Engineers in Portland,…
There are two ways, and only two ways, to balance a budget: increase revenue or decrease spending. Whether you’re the treasurer of a co-op board or the President of the United States, those are the only two levers at your disposal. Energy …
When it comes to the windows in your complex, like most people, you’re probably focused on energy conservation – keeping the air conditioning inside in the summer and the cold air outside in the winter. While you’re probably aware that not…
Talk of green homes these days often evokes images of roof gardens, solar collectors and even wind turbines humming in the background. But for most homes, including condominiums, “going green” comes in much smaller measures. Individua…
Why not cover the roof with plants? It’s such a simple idea; no wonder it’s been around for millennia. The United States, of course, has developed an architecture that exults in its mastery of Mother Nature. We build bridges ac…
We diligently sort our recycling. We drive our hybrids to the nearby market to buy locally-produced organic food. We are looking for ways to live more harmoniously with the planet. Real estate developers have carefully noted this trend, …
Given the growing interest in green building practices and energy conservation, homeowners everywhere, including in condominiums, are faced with many questions and challenges. As with most new technologies, we need to know which technolo…
When most people hear the term green building, they often think of photovoltaic solar panels, cisterns, wind turbines, or straw bale homes. With these images in mind, it's no wonder that people think green building is a fringe alternativ…
While we were all busy with other things, LEED came mainstream. No less a source than the Harvard Business Review agreed that green building is good in a June 2006 article by Charles Lockwood, an environmental and real estate consultant.…