Green Tall Buildings

I don't know why I am doing this...But this may come handy..especially comes to completion dates.
Green and Tall
Tall buildings are currently undergoing a resurgence around the world, primarily in the high growth economies of Asia and the Middle East. While tall buildings have not been particularly known for their energy efficiency and low carbon footprint, a growing number of them are incorporating green design features such as solar panels, wind turbines, and energy efficient glass, ventilation, and water usage.
http://www.plainview3d.com/Sustainable/GreenAndTall.html

First carbon-neutral building in Asia Pacific unveiled in Singapore
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 July 2009 0050 hrs
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/441267/1/.html



SINGAPORE : The first carbon-neutral building in the Asia Pacific was unveiled on Wednesday in Singapore.

A carbon-neutral building offsets the carbon footprints created in the process of construction and operation.

In Singapore, the building sector is the third largest contributor to carbon emissions after manufacturing and transport industries.

And so it wants to encourage more green projects like Tampines Concourse, which used recycled materials widely to save on natural resources.

City Developments, the developer of the three-storey office building, also bought carbon credits to offset the carbon dioxide it emitted during construction and during operations - a relatively new move in this part of Asia.

The carbon credits City Developments purchased will be used to finance three "green" projects in China, which would otherwise have been financially unviable.

In terms of costs, the bill for City Developments to add the green measures and carbon offset measures is about two to five per cent of overall construction costs.

Going forward though, the company hopes to save about S$120,000 in energy savings annually.

City Developments said it is keeping an open mind as to whether it will adopt similar green measures for all future projects.

"This one is very hard for us, because Tampines ground is a test ground for us to carbon-neutralise our property. And carbon trading is still very new in Singapore. We are still learning from the experience of this test ground," said Esther An, head of Corporate Social Responsibility, City Developments.

Realising that initial costs are a barrier, the Singapore government plans to sweeten the ground first with financial incentives. But if this does not take off, like the Netherlands and Japan, Singapore may turn to legislation.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "We have taken the decision to start off with education and start to incentivise, and also to get the industry to build up its expertise and capabilities. Let's try this for a couple of years.

"However, if the industry doesn't respond, or things don't move as fast as we would like to, or the situation becomes more critical, then you find that mandatory standards or legislation is the fastest way of getting things done."

Tampines Concourse currently has more than 50 per cent occupancy. - CNA /ls

Las Vegas Students to Design Future City
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=11859152
Posted: Jan 21, 2010 10:36 AM PST
Updated: Jan 21, 2010 10:37 AM PST
LAS VEGAS -- The company managing the Nevada Test Site plans to host 25 teams of seventh- and eighth-graders from around Las Vegas in a competitive project to build a city of the future.

National Security Technologies LLC says Saturday's Las Vegas Future City Competition at Northwest Career and Technical Academy will let students plan, design and build a city model using recycled materials.

They'll have help from mentors, teachers and NSTec volunteers. The Future City program aims to interest students in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics. Officials say the program reaches more than 30,000 students in 1,100 schools nationwide. NSTec manages operations at the Nevada Test Site and related facilities and laboratories for the National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office.