Over at Living Well, I shared a link to an Inhabitat post about the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center designed by The Kubala Washatko Architects. The project is the first LEED-Platinum Carbon Neutral building on the planet. Its about as green as it gets.
Interestingly, I received several skeptical comments and emails about the project. Mostly referring to the separation of buildings, how the energy usage is calculated and how the lack of trees on the site effect heat gain.
Well, the Internet is an amazing thing…
A few days later, Joel (Krueger), the project’s architect responded with his own comment.
Here’s what he had to say:
The buildings are disconnected by function. This was done strategically as not all areas have the same thermal needs. Two of the disconnected building do not have heating or cooling, only natural ventilation thru operable windows and a small wood burning stove to be used as needed. Energy consumed by all buildings is measured against that produced by the one p.v. array. The trick is to reduce consumption.
The site had a ‘bald’ spot on top of a small hill surrounded by ’scrubby’ growth. The land was occupied previously.
Cutting trees is not a bad thing if done properly. The overall health of the forest will be increased if selective and systematic cutting is employed. Healthier and faster growing trees will produce more oxygen and hold more carbon. Carbon is then sequestered in all that we build, walls, furniture, cabinets, etc.
Read the Almanac, therein lies a great understanding of how we can live on the land a better way. The Leopold gang is in the business of restoring marginal land back to native condition. Come visit the site in a few years and you will see the fruits of this well considered labor.
The building is a laboratory, the design team was given an opportunity to try, fail and try again. Actual performance will be monitored, the building will be “tweeked’, lessons will be learned and shared.
Stay tuned…
I am looking forward to hearing how the project performs over time. Keep us updated Joel… and thanks again for your thoughts and comments.
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(BTW: It looks like WordPress is upgrading their site. I will add links and a photo when the interface returns to normal.) UPDATE: Links are included above.
I wanted to pass on a website that I recently launched that I think your readers would enjoy. It’s called http://www.SeeImGreen.com and it allows environmentally conscious people to put a pushpin over their house on a Google Map of the world. By clicking on a pushpin, you can read a bio about the person, get any green advice they are offering and see what activities they do for the environment. If you like the site, please add yourself to the map and pass it on to your readers.