Monday, October 31, 2011
Fire Station 7
In July the Chattanooga Fire Department opened the doors to their first LEED Certified fire station. The fire hall serves as a second home to its firefighters, so the architects and designers at Franklin Architects designed a comfortable space that minimized toxic materials and maximized natural light.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition for building an environmentally friendly fire station,” said Chief Parker. “In addition to being green, achieving LEED certification also means we’re saving money through improved energy efficiency.”
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Northwest Georgia Bank
The 105-year old community bank was the fifth LEED Certified project in Chattanooga. Working with Scott Smith, Northwest Georgia Bank president and COO, was a delight. Mr. Smith and his team learned quickly the importance of gaining this environmental certification for business and their bottom line. Besides being great for business, employees enjoy a lot of natural light and a comfortable office space.
"Northwest Georgia Bank's LEED Certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Northwest Georgia Bank serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish."
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Majestic 12 Theatre
Green buildings are designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment. Carmike Cinemas' first LEED Certified theatre, Majestic 12, offers a healthier environment for movie goers while leaving a smaller carbon footprint in Chattanooga's downtown. Low VOC paints, carpet, and glues were chosen for the theatre. During construction 90% of project waste was diverted from landfills, this added up to more than 1400 tons.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Outdoor Chattanooga
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
2 North Shore
Over the next few weeks I will be posting case studies of the projects we have incentivized. Click on the image for a larger version. Each case study provides an overview of the project as well as points earned in the LEED rating system.
The first one is 2 North Shore, home of Greenlife and Rock/Creek Outfitters. 2 North Shore was already in the planning phase when green|spaces started and we were thrilled about how open the owner and developer were regarding reaching for LEED Certification. This project was completed and certified in 2009. 2 North Shore has recently added a solar array in their parking area that is part of the Green Power Switch program. This array also offers a nice shady place to park.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Inspiring Change
Monday, August 15, 2011
A tightly sealed house is a safer house.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Our homes are unhealthy. What can we do about it?
A couple of years ago, green|spaces turned our office into a crime scene to raise awareness about air quality – click this link to see the amazing pictures. But we weren’t talking about outdoor air quality (which isn’t receiving any gold medals in the US) we were talking about the air inside our homes.
We get a lot of questions about better building practices, energy efficiency and water reduction, but indoor air quality is easily missed.
But it’s so important. The average American spends 90% of their time indoors.
Most of us know where problems like pollen and animal dander come from (hint: plants and animals), but what about mold, chemicals, radon and volatile organic compounds?
Many harmful chemicals end up in our homes, carried in by us. Everything from our mattresses and carpet to our cabinets and cleaning products contain chemicals that are hazardous to healthy breathing – fire retardants, stabilizers, binders, sealers and more.
Ironically, many of the chemicals found in these products were created to mimic something found in nature, but be produced at mass scale, faster and cheaper. For example, a polymer is made to mimic rubber or amber. Synthetic cleaning products mimic the good properties of natural cleaning products.
So the good news is that there’s a simple solution. When selecting products for your home, pay attention to what they’re made of. Look for natural products and materials where possible – buying natural products doesn’t make you hip, or a hippie. It just makes you breathe easier.
Friday, August 5, 2011
something smells funny...
If you are in Chattanooga this Saturday, go check out Riverfront Nights. green|spaces is the stage sponsor this year, so we will be there along with Chattanooga's first residential green building program Better Built. Come say hello!