Located in downtown Philadelphia right above the Suburban rail station, the Comcast Center has been awarded the title of “tallest LEED certified building in the US” after earning a Gold Certification for LEED-CS (Core & Shell). The obelisk-like 58 story tower is covered in high-performance glass and sunscreens, and features louvers in the atria to help optimize daylight inside the building. Many other green design features help this mixed-use skyscraper reduce energy consumption, making it a great example of environmentally responsible urban growth.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "leed", Comcast Center, leed certification, LEED-CS, philadelphia, Robert A.M. Stern, tallest LEED building

Taipei 101, famous for being one of the world’s tallest buildings, is set to get some major eco-upgrades in an effort to save money, reduce its impact, and gain the much coveted title of “World’s Tallest Green Building.” In 2007, the Burj Dubai surpassed Taipei 101 in terms of height, but the Taiwanese building won’t give up the fight, throwing down $1.8 million in energy efficiency upgrades, which are expected to yield $20 million annually in savings and make it the Earth’s greenest building that’s also closest to the heavens!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", energy efficiency upgrade, green upgrade, taipei, taipei 101, Taiwan, world's tallest building

The winner of the Solar Decathlon Competition was announced today — congratulations Team Germany! We’ve been following the competition happenings all week. Our friends have been as abuzz as us, and we’ve noticed that everyone is in a flurry of excitement about solar technology and energy efficient building. Check out what we saw this week!

Treehugger annouced the architecture and market viability awards on Tuesday.

GreenOptions reports on Steven Chu’s decision to spend an additional $87 million on solar technology.

JetsonGreen, our favorite green home expert, highlights the 20 beautiful, solar-powered homes of this year’s Solar Decathlon competition.

NYTimes comments that the students are proving that solar living doesn’t mean compromising lifestyle.

Clean Technica shows us 10 solar technologies to be exicted about.

CleanTechnica also reports that California will be giving more money to small-scale solar projects.

And of course, don’t forget to check out our coverage.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", built environment, energy efficient buildings, policy intiatives, solar decathlon 2009, Solar Power, solar powered homes, solar technology

Buildings consume 76% of electricity generated; they create 48% of our greenhouse gases; a quarter of our waste in landfills comes from construction. Yet we continue to tear down perfectly good ones and replace them with new ones that don’t perform as well and don’t last as long. If we understood what old buildings are saying to us, we would be less eager to rip them down, and perhaps might even emulate them in our new buildings. Read on for examples.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", Daylighting, efficient architecture, Green Building, Green renovation, natural light, natural ventilation

With a focus on connecting workers and visitors to nature and providing a green ambiance, this proposal for an office building in Hamburg talks the talk and walks the walk. Designed by Düsseldorf-based firm Greeen! Architects for the Building and Environment Authority (BSU) of Hamburg, the Eco Towers provide a very low use energy structure with gardens and green roofs scattered all over for use by workers and the public. Considerate of the surrounding environs, the design for the Eco Towers aims to provide a quiet, tranquil and environmentally friendly working place.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "office building", eco towers, eco-city, gardens, greeen! architects, green office building, green roofs, hamburg

It’s finally the week of the Solar Decathlon competition! From Thursday, October 8 to Friday, October 16, 20 multi-disciplinary students teams made up of architects, engineers, and designers will participate in 10 contests to determine the winner. You can take a peek at each team’s standing here. Taking place at the National Mall, all the homes will be open for public viewing from October 9 to October 13 and October 15 to October 18. Inhabitat has been on the scene of the competition, so take a look at our up-to-date reporting today — and check back next week for more coverage.

We’ve also been scouting to see what the interwebs have been buzzing about the Decathlon:

Treehugger snaps some photos of the students re-building their homes on the National Mall.

CNET News takes us on a tour of the houses that feels like a tour around the country.

CNET News also reports that Energy Secretary Steven Chu plugged solar and building efficiency, announcing $87 million of funding for DOE for solar energy.

We also stumbled upon US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon flickr feed.

And to get some in-depth perspective on the event check out our coverage of competitions past, take a peek at our photos of the Solar Decathlon this year taken by Jill and Rebecca who visited the National Mall this week and read our on-the-scene coverage of Rice University’s ZEROW House.

And remember — Check back for more next week!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "solar energy", energy-efficient homes, reneweable energy, solar decathlon 2009, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

For years, we have been trying to control our interior environments — by putting up four walls and a roof, and then by stuffing insulation into walls and painting coats of funny chemicals on the outside. Today, we know that environmentally-sensitive indoor climate control will require re-wiring of buildings and the way we think. Lightening a building’s carbon footprint is a challenging task, but one that promises product innovation and creative design. It all starts with baby steps, and this week we’d thought to highlight a few initiatives that look at roofs and walls.

Treehugger spotted PNC Financial Service’s GIANT green wall. Jetson Green says that the south-facing wall is 25% cooler behind the verdant wall.

Clean Technica tells us about a solar paint that could fight climate change even better than white paint. (Did you know you could volunteer to paint roofs white in NYC?)

Bus-Tops is a blog devoted to tracking the results of a campaign to beautify bus tops.

Archinect showcases a vegi-tecture project that proposes a vertical garden as part of a cathedral in Los Angeles, California.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", building renovation, Green Building, retrofitting, roof top garden, vertical gardens

The White House is doing its part in leading the way to a more sustainable nation. Not only are they growing their own food on site with Michelle Obama’s garden, but now even they’re aiming for LEED certification! The Obamas are trying to show that reducing energy use and leading a greener life really aren’t that hard. This certainly isn’t the first attempt to green the White House, but it’s definitely the most significant attempt to date. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are leading the effort to upgrade to more energy efficient equipment, improve procurement, reduce waste and toxins and lower the overall carbon footprint of the complex.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "leed", garden, Green renovation, historic renovation, leed certification, obama, renewable energy, The White House, white house

The very fabric of skyscrapers is being reinvented now as architects and engineers look to make these dense urban buildings more sustainable. One of the biggest dilemmas they face is allowing for visibility without overheating the interior from direct sunlight. BIG Architects recently came up with their solution to this issue, winning them the award to design their origami-folded skyscraper for the Shenzhen Energy Company. The facade is folded accordion-style, and shades the office complex from direct sunlight with integrated solar thermal panels, while simultaneously allowing for indirect light into the interior.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "solar energy", "sustainable skyscraper", Architecture, BIG Architects, china, folded design, shenzhen, shenzhen energy company, skyscraper, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal

Europe’s ban on incandescent light bulbs goes into effect today in an attempt to enforce energy efficiency standards on lighting. As of today, retail stores are no longer allowed to purchase high wattage incandescent light bulbs to offer to customers. In fairness to shopowners, they are, however, allowed to continue to sell whatever they have in stock until supplies run out. While many hail this as a necessary restriction in order to advance efforts against climate change, others complain that the ban is an attack on personal preferences. We’re excited to see the change and look forward to when the US’s efficiency standards are elevated as well.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", bulb ban, EU, incandescent bulb ban, light bulb ban

Just like the Empire State Building, the famed Sears Tower in Chicago will be soon receiving some major eco upgrades to become more energy efficient. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is responsible for the upgrade plans as well as a brand new 50-story luxury hotel to be built right next to the tower. The eco upgrade will reduce energy consuption by 68,000,000 kWh per year or the equivalent of 50,000 barrels of crude oil. Costs for the renovation are estimated at $350 million dollars for tower, which will soon be renamed Willis Tower.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "wind turbine", chicago, eco upgrade, Green renovation, hotel, Sears Tower, solar hot water, Solar Power

It’s an exciting time for space fanatics everywhere as construction recently began on the world’s first commercial space launch pad, Spaceport America. Designed by Foster + Partners, the facility is located in southern New Mexico near the White Sands Missile Range and will serve as a launch site for private space travel. Built into the side of a hill, the Spaceport will meet LEED building standards and includes some high-tech green building strategies including a solar roof, excellent use of thermal mass, and a highly efficient HVAC system.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "leed", commercial space launch, Foster + Partners, New Mexico, skylights, solar hot water, solar thermal, space launch, spaceport, Spaceport America

Energy-efficient LED light bulbs may be more expensive than CFL’s, but Sharp’s new DL-L60AV LED could be worth the high cost. The tricked-out bulb comes with a remote control that features a dimming function as well as the ability to select seven different shades of white… so your guests can never complain that they don’t like the ambiance.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", cfl, DL-L60AV LED, Japan, LED, Light, light bulb, sharp

If you live in New York City, you may soon have the chance to check out the Waterpod, an incredible self-reliant eco-habitat, exhibition, and living space designed to showcase sustainable grassroots technology. The Waterpod just launched this Saturday, and it will now dock for public viewing at various locations in Manhattan’s five boroughs. We had the chance to conduct an exclusive interview with Lonny Grafman, the project’s sustainability advisor, about this floating model of self-sufficiency.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", greywater, lonny grafman, mary mattingly, new york city, solar, Sustainability, waterpod, Wind Power

PVT Solar is pioneering an ultra-efficient breed of solar panels that focus not just on incorporating better photovoltaic components, but also take the heat generated by the solar panels and use it to power a solar thermal system. According to the company, these solar cogeneration panels are three times more efficient than anything else out there!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "solar energy", building heat recapture, energy efficiency in buildings, heat recapture systems, PVT photovoltaic thermal system, PVT Solar, renewable energy, solar thermal