Florida Announces World’s First Solar-Powered City
from Inhabitat
Florida’s next big community isn’t for retirees—it’s for solar energy buffs. Florida Power & Light and development firm Kitson & Partners are collaborating on Babcock Ranch, a 17,000 acre solar-powered city near Fort Myers. The community will run entirely on a 75 megawatt, US$300 million solar-powered generator and will also use smart grid technology to let all inhabitants of the community monitor their power consumption. More

Construction Starts on London's Shard of Glass Tower
from New Civil Engineer
From Chicago to Dubai, a raft of iconic record breaking skyscrapers have been axed or mothballed. Nowhere has the global financial crisis been felt more than in the high rise sector where the bottom has fallen out of commercial development market. But despite the credit crunch, a new tower is starting to emerge in central London. The 80-story pyramidal Shard of Glass at London Bridge will be the highest skyscraper in the U.K. at 310 meters when it is completed in 2012. It will also be one of the highest in Europe. More

Study: Costs of Employee Health on Productivity Underestimated
from Occupational Health & Safety
Poor health among workers is far costlier to U.S. employers than they realize, according to a major study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM). The multi-year study of 10 organizations employing more than 150,000 workers indicates that employers who focus only on medical and pharmacy costs in creating employee health strategies may misidentify the health conditions that most impact the productivity of their employees—while underestimating the impact of other factors. More

AIA Releases Its Top 10 List of Green Building Projects
from GreenerBuildings
The American Institute of Architects and its committee on the environment have selected the organization's Top 10 List of outstanding examples of environmentally responsible architecture and design for 2009. More

Deciphering California’s Efficiency Successes
from The New York Times
Talk to any California utility or environmental advocate, and at some point they are bound to cite—with pride—the flattening out of the state’s per-capita electricity use. Since 1975, the amount of electricity per person has grown by almost 50 percent in the rest of the country; California’s numbers have stayed nearly level. Advocates often credit energy-efficiency measures taken by utilities, at the behest of the state. Yet a new study suggests that the reasons behind California’s leveling off of electricity use are complex, and go well beyond energy efficiency. More

Horizontal Super Skyscraper in Shenzhen Set to Finish in 2010
from Shanghai Daily
The new Vanke Center in Shenzhen, Guandong Province, is a "horizontal skyscraper" designed by maverick architect Steven Holl. Holl is turning the traditional idea of a skyscraper on its head—or rather on its side. If it was stood up vertically, it would be as tall as the Empire State Building, but lying horizontally it stands just 35 meters. Due to be finished in 2010, the building will be the new headquarters for China Vanke, one of the country's largest real estate developers. It will also house apartments, condos and a hotel. More

Talk of Delaying World Trade Center Towers for Decades
from AP
Construction of several ground zero office towers could be put off for decades because of the failing real estate market, the site's owners said, citing an analysis that projected one skyscraper might not be built and occupied until 35 years after Sept. 11. More

Canada's Largest Green Roof
from World Changing
You know an innovation has hit its stride when it becomes scalable. When we first started writing about green roofs, they were typically boutique projects—and convincing city governments and developers to invest in their large scale production seemed like a major challenge. But decision makers have gotten the message, and green roof design has risen to the occasion. Case in point: the new Vancouver Convention Centre, a major civic project which officially opened, boasts the largest non-industrial roof in North America. More

Wind Industry in the U.S. Still Strong
from redOrbit
In the burgeoning industry of wind energy, Texas remains the undisputed leader, but competition in other areas of the country is growing fierce. According to a new report released by the American Wind Energy Association, the state of Iowa has recently unseated California for the number two spot. This year the Renewable Electricity Standard Act will be up for a vote in Congress which, if passed, would require utility companies to obtain at least a quarter of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025. More

Energy and Climate Bill Advances
from Technology Review Online
Congress is moving forward on legislation that would address both energy efficiency and climate change in a single bill, creating requirements for the use of renewable energy and introducing a cap on carbon dioxide emissions. A draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was released at the end of March. Congressman Edward Markey from Massachusetts, one of the sponsors of the bill, said that hearings on the legislation will begin soon to help shape the bill into its final form. More