Pickens Scales Back Ambitious Wind Farm
from The New York Times
In a sign of the difficulties facing the development of wind energy, T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman, is suspending plans to build the world’s largest wind farm, The New York Times’s Kate Galbraith reports. More

Efizia Tower LEEDs Mexico City in Green Design
from Inhabitat
Intent on producing one of the greenest buildings in Latin America, SPACE Architects + Planners have unveiled their Efizia Tower design for the Santa Fe district of Mexico City. The 33 story tower will be made from 30 percent recycled materials, including aluminum, reinforced concrete and glass, and will boast numerous eco-friendly features. Efiza Tower was named one of the three best tall building projects at the 2009 MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards, and is currently under the LEED® certification process, having already obtained the gold standard at its pre-certification stage. More

HR Advice: A Flexible Workplace has its Benefits
from Wausau Daily Herald
Flexible work arrangements are becoming more common in organizations of all sizes, but why should employers implement flexible work arrangements during our current economic downturn? The answer is simple: Successful flexible work programs contribute to increased financial performance. More

Manitoba Hydro Place, Tornado Tower Among World's 'Best Tall Buildings'
from Building Design & Construction
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced the winners of its annual “Best Tall Building” awards for 2009, recognizing one outstanding tall building from each of four geographical regions: Americas, Asia & Australia, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. This article includes this year’s winners. More

Early Bird Deadline Ends July 17— register
from Examiner
Just like the public telephone, the conventional incandescent bulb’s and the ubiquitous fluorescent tube’s days may be numbered. New U.S. federal standards announced June 29, 2009, sets new national minimum energy standards for the standard bulbs that light our offices, homes, stores and factories. The standards also phase out conventional incandescent reflector lamps, effectively extending the phase out of inefficient incandescent products initiated by Congress in 2007 to the common cone-shaped bulbs used in recessed light fixtures and track lighting. More

Hug or a Handshake: Which Does Your Workplace Embrace?
from Business Management Daily
Like people, some workplaces welcome huggers. Others prefer a smartly extended right hand. An Associated Press article posed the classic conundrum: “To hug or not to hug, at work.” The answer—perhaps unsurprisingly—is: It depends. The article quoted a variety of experts, who raised any number of complicating issues. Does workplace hugging promote team cohesion? More

Solar for Dark Climates
from Technology Review
Cool Energy, a startup based in Boulder, Colo., is developing a system that produces heat and electricity from the sun. It could help make solar energy competitive with conventional sources of energy in relatively dark and cold climates, such as the northern half of the United States and countries such as Canada and Germany. More

New Air-conditioning Design Standard Allows for Increased Air Speed to Cool Building Interiors
from Building Design & Construction
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan. More

Oregon Office Building Earns Highest Green Globes Rating
from Interiors & Sources
Columbia Square, a 313,000-square-foot office building and flagship property in the Melvin Mark Companies real estate portfolio, has been awarded 4 Globes by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) for achievements in green design and sustainable operations. The building was rated under the Green Globes environmental design and assessment tool and the 4 Globes designation is the highest possible rating. More

Regnum Tower for Istanbul Features BioClimatic Architecture
from Inhabitat
Steeped in centuries old architectural gems, Istanbul has historically been considered the ornate centerpiece of Turkey. Today, Istanbul has become a focus for investors and talented international architects alike, both hoping to take advantage of the inevitable emergence of this ancient city into a full-fledged global metropolis. One such design is Park Associati’s Regnum Tower, which caught our attention for its bioclimatic architecture, beautiful sculptural design, and the rigor to which it was planned to meet the highest standards of sustainability. And did we mention the views? More