A round-up of the latest and upcoming green buildings from across the world!

23 Buildings available.

Photo Courtesy of Thehindu.com Legislative Assembly Building, Chennai

Tamil Nadu's new Legislative Assembly building in Chennai has become India's largest governmental building to have been awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The project is the single largest green initiative of a public facility of this scale and importance in the country. The building would use less water, consume less energy, preserve natural resources, generate less waste and provide healthier space for occupants, as compared to a conventional building. There are also provisions to promote alternative transportation.

Photo Courtesy of Galinsky.com The Hearst Tower

This was New York City's first skyscraper to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold accreditation from the USGBC. The building is constructed using 85% recycled steel and other recycled material has been used for the floors and ceilings. The facade has been given a diamond shape as it required fewer steel beams and yet has the same rigidity as a conventional building. This also allows for more natural light into the building. Besides, rain water is also collected which is used for irrigating plants and other such uses.

Photo Courtesy of Teriin.org Fortis Hospital

Fortis hospital at Shalimar Bagh, Indias first hospital building to be registered under a green building rating system (GRIHA), aims to be an environment friendly health care facility. This 500-bed facility with a built-up area of 64,400 sq mts would be compliant with the ECBC norms. Sustainable site planning, renewable energy, eco-friendly materials and waste and water management techniques will be adopted in the hospital building as sustainable measures. Besides, energy efficiency will also be achieved in lighting and HVAC and building envelope will be optimized to reduce solar gains.

Photo Courtesy of Doonschool.com The Doon School

The Doon School has taken the initiative to start a long-term process towards self- sufficiency in energy, water and organic fertilizer by opting for sustainable sources of energy and recycling waste. It would be amongst Indias first Green school campuses and aims at replacing many of its old buildings with new buildings constructed as per GRIHA guidelines. Requirement for artificial space conditioning will be reduced by changing the building envelope materials. The school proposes to install solar thermal systems and biomass gasifiers.

Photo Courtesy of GSB.Stanford.edu Knight Management Center

Slated to open in 2011, this Graduate School of Business is striving to achieve a LEED Platinum certification. The center will comprise 360,000 square feet in multiple buildings. It will reduce total energy costs by 42 percent compared to similar traditional buildings and achieve all 10 possible points in the LEED Rating System. Almost 12 percent of the centers energy may be supplied by on-

site photovoltaic panels. It is also expected that the center will exceed the highest LEED standards for water conservation, through solar hot water collectors, onsite rain water harvesting.

Photo Courtesy of DubaiChamber.ae

Dubai Chamber

This building of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry situated in UAE has used innovative engineering techniques and new systems to reduce carbon emissions significantly and to achieve accumulated savings of around AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) 7.1 million since 1998. The sustainable design features include recycling of paper, plastic and electronic waste; and collection of condensate water from air conditioners. The building has managed to achieve reduction in water energy consumption by 77% and energy consumption by 47% between 1998 and 2008.

Photo Courtesy of IUCN.org

IUCN Conservation Centre

This state-of-the-art centre of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) on Lake Geneva is being developed to meet three building standards - LEED Platinum, Minergie-P (for low energy consumption) and Minergie-Eco (for green construction). The sustainable design features include reuse of wastewater; 85% of energy to come from solar and geothermal sources; 75% of wood to be FSC-certified; use of CO2 reduced concrete, and recycled & local materials; use of adjustable blinds to avoid overheating in summer and have passive solar gain in winter.

Photo Courtesy of Taipei-101.com.tw

TAIPEI 101

Adjudged the worlds tallest green building from 2004-07, this skyscraper owned by TFC (Taipei Financial Center Corp) is undergoing a green renovation by the global engineering company Siemens. The sustainable design features already present are waste recycling program, glass curtain wall as a heat shield, and building energy management system. Further green improvements will include increasing green landscape, introducing energy-efficient lighting, checking water-efficiency of plumbing fixtures, and maximizing the usage of local food among the restaurants in the building.

Photo Courtesy of Tishmanconstruction.com

Henry Miller Theatre

Setting the standard for environmental stewardship in theater design, Henry Miller Theatre is New York City's first LEED-rated theatre. Some of its sustainable features include Forest-Stewardship Council-certified wood products, used extensively in finishes; high-recycled content wall panels and baseboards; locally sourced marble flooring and countertops; and waterless urinals to reduce consumption of potable water. Also, 85% of the construction and debris waste has been recycled. Furthermore, the new theater will be fully handicapped accessible with 20 wheelchair positions.

Photo Courtesy of PBCNet.com Green Spaces

Promoted by Paharpur Business Centre, this government-approved SEZ situated near Delhi will aim to be the world's most energy-efficient commercial building when ready in 2011. The sustainable design features that will be considered - building orientation and landscape; emphasis on natural light; indoor air quality; energy conservation and alternative energy; selection of building material; sewage treatment and recycling of water; rainwater harvesting. It will be a CDM project with carbon credits, and will also be rated under GRIHA the National rating system of India.

Photo Courtesy of Hines.com

TCF Bank Stadium

Designed by the architecture firm Populous and developed by the real estate form Hines, this football stadium was built on a brownfield site and has acquired a LEED Silver rating by USGBC. Sustainable design features include - reflective roof to reduce Urban Heat Island effect; use of lowemitting building materials; diversion of construction waste; reduction in indoor potable water use; and an effective stormwater management and filtration system. The design of the stadium, named after its sponsor TCF Bank, blends well with surrounding environment.

Photo Courtesy of InfinityITPark.com

Infinity Benchmark

Developed by Infinity Infotech Parks Ltd., this building is tailor-made for the needs of IT and ITES sector. The building uses site efficiency features such as roof garden, charging points for electric vehicles and rainwater harvesting; water efficiency features such as waste water treatment and reuse, water efficient fixtures, native plant species that consume less water; energy efficiency features such as wall & roof insulation, shading devices, and energy efficient airconditioning equipment; eco-friendly and recycled materials; and CO2 monitoring sensors for maintaining indoor air quality.

Photo Courtesy of KohinoorGroup.co.in Kohinoor Hospital

Developed by Kohinoor Planet Constructions Pvt. Ltd., the hospital is implementing a range of energy-efficient measures to reduce energy consumption, decrease GHG emissions and improve the quality of patient care. Since hospitals consume large volumes of energy and water, the facility will reduce operational expenses, especially in respect to energy and water usage, besides delivering improved levels of patient care. Kohinoor will work with Trane (HVAC solutions provider) to install its

energy-efficient chilled water system that meets the criterion of minimum power consumption, as specified by the India Green Building Council.

Photo Courtesy of InHabitat.com

Citi Data Center

Located in Frankfurt, Germany, this newly completed data center of Citi Group has earned the LEED Platinum rating (the highest rating) from USGBC. This 230,000 square foot facility is the first data center in the world to achieve Platinum rating. Notable energy efficiency features include - a design optimized for use of fresh air 'free cooling'; use of reverse osmosis water treatment, water-efficient fixtures and harvested rainwater; vegetated 'green roof' area; vertical 'green wall'; and use of recycled materials.

Photo Courtesy of LMNArchitects.com Vancouver Convention Centre

Co-designed by Seattle's LMN Architects, the green convention center's most visual feature is the massive, six-acre green roof. It's Canada's largest and the biggest non-industrial living roof in North America, and is targeting LEED Canada Gold. Its green features include - 400,000 indigenous plants on the roof; water conservation and reuse system; installation of energy efficient fixtures installed throughout; natural ventilation and controlled daylighting; and cooling provided by radiant floors.

Photo Courtesy of Gensler.com Shanghai Tower

This 632-meter tall building, located in Pudong district, Shanghai, China, will be the countrys tallest building and also the worlds first super-tall building with a double skin. The double skin will have two glass walls, so the building will function much like a thermos bottle. This will allow the building to harvest and use daylight. This will reduce artificial lighting to a minimum, increase the insulation of the building's interior, and reduce energy consumption and energy costs. When finished in 2014, the project will seek LEED certification from the China Green Building Council, in association with the USGBC.

Photo Courtesy of DeccanHerald.com

Frontier Business Systems

Located on Brigade Road in Bangalore, this building of the IT infrastructures company, is awaiting the Gold rating from the US Green Building Council, the first-ever building to be receiving the rating in the city. Reducing automobile pollution to the minimum, preventing solid waste, plastic or building material from entering the drain, considering the water efficiency, insulating the building from heat, ensuring the availability of natural light and use of recycled materials for the interiors were the considerations used to earn the 'green' credential.

Photo Courtesy of JetsOnGreen.typepad.com

National Children's Museum

This new building, designed by Pelli Architects, will obtain LEED certification and open in 2013. The design reflects the Museum's mission to inspire children to care about and improve the world. This 150,000 square-foot facility will be built at National Harbor and serve as an active teaching tool, highlighting the accomplishments of children. Using green features such as wind turbine, sun reflectors, living wall, green roof, and recycled materials, it will celebrate the natural environment.

Photo Courtesy of BizJournals.com

Comcast Center

The 58-storey building in Center City, Philadelphia, received LEED Gold certification for the buildings core and shell from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building, which stands 975 feet and totals 1.25 million square feet, is the tallest LEED certified building in the nation. Some of the features that make it green include using 40 percent less water than a typical office building, with fixtures that save more than 3 million gallons of drinking water annually and waterless urinals in all restrooms that save 1.2 million gallons.

Photo Courtesy of ENN.com

Independence Station

So called because its located in Independence, Orgeon, this building will not be dependent on outside energy sources. The 57,000 square-foot building is expected to be awarded the highest rating recorded by the LEED Green Building Rating System, according to main project developer Aldeia LLC. Touted as the world's greenest building, it will be fueled with biodiesel. Apart from this, the building will feature rainwater collection and reuse, use of sunlight, and be built from recycled and reclaimed building materials.

Photo Courtesy of DeccanHerald.com

Odyssey

This eco-friendly facility is built by GE in its John F Welch Technology Center (JFWTC) in the outskirts of Bangalore. This building spread over 3,85,000 square feet, aims at being certified by LEED. It has some unique green features. For instance, the lighting and ventilating systems are in tune with nature and there is optimum capitalisation of daylight and fresh air wherever possible. When compared to a standard building, it will not cut down around 30% of operating costs, but will also save 25% of energy by availing natural ventilation to a large extent.

Photo Courtesy of GreenBuildingSync.com

Center for Light+Space

It serves as the New York sales office and showroom for Acuity Brands Lighting, recently earned a LEED-CI Gold rating. The space, co-designed by Acuity, garnered the bulk of its LEED credits under the materials and resources category, incorporating a variety of locally sourced and recycled-content construction materials. This bolsters the Centers role as an exemplary green innovator for the New York City architectural and lighting design community.

Photo Courtesy of AMB.com

AMB Kasugai Distribution Center

This 986,000 square foot multi-story facility is located in the Akechi-Kasugai industrial area of Nagoya, Japan. It has received the highest ranking of certification by the CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency), a ranking standard by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is the first logistics facility to receive the highest CASBEE ranking. Design features include the preservation of natural habitat by balancing highdensity vertical development with protected forested areas, as well as efficient building systems that reduce energy use and operating costs.