CNN spans the globe and picks the top 12 green projects of 2011. Lake Flato's Livestrong Foundation Headquarters was honored as one of the projects selected.

"This 1950s-era warehouse, which previously had no windows, was "adaptively reused" by Lake|Flato Architects and transformed into a LEED Gold-certified building. Nearly 90% of the materials from the demolition of the old building were recycled and used in the new structure. As part of the changes, the workers put windows in the roof that harvest Texas' ample daylight for the main workspace."

Lake|Flato participated in AACOG's Walk & Roll Challenge again this year. During September and October, the last two months of the "ozone season” when air pollution tends to be the worst in the San Antonio area, teams collectively recorded more than 167,000 walking, biking, busing, or carpooling trips that saved over 2.8 million vehicle miles traveled and kept nearly 4.5 tons of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (the components of ozone or “smog”).

Lake|Flato won 2nd place for the small organization category and will be recognized at an awards ceremony next month. Thanks to everyone in the office who participated by recording their bike rides, carpools, and walks to and from the office!

Congratulations to our friends, Gail Vittori, Jerry Yudelson, and Kim Shinn. "Today, GBCI announced the 2011 class, the first of many deserving sustainability professionals to receive this honor…"

Lake | Flato is committed to the AIA's 2030 Challenge. The 2030 Challenge requires architects to apply the principles of sustainable design to every project from its inception, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality for all new buildings by 2030.

Of the 125 firms committed to the 2030 Challenge, only fifty-six, including Lake | Flato, submitted data reporting their progress.

Click here to view the report.

Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Foundation Headquarters, designed by Lake|Flato Architects, was awarded a 2011 AIA
COTE Top Ten Award for sustainable design. The LIVESTRONG Foundation is Lake|Flato’s fifth project to receive the award in six years, reflecting the firm’s commitment to leading market transformation in sustainable design. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects is the profession's premier program for sustainable design excellence.

“The reuse of the neighborhood and partial reuse of the building is the compelling story in this project,” said AIA COTE Top Ten Juror Mary Guzowski. “There are so many buildings that need to be renovated – this one sets a great example.”

"Once upon a time and not that long ago, the term "Sustainable Home" conjured up images of geodesic domes and hay bale houses. Today, with a culture that is saturated in references to green products and sustainability, most people remain uncertain about how to successfully incorporate sustainability into the construction of a new home."

The Texas Biomedical Research Institute has selected Lake Flato Architects and FKP Architects to design new facilities that will add some 70,000-square-feet of space to its campus in San Antonio.

The project will be designed for LEED certification and incorporate energy savings, water efficiency, and CO2 emissions reduction strategies into the overall design.

Matt Morris's house has recently been designated as a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation!

The program promotes and recognizes habitats in urban areas that provide wildscapes or micro habitats that animals (birds, insects, bees, butterflies) could find food, water, cover during migratory routes, nesting opportunities. There are less than 150,000 of these small habitats in the entire country!

Great news! In response to many credential holders expressing the desire to know in advance whether GBCI will approve the CE hours they submit, GBCI staff will now approve or deny hours within 48 hours of submission. Denied hours will be accompanied by an explanation. In many cases, denied activities or hours can be revised and resubmitted as long as the delivery methods used to fulfill them do not exceed the limitations mentioned in the CMP rules. No more restless nights spent wondering if your CE hours will be approved!

I am pleased to announce that all of my submitted hours have been pre-approved. Read more on LEEDuser.

There is an expanding list of ERB-approved courses online that are free. For those that have opted into the new LEED AP system, you can count an unlimited amount of ERB-approved ("professional development") courses toward your biennial hour requirements.

Leon Springs Residence has received a Platinum rating under the LEED for Homes system, the highest level of certification provided by the U.S. Green Building Council. Home features that helped the project achieve this rating include the following:

+ Designed to be net zero energy with support from 12 kW photovoltaic array
+ Regional and recycled materials for wood flooring and stonework
+ Spray foam insulation to reduce air infiltration
+ Designed to be net zero water with support from rainwater harvesting and filtration for domestic water use and irrigation.
+ High-efficiency geothermal mechanical system and hot water heating
+ FSC certified wood framing, decking, and cabinetry
+ Recycled content for steel framing and concrete
+ Designed to use 88% less energy than an average new home
+ High-efficiency water fixtures and fittings
+ Low-flow plumbing fixtures
+ High performance glazing
+ Low VOC interior finishes

This is Lake|Flato’s second residential project to achieve LEED Platinum designation.

Lake|Flato was awarded second place in the small organization category for participating in the 2010 Alamo Area Council of Government’s Walk & Roll Challenge. San Antonio area employees kept an estimated 1,150 lbs. of ground-level ozone producing chemicals from the air last month. In addition to the 41 organizations that participated in the challenge, individuals who amassed the most miles in the categories of carpooling, busing, biking, or walking for transportation purposes were considered challenge winners. Aaron Sweat, Lake|Flato intern, was the runner up for the walking category. Lake|Flato has participated in the Walk and Roll Challenge successfully since it began in 2003.

Hacienda HaHa is featured as the poster child for post-occupancy evaluation in Environmental Building News.

Check out Bob's top 10 list of green building trends for the next decade in the May issue of Architect.

While still under development, Oryzatech's Stak Block rice-straw, interlocking, highly insulating building block is an exciting product that could revolutionize the use of straw as a building material.

Recommended by our very own Solar San Antonio.

BuildingGreen.com shares a few hightlights from Greenbuild 2009's Expo Floor.

With green certification becoming a requirement on an increasing number of projects, owners and developers face an expanding field of financial and regulatory risks. In some parts of the country, failure to achieve green certification could result in onerous code violations or lead to the loss of significant tax credits.

Check out GreenBuildingAdvisor's comparison of national green rating systems for homes. The article is a pretty concise summary of the programs with some critical analysis.

This Architecture Week article provides an overview and update on the SFI vs. FSC debate.

The Stealth toilet's flush rate saves 37% more water than a standard HET. It is certified by WaterSense and saves up to 20,000 gallons/yr with regular use.

Congratulations AT&T Executive Education Conference Center team! The USGBC was notified that is now LEED Gold certified!

See the top 10 most useless energy-related products. Read 'em and weep.

As many of you know, there is a lot of false information out there regarding R-values. Beware of terminology like "effective R-value, "performs like R-50," etc. Please read this short, informative article by GreenBuildingAdvisor.com.

Have a look at Bill Dunster's Beddington Zero Energy Development. Bill's urgent advice is that a return to a locally self-sustaining lifestyle is a crucial component of adapting to climate change.

With the April 27, 2009, release of the LEED 2009 family of rating systems, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduced a new element to its LEED package: minimum project requirements (MPRs). They vary slightly by rating system, but most significantly, they require owners of all certified projects to provide energy- and water-use data to USGBC for five years from the time of occupancy.

The appeal of integrating wind turbines into our buildings is strong. Rooftops are elevated above ground, where it’s windier; the electricity is generated right where it’s needed; and wind energy can make a strong visual statement. It turns out that, despite some benefits, building-integrated wind doesn’t make much sense as a renewable-energy strategy.