Europe Backs Supergrids
from Technology Review Online
Last month, the European Commission (EC) called for construction of regional electric transmission connections across the North Sea, around the Baltic region, and around the Mediterranean Sea, to distribute solar and wind power to and across Europe. It's all part of a plan to boost renewable energy from 8.5 percent of European energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020--and even more thereafter. More

City University of New York Works to Make Existing Buildings Environmentally Sustainable
from Chronicle.com
As nice as it might be to have a new, high-profile green building to impress visitors to your campus, an item in the City University of New York’s Sustainable Times newsletter serves as a good reminder that colleges can also do a lot to make their existing structures greener. More

Obama to Spur Economy with Infrastructure Investment
from Bloomberg
President-elect Barack Obama is focusing his economic recovery strategy on making the biggest investment in the nation’s infrastructure since President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system a half- century ago. Obama’s plans to invest in infrastructure led to gains in shares of construction and engineering companies that may benefit from the higher public spending and demand for products. More

Construction Industry Could Trim Climate Emissions Cheaply
from Environment News Service
Energy use in buildings accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but the potential of the construction sector to combat climate change has not been tapped, according to a new report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme. More

Studies on Smart Structures, Eco-Friendly Elements Affirm Appeal of Green Building
from Greener Buildings
As the end of the year approaches, a raft of studies and reports are being released affirming the benefits and resilience of green building despite turbulent economic times. In a wide-ranging 218-page report, the Continental Automated Buildings Association examines bright green buildings, the term CABA has coined for the intersection of smart buildings equipped with sophisticated controls systems and high-performance environmentally efficient structures. The result, the study said, is intelligent, green and profitable buildings. More

KKE transforms '50s Medical Office Building -- Adds New Look, More Space
from News Blaze
KKE designed a new era for Southdale Medical Building's healthcare facility in Edina, Minn., softening the sharp, sterile edges of the six-story, 1950's medical office building's glass and concrete box with an inviting curtainwall entry and soaring winged roof into a welcoming expansion. The two-story addition, strategically sited along the prominent elevation, enhances the original building and improves the visibility of its main entry within the context of recent development on an expanding medical campus. More