Today New York City temperatures touched a 100 deg. F, for the first time this summer.
There were city wide alerts to conserve energy, so that air-conditions could keep one and all cool !!
What makes it more interesting in context is an article in the NYTimes which talks about a 2000 feet building being proposed in Chicago. Now we gotta save and conserve some more energy, so it can be sent to this tall building.
Not all tall buildings are energy guzzlers. Unabashedly plugging my own cause :), One Bryant Park, on which I have been working as an architect for the past 2.5 years here at Cook+Fox, will be the largest Platinum Rated LEED Building in the world.
An interview featured in the GRIST sums it up
“Green architect” Richard Sperry says
More green building, less sprawl development — because ADPSR members need the work!
But seriously, around 40 percent of national energy use occurs in buildings, and the largest shares of that are heating/cooling and lighting. Also, average Americans spend 80-90 percent of their time indoors, so the health and well-being impacts of indoor environments are hugely important. As for sprawl, there are many more sustainable patterns of occupancy, where people have the option to walk, bicycle, or take transit instead of drive.
