Imagine a world in which buildings and communities clearly and definitively help to prevent some of our most widespread illnesses, improve our mental health, and strengthen our overall wellbeing. We are now one step closer to this place after last week’s Summit on Green Buildings & Human Health, hosted by the US Green Building Council.
If there’s one thing that I took away, it’s the enormous potential of public health professionals joining forces with the green building community to significantly improve human health and wellbeing. We’ve always cared about the basics, of …
HOK’s Thomas Knittel shared the story of Project Haiti, the design of a LEED Platinum replacement orphanage in Port-au-Prince, on Nov. 14 at Greenbuild in San Francisco. The presentation featured Roger Limoges, USGBC vice president of organizational development, and Gina Duncan, executive director of Fondation Enfant Jesus.
From left to right in this photo from Greenbuild are Knittel, Duncan, USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, HOK’s Mary Ann Lazarus and Limoges.
Help make Project Haiti a reality! You can donate here.
Greenbuild is finally making its way to San Francisco this November – and those of us in the Bay Area are pretty excited. The conference theme is aptly “@ Greenbuild,” referencing the astounding array of Internet, social media and technology companies headquartered here in the Bay Area. We also have our host of gaming companies, many of whom tap into social networks; gamejobhunter lists over 120 companies nearby, from tiny start-ups to titans like EA and Zynga.
San Francisco has long been one of the world’s great tourist attractions, and this year it will have a great new set of offerings: 20+ tours developed for the Greenbuild Conference and Expo, plus many more that the USGBC Northern California Chapter will be able to offer in the future. The Greenbuild Host Committee recently put out a call for tour proposals – the outpouring of responses showed the embarrassment of riches that San Francisco has to offer for green building …
Greenbuild, the international green building conference and expo hosted annually by the US Green Building Council, will finally make its way to San Francisco this November. Greenbuild has been drawing 20,000-30,000 people for the last few years, and we expect that San Francisco will be the largest ever – depending on who you listen to, there may be upwards of 45,000 people. (Yikes!)
The conference theme this year is “@Greenbuild”, making reference to the mindboggling array of internet and technology companies headquartered in the Bay Area. The …
The New Year always causes one to reflect on the recent past, but especially so today, the two-year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. I have been fortunate to work with a dedicated group of volunteers at HOK to design a children’s center and orphanage in Port-au-Prince. Earlier this week, we presented our latest design to the client, Fondation Enfant Jesus, as well as to the U.S. Green Building Council. The results were very positive.
Our collective goal to create a nurturing and restorative place is taking shape. In many ways, though, this project is more difficult than the large, …
Sarah and a young boy at Fondation Enfant Jesus in Port au Prince (photo was taken by one of the children who discovered a new love for playing with Sarah’s camera)
When HOK was asked to partner with the USGBC on Project Haiti, a children’s center in Port au Prince, we decided immediately that the most appropriate approach to the project would require an integrated, multi-disciplinary team. So we assembled …
HOK is the USGBC’s official design partner for Project Haiti, a pro bono effort to build a LEED-certified orphanage and children’s center in Port au Prince. Sustainable Design Director Mary Ann Lazarus and a team from HOK recently returned from Toronto, where they shared the Project Haiti story at Greenbuild 2011. Read on for Mary Ann’s guest post and an amazing video from the USGBC:
“Imagine it: 15,000 people in the Air Canada Hockey arena, lights flashing, music playing, Jumbotrons running. Cue USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi for the introduction of the new Project Haiti video. The video features the recent site visit by the USGBC and HOK team members and meeting with the terrific clients, Gina and Lucien Duncan from the children’s center.
At the opening charrette for Project Haiti, we asked a few of the designers about the challenges they anticipated for this unique project. Their responses covered everything from technology to materials to cultural considerations. See more:
Also, on the subject of Project Haiti, USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi recently penned a Huffington Post guest article on the project. Check it out to read Rick’s perspective on how efforts like Project Haiti are simply a matter of making a commitment and sticking to it.
HOK is the USGBC’s official design partner for Project Haiti, a pro bono effort to build a LEED-certified orphanage and children’s center in Port au Prince. The original structure was severely damaged in the January 2010 earthquake that caused mass destruction throughout the country. (Read the first post in this series here.)
When you’re used to seeing colleagues in work attire, it’s strange to see them on a weekend. But there we were – a conference room full of people in shorts and jeans, spending a summer Saturday volunteering for an extraordinary project: rebuilding an orphanage and children’s center in Haiti.
The design process began on June 25, when 14 HOK designers and one USGBC representative met in St. Louis, …
HOK is USGBC’s official design partner for Project Haiti
Children at Fondation Enfant Jesus (image from HOK site visit, August 2011)
In January 2010, a devastating earthquake shattered the island country of Haiti. One of the countless destroyed buildings was that of Fondation Enfant Jesus, a non-profit, non-denominational orphanage and children’s center that cares for more than 250 children per year. A few months ago, theU.S. Green Building Council invited HOK to join a partnership to design a replacement facility on the same site. The project is now a Clinton Global Initiative commitment, an honor that will help provide support for …
How feasible is it to expect new buildings to reach net-zero emissions? Building Design + Construction features the zero carbon prototype office building designed by HOK and the Weidt Group in its new white paper exploring that topic. Visit the white paper home or go the the HOK “Lessons from a Zero Carbon Prototype” paper directly. Thanks to BD&C Editor-in-Chief Rob Cassidy for his excellent work on the NZEB White Paper!
It’s August and if your climate is anything like that here in Washington, DC, it’s probably a good time to take your laptop (or iPad) and a glass of lemonade somewhere nice and cool and browse through the greatest posts on Work+Place. This week’s “best of” includes:
Improv. Is it just yuk-yuk, or could this be a useful design tool? Mike McKeown finds out in this post.
You think I have flipped with my new addiction to the ‘open space’ of biomimicry. But below, a FastCompany article/series called ”Case Studies in Sustainability: The Designer’s Accord“ is yet another cool dose, this time with IDEO, an incredible thinking-powerhouse in their effort to redesign the internal structure of the USGBC. My dream is that HOK can muster the courage to look at how we are organized…and how we might become more resilient and organic…more nimble…inclusive…able to adapt and evolve with the speed of this new world economy.
A regenerative HOK would be our greatest contribution to sustainability.
Our clients clearly need this and I know if we listen carefully …
Following an introduction and update on the chapter’s activities by Executive Director Tom Mawson, and a thoughtful introduction by Laura Schonfeld (Secretary of the Board of Directors), Leigh took to the stage.
Her presentation discussed the context for the book, AHA! moments she had while writing it, and an analysis of what is coming down the pipeline …
You might remember a few months back when you heard that sometimes people mistake me and my Advance Strategies colleagues for telemarketers. Well, today, they would be spot-on!
A while back, I signed up as a member of the communications committee for the U.S. Green Building Council’s National Capital Region (USGBC-NCR). I haven’t done too much besides go to a couple of meetings and sit in on some conference calls. All that changed last week when the new chair contacted me and got me involved in marketing the RealGreen conference.
RealGreen is the chapter’s conference that fouses on “real progress and solutions to environmental concerns” and highlights “the region’s unique …
Always a leader in sustainable design, today HOK announced development of a new green building rating system (look out USGBC!): Checklist for Gingerbread Green Homes (CGGH).
Toronto’s delicious creation followed green building principles found in the USGBC’s LEED rating system. HOK’s new CGGH takes green ginger construction a step further, examining the total process from ingredient …
HOK’s chairman and most vocal sustainable design advocate is blogging Greenbuild 2009 for Contract magazine.
In his first post for Contract, Bill reflects on his journey to Phoenix, writes about seeing the automated people mover designed by HOK being constructed at the Phoenix airport and describes taking the light rail train to his hotel.
In his next post, Bill gets excited about a new LED downlight from the expo and zeroes in on zero carbon and building retrofits as the big themes for Day 1…and much more.
A couple of weeks ago, as I was prepping myself for taking the LEED exam, one of our sustainable knowledge gurus, Seth Teel, opened me up to a new resource for studying: LEEDvisual.com.
Yes, I still had to use the reference guide and the USGBC Colorado Chapter’s Study Guide and Practice Exam, but this new resource is great for people who think in more visual terms. The producer of the content is unknown and the site could use a little TLC (gramatically and layout-wise), but nonetheless, a good resource. I’m not going to give it all the credit for helping me pass the test, but it’s definitely one of the …
On March 30, Natalia Lombardi and I had the pleasure of representing HOK New York at NJIT’s Women Taking the LEED Panel Discussion. Hosted by the student chapters of NOMA and USGBC at NJIT, the panel focused on highlighting the role of women in the sustainability movement.
Women Taking the LEED Panelists (left to right): Hillary Brown, FAIA – New Civic Works, Founding Principal
Christine Brunicati, R.A. – NJIT, Center for Architecture and Building Science Research
Kimberly Dowdell, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, LEED AP – HOK New York
Natalia Lombardi, AIA, LEED AP – HOK New York, Senior Associate
Margaret E. Seip, AICP/PP – Community Planner in New Jersey
The audience of over 30 students and staff members appeared engaged throughout …
I know. I promised to try and frequently blog and post pictures from Greenbuild. I failed. Not for lack of effort. More like lack of time. Maybe next year.
As I look back on this trip, the most amazing thing about this event is the people – a people inspired by change. Everyone is cordial, welcoming and friendly. Everyone’s looking for answers to the growing questions surrounding sustainable design. Many answers are provided.
With my first trip to Greenbuild in the books, I’d like to walk you through it from my perspective as an exhibitor and not an attendee.
Monday, November 17, 2008
6:20 am – Flight leaves for Boston via DC. Much coffee needed.
11:15 am – Flight lands in Boston. Tim Gaidis and …
A couple of weeks ago, as I was prepping myself for taking the LEED exam, one of our sustainable knowledge gurus, Seth Teel, opened me up to a new resource for studying: 
