Green building and energy conservation are now more commonplace in the United States with State and Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) adopting some version of the International Code Council’s (ICC) suite of...more
Potential damages arising from the failure to achieve statutory or contractual requirements concerning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) or other green building standards are far ranging and may include:...more
California Senate rejects controversial housing bill - San Francisco Chronicle – January 29 - A contentious bill to increase the housing supply in California by boosting dense construction around public transit and in...more
The City of St. Petersburg, Florida is one of the latest municipalities to incorporate the concepts of sustainable construction, sometimes referred to as "green building", into the requirements of their municipal code. ...more
Developers and landlords faced the first generation of “green building” initiatives with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and EPA’s Energy Star programs. Now, the states are ready to embark...more
A team of Portland's heavy hitters has proposed a new five-story structure in Skidmore/Old Town that could be certified as Portland's first living building. The project team for the PAE Living Building includes Gerding Edlen,...more
Energy-positive buildings are a hot topic in the next wave in Environmental, Social and Governance investing, in anticipation of the EU directive which will require that all new projects built are "nearly zero energy" as from...more
Sustainable Development Focus - Bullet-train land acquisitions are moving so slowly a judge hearing the cases calls it a ‘lifetime job’ - LOS ANGELES TIMES - Nov 20 Once a month, Judge Edward M. Ross packs his car and...more
On October 6, 2017, Governor Brown approved Assembly Bill (AB) 246, extending certain CEQA litigation streamlining provisions under the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 (the Act) for...more
Wood – architecture’s oldest building material – has experienced a renaissance of sorts in recent years, in the process providing a boost to the forest and wood products industry. Wood-product proponents tout a range of...more
The COP21 meeting has been underway for the last week, with just a few more days left to go. The meeting, an annual session which started following the 1992 United Nations Framework on Climate Change, brings together...more
A New Jersey court recently reversed a variance issued by a zoning board to a building designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The owner of the planned office building sought and obtained site plan approval and a height...more
On June 19, 2014, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its preliminary results for the 2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). According to the CBECS, the United States currently has 87...more
It is increasingly important for buildings to be energy efficient. So-called “green buildings” can not only lead to more efficient energy use, but can also result in significant cost savings over time. Indeed, green...more
In this Issue: - Welcome - Williams Mullen Announces Coastal Flooding Practice - Federal Government Contracts - New Challenges - Green Certification - Bankruptcy and Virginia...more
The Federal government has long been a leader in constructing green buildings, and LEED has been the Federal standard of choice. The Department of Energy issued a final rule updating its recommended certification standards...more