Burbankians ushered in the future on Tuesday with the opening of the new $38 million state-of-the-art Burbank Community Services Building. The soon to be LEED certified building from the architects at Leo A Daly comes with all the bells and whistles that we demand of our uber green municipal buildings - waterless urinals, motion activated lights, recycled steel, bike racks and shower facilities. The Burbank Leader quotes one local yokel who couldn't believe his eyes: "“I have lived here for 68 years,” resident Lee Paysinger said. “I have never seen anything like this. It is like looking at the future. It is just so amazing.”
· Building gets green light [Burbank Leader]
· Green Burbank Civic Building Opens [architech magazine]
In some sort of poll/survey conducted by architecture firm RMJM Hiller, Los Angeles has been named the fourth best city by design in the US (meaning, the city taken as a whole is put together well which makes our quality of life bearable). Number 1 on the list is Chicago. Lame.
"In this survey, only manufactured design was considered—natural advantages such as rolling hills or soaring mountains were discounted. Schubert says that Los Angeles was able to beat out more traditionally green cities like Portland, San Francisco, and Denver thanks to its aggressive new green initiatives and because of its attempts to reduce existing urban sprawl and create a denser city center."
Today, Council President Eric Garcetti addressed a crowd of eco-nerds at the Dwell On Design conference, where he touted LA's new Green Building Program. "This policy will have far-reaching implications beyond the nuts and bolts of building greener structures. It will impact the economy, fostering demand for greener products. It will have an impact on urban design as developers get credit for building near mass transit and located housing next to amenities and jobs. And it will influence how we in Los Angeles see design," he said. [CD13 e-news/image via drjimble.co.uk]
A couple of Earth Day related tidbits to our inbox: First, The South Group or the Mayor's Office (we can't tell the difference anymore) emailed with an update on the fantasticness of Luma - the South Park condo building which was awarded LEED Gold Certification today. On Earth Day, no less! We're heaving with joy. The Mayor popped in to the LEED ceremony, smiled and "unveiled a new Green Building Program (to reduce the use of natural resources, create healthier living environments and minimize the negative impacts of development on ecosystems) and held up the condominium as an example of the kind of environmentally friendly development the community needs." (the presser is after the jump).
Also, today, we received word that Universal Studio's new The Simpson Ride will be environmentally friendly. Via the press release: "The newly minted, environmentally conscious “The Simpsons Ride” represents the largest lighting installation of LED lamps in theme park ride history. The attraction will be illuminated with 2,582 LED lights, expending just 27,675 watts per hour as compared to 82,909 watts consumed per hour by standard incandescent lighting."
Renewing the rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco, today's Los Angeles Times shows how the two cities are implementing new green building requirements and promising to be the country's "greenest city." But which city's environmental plan will actually A.) materialize as promised and B.) work? In other words, who's gonna walk the walk after talking the talk? Let's cut to the chase and head straight to the polls. First, a re-cap:
LA's Plan:
· Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says: Slash greenhouse gas rates to 35% below the 1990 level by 2030, and make L.A. the "cleanest and greenest city in the country."
· LEED requirements in place for public structures— if they're over 7,500 square feet in size. The city notes its sheer scale of building activity as a plus.
· LEED compliance required for private construction over 50,000 square feet. Residential buildings with over 50 units must also comply with LEED standards.
SF's Plan:
· Mayor Gavin Newsom says: Cut greenhouse gases to 20% below the 1990 level by 2012, creating "the greenest large city in the United States of America."
· More stringent regulations in regards to LEED-certified buildings— all must be certified if over 5,000 square feet; fast-tracking of permits for such projects.
· SF planning 6,500 units of affordable, LEED-certified housing on Treasure Island.
· LEED gold compliance required for privately constructed commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet in size; silver LEED compliance required for all residential high-rises. All residential and low-rise units must comply with LEED standards.
Peter DeMaria, the man behind the recent spate of shipping container construction projects in Los Angeles, speaks with Boise Thomas of G Living's Room 101. Mr. DeMaria's a busy man - mentioning one project in Venice and several others on the board, including some multi-family developments. His inspiration to build with shipping containers comes from his personal experience with the high cost of building a normal home. The shipping containers are an affordable alternative and they come from China! How exotic. The recycled containers cost anywhere between $900 and $2,500 each and can be stacked like LEGOs.
· Peter DeMaria Talks About Cargo Container Design and Sustainability [Jetson Green]
· Even More Shipping Container Home Fun--And This One's Got Wood [Curbed LA]
· Container Homes, Part II: Architect Peter DeMaria's Latest [Curbed LA]
DOWNTOWN: A design workshop is being held next month at the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute that'll ask for green designs for a certain downtown Los Angeles bridge. Via the press release: "The existing bridge is passed every day by thousands of commuters within the greater Los Angeles area, and therefore can become an effective 'billboard' to promote greater awareness for a necessary lifestyle change in Southern California." Yes, more green, please.
Philippe Starck won't rest until everyone in LA is sitting on transparent chairs and sipping cocktails beneath Versailles trompe-l'œil. Now that he's conquered Hollywood and the Strip, he's heading west. And going green. Via our inbox comes word that Starck is designing two new projects in Beverly Hills and West LA, one a mixed-use development and the other a luxury condo project (natch), respectively. UPDATE: Starck's not on board yet; see update here.
Calling all prefab and eco-friendly junkies. Green architect Jennifer Siegel and her Office of Mobile Design just completed a Swellhouse at 334 Brooks in Venice.
The Swellhouse combines earth-friendly technologies with cost-effective prefabrication methods. Using a panelized system of parts, the Swellhouse streamlines the building process and reduces site waste associated with traditional construction.
Though the house was sight-built, it
stayed true to the prefab canon using an extensive modular grid system and [prefabricated] Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s). The grid system and exposed steel columns created an open yet ordered live-work space, while the SIP’s enhanced thermal and acoustic insulation.
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In some sort of poll/survey conducted by architecture firm RMJM Hiller, Los Angeles has been named the fourth best city by design in the US (meaning, the city taken as a whole is put together well which makes our quality of life bearable). Number 1 on the list is Chicago. Lame. 
Today, Council President Eric Garcetti addressed a crowd of eco-nerds at the 
Coming soon to a Pasadena neighborhood near you, StudioRMA's 
