The School of Nursing at the UT Health Science Center here in Houston is a wonderful example of green architecture, and has been selected as one of the top 10 green projects for 2006.
The building happens to be adjacent to my school, and one of my first public health courses was taught there. It was during this class that we had the distinct pleasure of being given a detailed tour of the building by Brian Yeoman of the Houston Advanced Research Center, who was involved with its conception and construction.
Not only is the building aesthetically pleasing, every aspect of it is built on the principles of sustainable design. Check out these fast facts on the ‘green‘ aspects of the building. Interesting points include the fact that 77% of the materials used in the building were recycled or reused, and that because of energy performance optimization the building uses 80% less energy on a square foot basis than the adjacent School of Public Health. Because of tremendous energy savings, such eco-friendly designs are now getting increasingly popular.
PBS ran a 6-part tv series called Design:E2 in June, which introduced the ” inventive leaders and technologies driving sustainable practices in the buildings where we live, work and play.” [via]
I missed out on the series, but intend catching the concluding episode which focuses on architects, and airs on Wednesday August 16, at 11 pm. There’s also some exclusive web content with audio and video podcasts that delve deeper into the concepts of green design. [An added incentive: the series is narrated by Brad Pitt.]
Technorati Tags: School of Nursing Houston, Green Building, Sustainable Architecture, Design:E2, sustainable design, eco-friendly design
1 Comment
August 8, 2006 at 2:50 pm
I drove past this building a few months ago, and I absolutely love the design. It’s both retro and modern (almost like a 70s’ version of the future). I’m glad to hear it’s built green. The more I think about it, I can tell it’s constructed from recycled and reused materials. It has a certain indefinable weight and history to it, something you don’t see in many new buildings.