Case Studies

There are many buildings that include notable environmental features. The Board has compiled the following list of case studies to highlight a variety of sustainable design features. While these may be considered green buildings as a whole, every feature of each building's features may not be considered "green."

Most buildings are included on this list based on self-certification for green building design and construction. Some buildings may not meet the green building definition using the LEED™ Green Building Rating System or CHPS Criteria.

California
Out-of-State
Links to Other Web Sites With Case Studies

California

The buildings are included as examples for others who may be interested in learning about sustainable design features in their pursuit of designing and building green. Additional buildings, details, and contacts can be added to this dynamic list of buildings. Please provide information and corrections to Gregory Dick (gdick@ciwmb.ca.gov).

Residential

Environmental Showcase Home: Greens the desert and saves "green" with a $30/month energy bill.
CANMET: Showcases the use of recycled-content materials and construction practices that reduce waste in the building of several homes in Canada.
Ecovillages: A residential community in Loudoun County, Virginia committed to sustainable development.
The Tofte Project: An interactive website describing the earth-friendly remodeling of a 50-year-old summer cabin in the town of Tofte on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Commercial

NW Federal Credit Union: This facility incorporates many wonderful examples of sustainability accentuated by beautiful views of downtown Seattle and Mt. Rainer.
Four Times Square, NY: An ecologically responsible office tower located in the heart of Manhattan. Highlighted High Performance Features (Adobe PDF, Size unkown)
Patagonia: Green innovations at the Reno Service Center
Vancouver Island Technology Park: This is the first project in Canada to achieve Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Rating System Version 2.0.

Educational

Brown University: Watson Institute for International Studies Project plans to incorporate green objectives.
Clackamas High School: Take a tour of this LEED Silver school project at the Boora Architects web site.
Dalles Middle School (Adobe PDF, Size Unknown): Tour a sustainable school project seeking a LEED Gold rating.
McKinney Elementary School: One of the top ten environmentally responsible design projects in the nation. (Adobe PDF, size unknown)
Oberlin College's Lewis Center for Environmental Studies: A model for sustainable architecture and a living laboratory for students and the community.
Woods Hole Research Center: This new headquarters will include the renovation of a 120-year-old house as well as an expansion incorporating energy and resource-efficient strategies.

Public Facilities

Pennsylvania's first green building: Department of Environmental Protection Southcentral Regional Office Building
Zion Visitor Center: Zion National Park's energy-efficient visitor center.

Links to Other Web Sites With Case Studies

Some of these sites may contain overlapping information.

American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE): Top 10 Green Projects for 2002
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development: Green building success stories.
Global Green USA: Matrix of case studies highlighting environmental themes, techniques, and benefits.
Green Affordable Housing Coalition: List of residential and commercial projects in the Bay Area.
U.S. Green Building Council: Select comprehensive case studies.
Rocky Mountain Institute: Favorite green development case studies.
City of San Jose: Examples and case studies.
U.S. Department of Energy: High Performance Buildings Database
U.S. Environmental Agency: Research Triangle Park.

Last updated: November 01, 2007