santa monica takes the leed in greening parks

did you know that the first park in the united states to be awarded a LEED certification is right in our backyards? me neither, but virginia avenue park in santa monica was awarded a silver rating from the u.s. green building council for it's 9.5 acre addition in 2005.

one may think that it would be a cinch for a park to get a LEED award for environmental sustainability...it's green right? but many traditional parks are constructed and operated using wasteful systems such as grading and demolition, over-irrigation, and chemical fertilizers. even the plants that are chosen have a big impact on the "greenness" of a landscape plan.

koning eizenberg architecture of santa monica and spurlock poirier landscape architects of san diego obviously understood this in their design process for the urban park. the park at virginia avenue took advantage of sustainable techniques such as rainwater capture and use, construction waste recycling, efficient irrigation and electricity (all energy is supplied by renewable power), drought tolerant plantings, natural ventilation, and four recharching stations for alternative fuel vehicles. also, all paint, wood, and carpet materials were specified sans volatile compounds or formaldehyde.

LEED certified building is getting a lot of press (and rightfully so) but it's great to see parks joining in the mix.

(via garden design magazine nov 2006)

cool stuff around town

bubbles installation at m&a. i stopped by m & a last night while i was in silverlake for greendrinks and got a peak at the new bubbles installation in their courtyard. the interactive installation consists of large air-bag "bubbles" that inflate and deflate in response to visitors, expressing a continuously changing urban architectural experience. the installation is up through the end of january.

first leed platinum residence in u.s.. phil and i recently took a stroll by livinghomes' new project in santa monica which is the first u.s. residence to be awarded the highest rating possible from the u.s. green building council’s (usgbc) new pilot, leed® for homes rating system. designed by ray kappe, the livinghomes model home is a zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions residence. it's a beautiful architectural statement, although it does seem that they could use some landscape help - lh, call me :). livinghomes is the first company to make leed certified, prefab homes available to consumers nationwide.

sustainable works green living workshops in santa monica. sustainable works, a non-profit environmental education organization sponsored by the city of santa monica, would like to introduce a workshop designed to help families learn about important environmental issues, save valuable resources, lower utility bills, and protect their health. their next two workshop cycles begin monday, october 23rd, and wednesday, october 25th, 7:00 p.m. for more information call anna cummins at sustainable works 310.458-8716 x1