Building smarter

From this week's Science:

"Building construction is still dominated by traditional materials, and the conservative nature of architects and builders is understandable--it is hard to judge how a material may survive and perform during the 20- to 150-year lifetime of a building. However, the need to improve the energy efficiency and self-diagnostic capabilities of the built environment, along with a desire to improve the quality and functionality found in our interior spaces, has driven the adoption of new materials. Fernández (p. 1807) reviews this evolution in building design and fabrication and discusses how partnerships with the materials science community may accelerate the design and adoption of new materials."

GREEN ARCHITECTURE & SUSTAINABLE DESIGN LINKS

NRDC: Building Green, from principle to practice
"The first site that concisely outlines the business reasons for getting into green building and then provides a guide to getting started."

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Green roof industry association.

World Green Building Council

US Green Building Council
"The USGBC is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work."

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Primary green building certification in the US.

Green Building Press UK

Center for Neighborhood Technology
"The CNT has a unique mission: To invent and implement new tools and methods that create livable urban communities for everyone."

Inhabitat
"A weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future."

Greater Cleveland Green Building Coalition Green Building Blog
Reports on much, much more than just green building.

Enviropundit: Green Building Blog
"Most of the discussions will be about sustainable building and energy, but there will also be some about disproving the 'environment vs. economy' myth, efficiency in the economy and others."

URBANISM & PLANNING LINKS

Cyburbia
"The Internet's oldest portal site for urban planners and others interested in cities and the built environment."

The Next American City
"A not-for-profit organization founded by a new generation of urban thinkers and leaders to explore the transformation of America’s cities and suburbs, examining how and why our built environment, economy, society and culture are changing."

BLDG BLOG
"architectural conjecture :: urban speculation :: landscape futures"

Ideas That Matter
"ITM produces a wide range of events to stimulate public discourse concentrating on issues related to cities, economies and the value of diversity, community and public good." Inspired by Jane Jacobs.

Urban Cartography
"(de)constructing the urban environment"

Urbanism.org
A planning and built environment-related news site. "Issues, Culture, Urbanism."

Radical Urban Theory
"Writings on the modern urban condition."

Planetizen
"Planetizen is a public-interest information exchange provided by Urban Insight for the urban planning, design and development community."

Metropolis Magazine
Long-running and insightful urban design magazine.

Beyond Brilliance, Beyond Stupidity
A blog featuring side-by-side comparisons of positive and negative developments in transportation, urban planning, design, the environment, the Internet and many other related areas.

Urban Planet
Urban planning community website with articles and lively forums.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute
"The Buckminster Fuller Institute serves a global network of design science innovators working at the leading edge to 'make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone'".

Terrain.org
"A journal of the built and natural environments."

Heart of the City Project, Database of Greenspaces in Boston
"The 'Heart of the City' offers some of the most compelling opportunities - and daunting challenges - of any community in all of Boston."