Solar Two Wins Holcim Gold Award

solar two perspective image

TreeHugger has discussed Solar One before, and George had posted a video of Solar Two

Now it appears that the proposed education facility has won the whacking big Holcim Award, $100,000 provided by one of the world's largest cement and aggregate companies to honour the best in sustainable construction, what some might call a bit of a contradiction but I will let that one pass.

solar two exploded image

Instead we will congratulate Christopher Collins, executive director of Solar One Green Energy, Arts and Education Center; Colin Cathcart, of Kiss + Cathcart Architects; Nigel Nicholls, of Arup; and Judith Heintz of Wallace Roberts & Todd for creating a building that will generate all of its own energy from geothermal wells, photovoltaics, green walls and more. Holcim Awards via Metropolis

From Solar Two:

SOLAR 2 is designed to achieve PLATINUM LEED* certification. Some of the features that will make this building special include:

1. Recycled and renewable materials will be used in the building structure and interior furnishings.
2. A roof with integrated photovoltaic panels will utilize the energy of the sun to generate even more electrical power than the building will require.
3. Geothermal wells will keep SOLAR 2 warm during the winter months using a technology that conducts heat from the Earth’s interior.
4. Green screens – exterior walls that provide a trellis-like structure for vegetation — will supply natural shading and filtered sunlight.
5. A living green roof will provide many benefits, including: reducing heating and cooling loads on the building; filtering carbon dioxide and other pollutants out of the air; combatting the urban heat effect, which makes cities measurably hotter than surrounding areas; and reducing stormwater runoff, helping to alleviate the load on New York City’s wastewater management system and thereby preventing the flow of raw sewage into our natural waterways.
6. The building’s efficient use of daylight and natural ventilation will save energy and money.
7. Rainwater collection will provide all non-potable water, conserving the municipal water supply.