So awhile back, I got a very nice note complimenting the blog and suggesting I check out this post about eco-friendly office buildings around the world.
It was fun looking at some of the buildings-the article summarizes key features of each building and then links to a more detailed review. My favorite reference was probably to Nike's use of "about 8,000 recycled training shoes to create its tennis and basketball courts." There were some truly amazing features and designs in some of these buildings, and it's definitely worth a read.
However, if you ran a search through the page for the word "wood," you would only find one reference-to the Twitter building's remodel and their use of reclaimed barn wood for their logo and desks. Once again, I fear that wood is being shortchanged as an incredibly environmental product. I don't want to discourage the use of recycled shoes and water catchments systems and indoor gardens, these are great, but I would also love to see the celebration of wood in the green building program.
I did a look for some other lists of green buildings. This list references wood twice in their summary of top builds. Here's a list of cool skyscrapers. My alma mater, Oberlin College, had one of their buildings place first on this green list which pulled in part from this list by the AIA (American Institute of Architects).
There's plenty to read about and some amazing design work going out there. Now let's do more design with good wood, too!
