Bring on the Green Building

As a lover of the Earth, and a bit of an architectural junkie, seeing great examples of green building brings incredible warmth to my heart. There is so much potential in construction, and seeing it done well is fantastic. I ran across a few examples in the last few months that I thought would be great to share with you all:

The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University

I ran across this gem in Stone World, and thought it was certainly worth mentioning. A retired limestone quarry was acquired by the university in Greencastle, IN, and plans for construction were made on top of it—using the same materials it sat upon. Using native Indiana limestone was one of the factors taken into consideration when the building was awarded its Gold LEED certification. The best part? It’s a gorgeous building, and a gorgeous site. Of course, we also love the use of stone as well… Be sure to check the article to look at photos.

The Grange Insurance Audobon Center

This one was found on Buildipedia.com, and is a great example of promoting green practices through structural and architectural factors, as well as connecting the public to nature in a way that promotes the understanding of the world around us. The building is situated nearby an urban downtown setting, but uses the area metroparks as a linkage point between man and earth—in conjunction with educational programming. Green structural decisions included passive solar design, on-site stormwater management, and geothermal heat. Again, a building that is both beautiful and eco-friendly.

These are just a few of the many, many green buildings out there worthy of notice. If you are planning a building or home, be sure to check the green options available to you. If you’re doing a smaller home project, this is just as important. If you’re doing a smaller home project involving stone, don’t forget to check out our site to see if you can recycle the stone of your choice to have a better impact on the environment! Cheers, everyone!

Sources:

Connecting to the Earth with Limestone from StoneWorld.com
Case Study: Grange Insurance Audubon Center from Buildipedia.com