The PowerPay corporate headquarters in Portland, ME has earned LEED Gold Certification.  Fore Solutions was the LEED Consultant and Energy Modeling Consultant on the project which included a conversion of the former Portland Public Market space into a mixed-use building consisting of PowerPay’s offices and a public cafe.  Read the recent PowerPay Press Release to learn more about the building’s green features.  

More than 10,000 homes across the U.S. have earned LEED certification through the LEED for Homes program, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED-certified home projects span the residential market, from multi- and single-family, to market rate and affordable housing. (USGBC Press Release, April 5, 2011)

Learn more about Fore Solutions’ LEED for Homes Provider services.

Catch up with Fore Solutions at Greenbuild in Chicago next week! If you’ll be there too, let us know and we’ll find a time to get together.

AND

Sign Up for Fore Solutions Workshop at Greenbuild!

Fore Solutions is offering an education session at Greenbuild on Friday, November 19^th from 1:00 – 5:00pm. The course, EP05 Sustainable Design Charrette Workshop, will cover how to conduct an interactive sustainable design workshop with an integrated design approach.

On the November 10th, from 3:30 – 8:00 pm, the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will be hosting their annual meeting, In the Limelight, at Bowdoin College. This year they will feature the green stories taking place on Maine’s college and university campuses. All Fore Solutions’ staff will be in attendance. We hope to see you there!

Come early for a tour of Bowdoin’s LEED certified projects that Fore Solutions consulted on!

Watson Ice Arena

Bowdoin Fitness Center

Last week a report was issued by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EEHI) concluding that there is room for improvement on how LEED standards can address human heath concerns. The various LEED rating systems are constantly evolving and many LEED credits have successfully addressed some toxicity issues to date including low emitting paints and adhesives, and formaldehyde-free composite wood and low emitting furniture.  Serious action to improve indoor air quality is certainly a concern. The LEED rating system is a catalyst for action and is constantly evolving. Many more improvements in indoor air quality are being considered for inclusion into the LEED rating system.

To download the original report and read a few perspectives on the issues, see below:

Download the original report: LEED Certification: Where Energy Efficiency Collides with Human Health

A few perspectives:

The Daily Climate

BuildingGreen

Healthy Building News

The Emerging Green Builders of the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council present Green Careers Series, Part 4, Energy.

When: June 10, 5:30- 7:00 PM
Where: Slainte Wine Bar, 20 Preble Street, Portland, ME 04010, 207.828.0900

Speaker Panel
– Dana Fischer, Purist Energy
– Vamshi Gooje, Fore Solutions
– J.D. Lloyd, Investment Engineering

For more information visit the USGBC website.

USGBC and China GBC sign MOU. (March 2010)

On March 29-31, Gunnar Hubbard, Principal of Fore Solutions, participated in Sixth International Building Energy Efficiency and Green Building Symposium in Beijing, China. This conference was the sixth annual conference sponsored by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD).

This year marked a significant milestone between the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the China Green Building Council (CGBC). The organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing to work together to advance green building opportunities and reduce carbon emissions, including joint research and educational programs around green building. Gunnar was present for the signing of the MOU. Additionally, Gunnar was privileged to be included in discussions between the CGBC and the USGBC related to China’s Three-Star green building rating system and the LEED rating system.

This was Gunnar’s 8th trip to China in the last 4 years to teach green building classes and to pursue project related opportunities. Gunnar also had meetings in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Learn more about the USGBC and China.

The Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine has earned LEED Silver certification. The Buck Center becomes the fourth Bowdoin College campus building to be granted LEED certification. The Sidney J. Watson Arena was granted LEED status in July 2009; two residence halls, Osher and West, earned LEED Silver certification in 2006.

The arts center received silver certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, said Waynflete spokeswoman Kathy Dion. The LEED-certified building includes carbon dioxide sensors, recycled and regionally produced building materials and priority parking for fuel-efficient or carpool vehicles. (Portland Press Herald, December 22, 2009)

If you are a LEED AP (without specialty), enroll in the GBCI Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) by December 31, 2009 and earn Continuing Education (CE) hours  for all volunteer and committee work completed since January 1, 2009, and all other activities completed since July 8, 2009. LEED APs (without specialty) who enroll after December 31, 2009, can only count CE hours earned during their CMP reporting period. (www.gbci.org)