In the
world today people all around are changing their lives to become healthier
human beings. But, that is not all that is catching in this the health crazed
world. Yes, buildings can be healthy too! These six buildings are all pushing
the green envelope and participating in programs such as LEED and WELL to do
so. First, let me tell you a little about each of these programs. LEED, which
stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building
certification program that is very popular and used around the world. Another
program that was launched to bring health and wellness into the indoor
environment is WELL. Let’s take a look at six of the healthiest buildings in
the world.
1.
The Crystal in London
Owned and
operated by Siemens, The Crystal is a sustainable development. The building
uses solar power and ground source heat pumps to generate its own energy. This
building is the first to achieve the highest sustainable building accolades
from two of the world’s leading accreditation programs, LEED and BREEAM. It is
actually the most sustainable building in London.
2.
181 Fremont in San Francisco
181
Fremont is a 56-floor skyscraper in San Francisco, California. Once the
building is omple, it will be the tallest mixed-use building in San Francisco. The
building features a water reusing program that catches and reuses graywater and
rainwater. It also has a glass curtain wall system that maximizes natural
light. The tower will have the world’s first evacuation elevators. In an
emergency, people will be instructed by signage to use the elevators and not
the stairs. This is one building I would feel safe living in.
3.
Apple Park in Cupertino, California
Apple
Park is the vision of the late Steve Jobs. His idea was to create a space for
creativity and collaboration for the Apple team members. Apple Park sprawls out
over 175 acres. The main building is a 2.8 million-square-foot building made
entirely of panels of curved glass forming a ring shape. There will be a
1,000-seat theater, named after Mr. Jobs himself. The parklands has two miles
of walking and running paths for employees, an orchard, meadow and pond within
the ring’s interior grounds. The building itself is powered by 100 percent
renewable energy. With 17 megawatts of rooftop solar, Apple Park is one of the
largest on-site solar energy installations in the world. The building is also
the world’s largest naturally ventilated building, requiring no heat or air
conditioning for nine months out of the year.
4.
ShanghaiTower in Shanghai, China
This
“Twisting Tower” is a 128-story megatall skyscraper in Shanghai, China. It is
the tallest building in China and one of the most sustainable buildings in the
world. One of the super cool features of the buiding is the double-skin façade
technology that improves air quality while reducing the number of vertical
trips each building occupant must make. There is also a parapet the collects
rainwater which is used to heat and cool the tower. The building’s twisting
form allows it to withstand typhoon-force winds which saved an estimated $58M
in structural costs during construction.
5.
Southwestern Energy in Spring, Texas
This
550,000 square foot building was built to LEED Gold specifications. A generator
powered by natural gas provides 24-hour power for the data center, and overall
the building uses 25 to 30 percent less energy than a standard building of its
size. The building features a rainwater harvesting system, a high-performance
unitized curtain wall system, shading fins and energy efficient HVAC system. Every
detail is sustainable, down to the farm-to-table café and their natural gas
fueling station.
6.
Medibank Place in Melbourne,
Australia
Medibank
is Australia’s largest health insurer and in 2015 they opened their new
headquarters after listening to what employees had to say about healthy work
environments. This is what they took from all that they heard. Some features of
their new space includes a sports court, edible gardens, demonstration kitchens
all with a vibrant color scheme. The 495,000 square foot building has about
2,300 plants living inside and about 10% of the walls are covered with plants. There
are 26 different work settings in the 24-story building. This is one of the
many buildings I would want to see!
