A War on Banning Gas and Oil Connections in New Buildings

Good Morning. Today is Tuesday. Today we will explore an unfolding war against Government Kathy Hochul’s proposal to ban gas and oil connections in new buildings. And we’ll find out why New York City’s transition from gas-fired vehicles to electric vehicles started off slow. Given the share of daily anxiety New Yorkers devote to traffic …

Ricardo Bofill, Architect of Amazing Buildings, Dies at 82

Ricardo Bofill, the Spanish architect behind some of the most amazing buildings in the world, died Friday in a hospital in Barcelona. He was 82 years old. His son, Pablo, said the cause was Covid-19. Mr. Bofill’s best-known work included mass housing projects, many built in France in the 1980s, with heavily classical elements that …

Biden Orders Federal Vehicles and Buildings to Use Renewable Energy

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday announced a plan to make the federal government carbon neutral, ordering federal agencies to purchase electric vehicles, power plants with wind, solar and nuclear power, and use sustainable building materials. In a series of executive orders, Mr. Biden has urged the government to convert 300,000 buildings, 600,000 cars and …

As Climate Change Risks Increase, Investors Seek Greener Buildings

When developer Lendlease opens its $600 million residential and office complex in Los Angeles, expected in 2025, the site will feature the characteristics of sustainable development: proximity to a light rail stop, an all-electric residential tower, solar panels, and a pedestrian plaza. But these features are widely accepted these days. What makes this development all …

In ‘American Rust’ Buildings Destroy, Passions Burn

The environment is both beautiful and ugly, ostentatious and dilapidated. Green leaves surround rusty mills that are no longer in use; steep hills fall into the river like the falling dreams of local residents. This is Monongahela Valley, the host of the nine-episode Showtime series “American Rust,” which will debut September 12. The Mon Valley, …

California’s Plan to Make New Buildings Greener Will Increase Costs, Too

But in other places, like San Bernardino, a much less affluent city east of Los Angeles, where a typical home sells for around $529,000, the cost of solar panels and batteries can be a greater burden for home buyers. “If we push it and do things that are modern and efficient and green, we tend …

California Solar Panel Directive for New Buildings Developments

California regulators voted Wednesday to require solar and battery storage in new commercial buildings and high-rise multi-family residences; this is the latest frontier in the state’s vigorous efforts to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. The California Energy Commission approved the proposal by a vote of 0 to 5. The proposal …

California regulators are voting solar powers for new buildings.

Under a plan that the California Energy Commission is expected to approve Wednesday, builders will need to incorporate solar and battery storage into commercial and high-rise multi-family projects. The plan, which will take effect on January 1, 2023, also includes incentives to extract natural gas from new buildings and facilitate the addition of batteries to …