Tradeline, Inc. filters and categorizes new-construction and industry news from regional and professional journals across the country. Here you will find new projects, products, and regulatory updates.
Industry News
National Cheng Kung University Inaugurates Green Building Research Center
National Cheng Kung University inaugurated the Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center in January of 2011 on the Lis-Hsing campus in Tainan, Taiwan. Housing the Magic School of Green Technology, the zero-carbon facility is expected to attain LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and receive the highest rating from Taiwan's Ecology, Energy Saving, and Waste Reduction initiative. The 4,800-sm building includes three levels above ground and one underground floor.
SolarReserve Builds Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project
Tonopah Solar Energy, a subsidiary of SolarReserve, will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $850 million solar power plant in Nye County, Nevada. Sited on 2,250 acres of public land, the 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will use fields of mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight on a receiver tower, heating a transfer fluid used to generate steam. The facility will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 households. SolarReserve is based in Santa Monica, Calif.
Texas A&M University Plans Urban Living Laboratory
Texas A&M University will begin construction in late 2011 on the Urban Living Laboratory in Dallas. The mixed-use development will provide a living laboratory for sustainable design with residential, retail, office, and hotel space. The $127 million project will utilize sensors to collect data on building systems and technologies. The public-private development will be built by Realty Appreciation. The first phase of construction includes 300 apartment units. Subsequent construction phases will create a 1.1 million-sf sustainable community.
University of Wisconsin Breaks Ground on Energy Institute
The University of Wisconsin broke ground on the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison in November of 2010. The 200,000-sf facility was designed by HOK and Potter Lawson with M.A. Mortenson as general contractor. The sustainably designed building will house labs, offices, high bay space, and conference rooms for clean energy research and development. A second phase of construction will provide classrooms, a demonstration lab, and offices.
EU Launches €1.2 Billion Energy Research Initiative
The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has launched a €1.2 billion initiative to develop wind, solar, and nuclear power in the European Union. The WindScanner research facility in Denmark will cost between €45 million and €60 million to build. The €960 million MYRRHA nuclear research reactor will be sited in Belgium. The €80 million EU-SOLARIS facility will be built at the Advanced Technological Centre for Renewable Energy in Spain.