Adam-2/28/09-GreenBuildingsNYC

Last Saturday, Harry, Liam and I visited Stephen Del Percio, the CEO and founder of GreenbuildingsNYC. Our topic is  green architecture, and GreenbuildingsNYC is a blog that promotes green architecture. We went to his office on 52nd and Broadway, and went into a hugh skyscraper. We waited for him in the lobby, and he came and took us up the elevator to his office. He is also a successful lawyer. He was a really nice guy, and offered us drinks and was really nice to us. The four of us sat in his conference room, and we discussed the topic of Green Architecture. We were not exactly sure what GreenbuildingsNYC’s main goal was, so we asked him, and he said that he is not even sure what the goal of his company is. He said that he wants to spread the word about Green architecture. He wants architects to visit his blog, so they can learn of different ways to make their buildings green. He said their was no specific goal for his website, but he wanted to be a resource for green architects. He also explained why green architecture is not as popular as it should be. He said then when architects construct their huge massive buildings made of glass, they say that it the building is fine and that it is green because the outer frame of the building is made up of glass. But if the building is made of glass, then the performance goes down, because it is not as sturdy and secure. He showed us some of the smaller brick buildings made 80 years ago, and they were sturdier than the taller more modern glass buildings. He says that although making buildings green, performance is a really important factor in architecture. Also, we learned that the buildings that state they are green just because they have glass and solar panels, does not mean they are a green building. They always leave their lights on overnight, and most of the time the glass they use is not even productive glass, and it just absorbs all the cold air and energy. Even Harry’s building called the River House is supposed to be green, but he said that he sees guys leaving their cars outside the building and blowing out the exhaust right in front of the building, creating pollution. The guy was really nice, and Harry and I asked most of the questions while Liam recorded most of the information. We learned a lot about green architecture, and we also learned about different techniques architects use to try to make their constructions green.