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Construction companies worldwide are shifting their business toward green building, with 51 percent of respondents to a survey by research firm McGraw-Hill Construction saying they expect more than 60 percent of their work to be green by 2015.

This is a significant increase from the 28 percent that said the same for their work in 2013 and the 13 percent in 2008, according to the company’s latest SmartMarket Report, World Green Building Trends.

This trend is not localized to one country or region; fom 2012 to 2015, the number of firms anticipating that more than 60 percent of their work will be green more than triples in South Africa; more than doubles in Germany, Norway and Brazil; and grows between 33 and 68 percent in the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Australia, the report says...

To help promote the International Year of Water Cooperation, which is launched this week, this diagram explores the main challenges faced by water cooperation today...

Using local materials, this impressive bamboo structure features a microcosm of imaginative spaces designed for a range of playful activities.

This incredible bamboo structure, by Dutch firm 24H-architecture, is part of the Soneva Kiri eco-resort on the island of Koh Kood, Thailand. Designed as a children's activity and learning center, the fantastic interiors are bound to impress even the most stoic grown-up.

Evoking the fluid shape of a manta ray, the center is located on a rocky slope overlooking the bay, with a large canopy of bamboo shingles sheltering the open interior of "mini-structures". The structure uses locally-sourced bamboo stalks of all sizes, ranging from the large main columns that are anchored into concrete footings to the other structural members that are grouped together using nuts and bolts and natural fiber lashings.

From the architects:

The design adopts all bioclimatic aspects to suits its humid tropical environment. The roof cantilevers up to 8 metres, acting like a big umbrella providing shade and protection from the heavy rains. The open design with the translucent elevated rooftop and setback floors allow a natural airflow inside and the use of natural daylight, limiting the building’s energy consumption.

By improving resource productivity and using less for each unit of output, manufacturers can improve value, cut costs and reduce their exposure to volatile commodity prices. McKinsey & Company shows how new business models that transform the supply chain into a “supply circle” can significantly improve efficiency and profits...

(view the complete infographic at the article link)

The Green Register’s latest Green Minute recently featured Ecotech Institute’s new Clean Jobs website which helps people find green jobs throughout the United States.

To help explain the new website, Ecotech produced a useful infographic to describe the new website and help people navigate the site. Please check out the infographic – and share it with friends and family who may be seeking clean jobs.

The renewable energy revolution is under way. Renewable power generation now accounts for around 50% of all new power generation capacity installed worldwide.

The combination of rapid deployment and high learning rates for technology “has produced a virtuous circle that is leading to significant cost declines and is helping fuel a renewable revolution,” according to a new global study of renewable power generation costs in 2012 produced by IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, which announced it isestablishing its global headquarters in the United Arab Emirates during last week’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Additions to global wind power generation capacity totalled 41 gigawatts (GW) in 2011, according to IRENA’s “Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2012: An Overview.” That’s in addition to 30 GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation capacity, 25 GW of hydro power, 6 GW of biomass, 0.5 GW of concentrated solar power (CSP), and 0.1 GW of new geothermal power capacity.

For many years, architects and city planners from around the world have been trying to create the green ideal: an entire city built to strict environmental standards- highly functional while still retaining aesthetic value.

Here’s a look at some green building and community design that caught our attention in recent months and may (or may not) become reality in the next several years. Their physical footprints may be large, but by using features such as wind power, solar, rainwater recycling and advanced air quality controls, their carbon footprints don't have to be...