By Jim Witkin
Designing buildings that leave a lighter imprint on the environment has become the de facto standard these days. The target for many is zero net energy use, meaning that a building makes as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.
Noteworthy net-zero-energy homes, commercial buildings and government structures are regularly built. But none have matched the scale of West Village, a net-zero community at the University of California, Davis, that its developers describe as the largest project of its kind in the country.
Stretching over 130 acres on the campus, which is just west of Sacramento, the initial phase of this $280 million project officially opened last weekend with the completion of 315 apartments, 42,500 square feet of commercial space and a recreation center. Once it is completed in 2013, the development will be home to about 3,000 students, faculty and staff in apartments and single-family houses. READ MORE >>
