Picking a tree is a matchmaking game. Sherwood Design Engineers is gathering a list of the best tree options for the Oakland EcoBlock that have relatively low water usage, low isoprene emissions, and high resiliency in a changing climate. Learn more about Sherwood’s tree selection process for EcoBlock.
Home electrification offers many benefits: it can improve occupant comfort, better indoor air quality, and lower monthly energy costs. EcoBlock Mobility team lead Dr. Tim Lipman shares his experiences with making the switch to an electric home.
Induction cooking is a relatively new technology with many advantages. Powered by electricity, it is cleaner and more efficient than cooking with traditional gas. Check out this infographic to learn how induction cooking works!
The Aardehuizen Project is a community microgrid serving 23 homes in Olst, Netherlands. Few other ecovillages around the globe have been built at a scale as successful as the Aardehuizen. In this blog, Erin Yu highlights why Olst became the ideal location for a sustainable community and highlights several factors critical to the community’s success.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) describes the quality of the air that circulates inside a building and how it affects people’s comfort and safety. With the average American spending 90 percent of their time indoors, it is important that our built environment supports our health and well-being. Read on to learn more how you can improve indoor air quality and stay safe during wildfire season.
In the decade since the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, microgrids have sprung up across Japan to help the country meet their energy demands and build resilience. Japan’s National Resilience Program led to the development of several microgrids. This article describes the development of the first microgrid community established in Higashimatsushima.
On April 21, the EcoBlock team gave a presentation for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Francisco. The event drew over 50 attendees from across the Bay Area from a wide range of backgrounds. Read our event recap and watch the recording here!
Larry Strain, FAIA, LEED AP is a co-lead of EcoBlock’s Design & Construction team and Principal at Siegel & Strain Architects, an award-winning architecture and planning firm in the East Bay. We sat down with Larry to discuss his work on embodied carbon and the importance of adaptive reuse in the built environment.