After Tim Cook recently claimed at an environmental conference that its new ‘Spaceship’ headquarters would be “the greenest building on the planet,” Apple today provided (via Business Insider) a few illustrative facts and figures to support the claim.
For example, Cupertino law requires that construction sites reuse at least 75% of their demolished materials. Apple says it’s using over 90% of the old headquarters in building the new one.
This includes recycling all of the concrete from its present headquarters to form part of the foundations of the new campus. Trees cleared from the construction site are being turned into lumber for use in the building.
Once completed, Apple says that not only will 100 percent of its energy come from renewable sources (Apple is building a large solar farm at the site), but that the unique design of the structure means it will require far less energy to run than a conventional building.
The new HQ will also save money on heating and cooling. Apple says the building will have natural ventilation for 75% of the year.
While these are just a few snippits, we’re likely to hear more as construction work progresses.
Apple places a high priority on its environmental credentials, hiring former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to oversee environmental issues, building a dedicated microsite for environmental responsibility, releasing an Earth Day video narrated by Tim Cook, and running press ads calling on other companies to follow its example.
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Some cool details here.
I’m all for conserving energy, using less fossil fuels, etc., but consider this… How much energy is being used to build the new campus? I really don’t think there’s a way to avoid using fossil fuels during the actual building process.
There is no such thing as “fossil” fuels. Are you referring to hydrocarbons perhaps?
I don’t need correcting. Thanks.
As much as this is a right step into the future of what we need to accomplish it’s not the greenest building on the planet… Don’t get me wrong I like apple and the fact that they push a lot towards a more sustainable society. I’ll stay loyal because of this but the greenest buildings are probably Earthships which are extremely sustainable =)
This is BS.
First of all, there is no definition of “green.”
Second, Apple is tearing out trees to convert to lumber. Why not leave the trees and use another material?
Third, Apple has planted grass around the campus perimeter fence. It’s very lush. This at a time when California has a drought and residents are being paid to remove their lawns.
Fourth, the impact on traffic is already horrendous and the City Council did not adequately address this nightmare.
Fifth, in the 21st century, why does a high tech company need so many employees on site? Can’t they work remotely?
I can understand why they may not trust iCloud …