Civic Center in Frisco

The article I read on San Francisco led me to search for examples of their sustainability.  One of the first articles that caught my attention was about an eco-friendly Civic Center that mayor Gavin Newsom announced in September of 2008.  The idea was to restructure the existing center into a "sustainable resource district."  The project uses solar panels, wind turbines, and living roofs to reduce the city's carbon footprint by 2,225 tons.  The panels and turbines reduce the district's energy consumption by almost a third, while water efficient fixtures and water reclamation programs conserve 80% of water used.  When construction plans were released, Mayor Newsom stated, "...our Civic Center will stand as a global model for how we achieve a more sustainable future."

Here's a concept photo of the Civic Center:

And here's a photo of the completed Civic Center:

Links:

http://inhabitat.com/san-francisco-sustainable-civic-center/

http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2011/09/30/omg-this-morning-in-civic-center-its-civic-response-2011-a-fire-drill-with-a-cast-of-thousands/