The 9 greenest new buildings in the US

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh, PA is the first and only building to meet four of the highest green certifications: the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, WELL Building Platinum, and Four-Stars Sustainable SITES.

Walter Tien/The Design Alliance Architects

Architects: The Design Alliance

Which isn't surprising, given that it's a building where people work on plant conservation.

Denmarsh Photography Inc.

In San Francisco, the Exploratorium at Pier 15 showcases innovations in design while also walking the walk with its own design.

Bruce Damonte

Architects: EHDD

The 800-foot roof contains a 1.3 Megawatt solar array and the water in the nearby bay is used to heat and cool the building. It is quickly approaching the status of world's largest net-zero energy museum.

Bruce Damonte

H-E-B Mueller, in Austin, TX, could be the most energy-efficient grocery store you'll find.

Casey Dunn

Architects: Lake|Flato Architects, H-E-B Design + Construction, Selser Schaefer Architects

It uses all LED lighting, propane refrigeration systems (the first in North America), rooftop solar arrays, and reclaimed water for landscaping and plumbing.

Dror Baldinger

The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation on the campus of UC Berkeley uses 90% less energy than the median college campus building.

Tim Griffith

Architects: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

More than 80% of the building's ventilation and lighting come from natural sources, and 50% of water gets conserved during rainfall.

Tim Griffith

Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco were designed for the chronically homeless and has filtered ventilation, a green roof, and smart irrigation.

Tim Griffith

Architects: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Saida + Sullivan Design Partners

Residents also get enormous amounts of daylight without sacrificing energy efficiency.

Tim Griffith

In Decatur, TX, the Dixon Water Foundation's Josey Pavilion is an open-air building meant for community meetings and school functions.

Casey Dunn

Architects: Lake|Flato Architects

In place of heating and cooling systems, the building has movable panels that can regulate temperature and wind conditions.

Dror Baldinger

Located in San Diego, the J. Craig Venter Institute's West Coast property is the first net-zero research lab in the United States.

Nick Merrick

Architects: ZGF Architects LLP

At more than 44,000 square feet, the building uses sustainable materials and water conservation to achieve its LEED-Platinum certification.

Nick Merrick

The University of Wyoming's Visual Arts Facility uses one of the largest solar evacuated tubes in the US. Essentially, the sun's energy heats the water that flows through the building.

Lara Swimmer

Architects: Hacker, Malone Belton Abel P.C.

The entire building, in fact, was designed according to the sun's position in the sky throughout the day, optimizing the light that enters the building.

Lara Swimmer

California's first net-zero library is the West Berkeley Public Library.

David Wakely

Architects: Harley Ellis Devereaux

The 9,500-square-foot building uses solar power for energy and heating, and an innovative wind chimney muffles outside noise while also ventilating the building.

David Wakely