Does Philadelphia need a Green SuperSkyScraper ?

This past Friday the Philadelphia Business Journal reported that Walnut Street Capital, a Philadelphia development company headed by Garrett Miller, is proposing to build an $800 million, 2.2-million-square-foot, 1500 feet skyscraper on what is now a parking lot. The building’s height would be second only to Taipei 101, a building located in Taiwan, at 1,670 feet. The project is named the “American Commerce Center”and it would be constructed with a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold Certification in mind.

First Sustainable New Housing Development in the Region.

So my friend Dan Orzech and Charles Line his partner in Earth Rising Homes, the other week launched their plans to build the first green condominium building in the region.

Solar panels will power the entire complex, and geothermal pumps would heat and cool the condos. The complex will be built using nontoxic materials and airtight insulation.

Here is a link to a Philadelphia Inquirer article with more details:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/chester/nabes/14039311.html

Dan’s venture brought me to look at what some of the larger residential development builders based or operating in this region are doing in terms of offering green buildings?