This summer, according to Paul Gipe's newsletter from Wind-Works.org, Italy surpassed Spain and Japan to become the second place country in the competition for installed PV capacity.
Blog
Graphisoft announces Archicad 15
The new features of ArchiCad 15 are visible on Graphisoft website. We had a look at the presentation videos to have a preview of what this upgrade is going to be about.
GreenBuilding at SolarExpo 2011 in Verona, Italy
Yesterday we visited GreenBuilding 2011 in Verona, which was held in conjunction with the much more prominent SolarExpo. The following are some highlights of the products presented in this 2011 edition.
“Green BIM” webinar | GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner
We took part in the webinar "Green" BIM - Low Energy Building Design for New Projects and Retrofits with GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner", organized by Graphisoft to present Ecodesigner, the energy evaluation add-on for ArchiCad.
‘Gli Italiani e il Solare’ (Italians and Solar Technology) | Report for 2010
Last Wednesday, at the opening event for EcoMondo in Rimini, the study "Gli Italiani e il Solare" (Italians and Solar Technology) was presented. It was commissioned by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Italia and executed via a phone survey of about 8,000 Italians by IPR Marketing. This study and its results are helping to spread the idea of 'sustainability' as a cultural value. It is also becoming increasingly evident that the energy choices implemented by the government are not at all effective or far-sighted. The arrangements for new nuclear power stations by the French government, the gradual decrease of the incentives of the Energy Bill, and the as of yet not renewed tax deduction for 55% for energy conservation in construction are all signs of a clear interest in maintaining a monopoly in the market National Energy. Italians should remember these details when it comes to electing a new Parliament.
LEED, Itaca, Casa Clima Conference by Agape
We recently took part in the LEED, CASACLIMA, ITACA conference, organized by Aghape last Thursday, September 16th in Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna). Entry ticket: € 30,00 + VAT per person. It seems as though this would have been an event not to miss. The organizer sold it as a "workshop and round table" featuring all major companies that certify sustainable architectural design in Italy today. It was going to be the first event of this kind ever organized in our country, bringing together all the institutions that want to guarantee quality in design and construction. It would have been a chance to finally send a well-defined message to the building industry and to the market, now that everything seems to be flooded with green wash. This event could have given a steady signal where the central national government is totally missing.
LEED CMP | enrollment for LEED APs without specialty
The GBCI literature is confusing to say the least. There are about 12 places to look and they all overlap or contradict each other. If for no other reason than to organize my own thoughts, I need to post a clear explanation of how to maintain my credentials. Hopefully this will help someone else as well. There are 3 options... with 3 very different price tags.

Enrico Bonilauri on RAI TV’s ‘Okkupati’ Series
This clip of Enrico was aired last Sunday on RAI, one of the national TV channels here in Italy. He was interviewed as an alumnus of the architectural program at University of Parma.

Emu Architects Wins Free Copy of Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD
Incredibly exciting news: we won a FREE copy of Graphisoft's ArchiCAD. Please see the following article on Graphisoft's website:
Mariana Pickering of Emu Architects Becomes a LEED Accredited Professional
Last week Emu's own Mariana Pickering took and passed the LEED AP exam at the Thompson Prometric center in Milan. Her trials and tribulations throughout the studing process can be viewed on her study blog - Somewhere Down the Line. Now that USGBC has rolled out the new version of LEED, the next step for Mariana will be to complete enough CE credits to maintain a BD&C specialization.