Pima County in Tucson will become the first government agency in the country to provide LEED certifications to home builders. Normally, a builder who wants a LEED certification would have to hire a private contractor to do the certification, in addition to paying fees to the U.S. Green Building Council. With the average home requiring 81 hours to certify, the savings will be almost $4,000. Rich Michal, chair of the Southern Arizona chapter of the Green Building Council said Pima County providing certifications would encourage more builders to pursue green building. "The knock against LEED was always that it was too expensive," he said. "With Pima County, they're already reviewing your plans. Locally, it will do nothing but help promote market transformation and sustainability." 

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced the approval of $4.6 million in financing for 10 green development projects through the 2008 Housing Trust Fund allocations in an effort to press forward in his administration's goal to have "green building" as a key part of Cleveland's revitalization strategy. More than 64 percent of the funds allocated through the 2008 Housing Trust Fund went to projects that have committed to satisfying a green standard of construction. These 10 projects are expected to bring on line an additional 654 units of affordable and energy efficient housing.

Oakland County Commissioner David Woodward is hoping to make Oakland a "Cool County" through new green building standards. Under the program, mayors must commit to reduce global warming by signing the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. Current Oakland County "Cool Cities" include Royal Oak, Southfield, Warren and Ferndale. "Cool Counties" in the program include King County, Wash.; Fairfax County, Va.; and Nassau County, N.Y. Woodward is calling for the creation of a greenhouse gas reduction task force, as well as a mandate that all new construction in Oakland County meet LEED standards.

LEED certification for retailers has begun spreading to banks.  Wachovia has become the third bank to earn approval for a prototype to build hundreds of LEED-certified locations with less red tape than a traditional LEED certification. Only four companies have won approval for prototypes that can be used for multiple locations. The others are PNC Bank of Pittsburgh in 2006, Citigroup and Office Depot both in 2008.

A recent survey published in Engineering News-Record ranked HOK is the world's greenest design firm. The inaugural rankings are based on revenue for design services generated in 2007 from projects actively seeking certification from major third-party environmental standards or ratings organizations, such as the U.S. Green Building council's LEED system.  HOK generated $151.45 million, or 23 percent of its total revenue, from sustainable projects in 2007.  HOK is a global architectural firm that specializes in planning, design and delivery solutions for buildings and communities.

An Italian architect said he is poised to start construction on a new skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion." The 80-story tower will feature revolving floors that give the building an ever-shifting shape. Giant wind turbines installed between each floor will generate enough electricity to power the entire building. Speaking at a news conference in New York, the building's designer, David Fisher, declared that his tower will revolutionize the way skyscrapers are made.