Blog Post

Google Earth features new High Performance Buildings layer

Update: it has come to our attention that the U.S. Department of Energy is no longer supporting this Google Earth layer. We've created a Google Documents link where you can download the KMZ file for use in Google Earth.

 I want to show off something that we have been working on that I'm really excited about. Working with the Department of Energy and Google, we created a High Performance Buildings layer in Google Earth. The layer gives you an interactive map with markers for the buildings in DOE's High Performance Buildings Database, with links to full case studies. Even cooler, you can download and view 3D models of the buildings (that were created in SketchUp). If you have Google Earth, you can download the layer here: Great Green Buildings Google Earth Layer If you don't have Google Earth, you can download it here. You can find the 3D models in the Department of Energy collection of Google's 3D Warehouse. This layer is only the first step of our Google Earth/ SketchUp project. There will be more coming, so let us know if you have any suggestions.

Published November 19, 2007

(2007, November 19). Google Earth features new High Performance Buildings layer. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/news-article/google-earth-features-new-high-performance-buildings-layer

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Comments

BuildingGreen Basic Member

December 19, 2007 - 10:25 am

This is a great tool. It would be helpful if DOE updates the database as more green building have come up since.

BuildingGreen Basic Member

November 28, 2007 - 6:38 am

wow! that is cool. Who did all the work to create the sketchup models?

BuildingGreen Basic Member

November 28, 2007 - 11:42 am

The Sketch Up models were done by folks at Google, as their contribution to this High Performance Buildings layer. Interestingly, the method that they used was to send out photographers to each building and get a series of documenting images, and then use the images as the basis for the Sketch Up models.

I suspect that a lot of folks involved with buildings in the HPB database have some kind of sketch Up models either existing or easily created. It would great to get models for all of the buildings in the BuildingGreen version of the HPB database.

BuildingGreen Basic Member

December 7, 2011 - 10:54 am

I click on the link for the Great Green Buildings Google Earth layer and it takes me to a page where there is no such layer to download. What am I missing?

BuildingGreen Basic Member

December 8, 2011 - 9:12 am

Hi Joel,

It seems that DOE isn't supporting this layer any longer, since it's no longer available on their website. But I've posted the .kmz file at the link below, and it seems to work, so enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1jttTxKbPwQZDYzMDI3NDAtOTI1MC00ZGViLTk...