The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
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Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Carbon Dioxide is a
colorless, odorless gas that naturally exists in the earth’s atmosphere.
The major source of man-made CO2 emissions is from the combustion of fossil
fuels. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas and is known to contribute
to global warming and climate change. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2
have been increasing at a rate of about 0.5 percent per year and are now
approximately 30 percent above pre-industrial levels.
Carbon Neutral - A scenario where the net discharge
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is zero. Carbon neutrality can be
achieved by planting enough trees so that CO2 emissions as a result of combustion
would be offset by CO2 absorption by the plants. In the presence of water
and light, trees convert CO2 into sugar and oxygen thru the process of photosynthesis.
The average tree absorbs 10 kg (22 lbs) of CO2 per year. Carbon neutral
is also referred to as “net zero carbon”.
Carbon Footprint - A measure of the amount
of carbon dioxide emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels. A carbon
footprint is often expressed as tons of carbon dioxide or tons of carbon
emitted, usually on an annual basis.
Climate Neutral - No net production of greenhouse gases (see
also Carbon Neutral).
Cogeneration - A process in which power is
produced by a gas-fired engine and generator set. Heat produced as part
of this process is used as heating and/or cooling media. A cogeneration
plant is often referred to as a combined heat and power plant.
Commissioning - A process that occurs
prior to building occupancy during which the performance of the building
systems are checked and adjusted if necessary, in order to ensure that they
are operating as intended by the design and that the owner’s operational
needs are met.
