Features

Three Imperatives to Create the Future of Green Building

The industry will be in a better place a decade from now if we master these skills.
Environmental Building News—June 3, 2013

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Why we will never understand the true impact of our buildings—and how we should try to anyway
Environmental Building News—May 1, 2013

Stone, The Original Green Building Material

Stone is natural and durable, emits no VOCs, requires almost no maintenance, and provides a connection to the earth and our history.
Environmental Building News—April 1, 2013

Energy Modeling: Early and Often

For the biggest energy and cost savings, model early in design and model often, say the experts.
Environmental Building News—March 1, 2013

Waste Water, Want Water

Options for small-scale, onsite wastewater treatment and reuse are improving—but can we solve a global crisis one building at a time?
Environmental Building News—February 1, 2013

Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation

In an effort to eliminate the use of halogenated flame retardants, building code changes are being proposed by a group of fire experts, architects, chemists, and environmentalists.
Environmental Building News—January 1, 2013

Verifying Performance with Building Enclosure Commissioning

For a lot less than the cost of a lawsuit, BECx uses collaboration, design-to-occupancy reviews, and testing to ensure quality and high performance.
Environmental Building News—December 1, 2012

The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies

Any four walls and a roof make an enclosure, but for efficiency, comfort, and durability, those elements have to be meticulously designed and installed.
Environmental Building News—November 1, 2012

New Concepts in LEED v4

Past versions of LEED have helped make FSC and other concepts practically household terms. Where is LEED v4 taking the green building conversation next?
Environmental Building News—October 1, 2012

Seal, Tape, Gasket: A Sticky Search for Better Materials

Given the importance of sealing hidden joints in our air and water barriers, you’d think we’d know how long our sealants, adhesives, and gaskets last.
Environmental Building News—September 1, 2012
Join the Discussion!
Plastics Industry Still Shouting “Fire” At Its Own Peril

David Eisenberg says, “Thanks for another excellent article on this issue Alex. For those who are interested in more information and/or would like...” More...

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Tristan Roberts says, “Dan, that quiz question was derived from the "LCA at Different Stages of Design" table in the article above. I...” More...

Dan Clowes says, “Why is an LCA Expert most useful after construction? Please adjust the quiz answer if necessary.” More...

Tankless Water Heaters Don’t Use Less Energy

Dawn WAlker says, “I live in the mid-atlantic and installed a Navien tankless in 2008. My gas bill went down by about a...” More...

Energy Reforms Threatened by Two “Poison Pills”

Paula Melton says, “Senator Hoeven has released his proposed amendment as standalone legislation, and we've spoken with the American Gas Association as well.” More...