The Big Picture
It’s easy to get caught up in the details—earning one more LEED point or getting that documentation you need for recycled content.
But it’s a lot easier to achieve all the project goals if the owner and the whole project team are in agreement about why you’re putting in all this work in the first place. Stuff like:
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slowing down climate change
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dealing with global water shortages
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avoiding depletion of nonrenewable resources
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preventing public health problems associated with manufacturing
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righting social wrongs
Here we set the scene, providing context that can help get—and keep—everyone on the same page about project goals.
The Big Picture
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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The Next Four Years
Feature Article
The Biden-Harris administration may be the most important ever relative to the environment.
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Wood: What’s Good?
Feature Article
Mass timber seems alluring because of its low carbon footprint, but not all wood is equally sustainable. We dig deep into the controversy over which types of timber are “climate smart.
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Existing Buildings Are Architecture’s Future
Feature Article
Take a plain old building and turn it into something remarkable, and you’ll also help save the planet.
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Equity in Design and Construction: Seven Case Studies
Feature Article
From an affordable multifamily building to an iconic museum, these projects are designed and built to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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30 Years of Green Building in the U.S.
Infographic
As The BuildingGreen Report (formerly Environmental Building News, or “EBN”) celebrates its 30th year of publication, we decided to track the growth—and explosion—of the green building movement. We start in 1990 with the founding of AIA’s Committee on the Environment.
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Carbon Offsets and How to Select Them
Primer
With more owners looking to reverse the embodied carbon impact of their buildings, it’s important to know how to buy legitimate offsets.
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Social Sustainability and Architecture
Primer
Architects can increase social value through thoughtful design of the built environment.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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New Blowing Agents Revolutionize XPS Industry
Product Review
Due to regulatory changes in Canada and certain U.S. states, manufacturers will be offering XPS with low global warming potential starting in 2021.
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Electrical Vehicle Chargers: Keeping Up with Technology
Product Review
EV charging stations are becoming mainstream, but the technology interface and installation are still developing.
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Non-Hazardous Deep-Cycle Batteries for On or Off the Grid
Product Review
Aquion offers high-performance “saltwater” energy storage without lead, sulfuric acid, or flammable lithium salts.
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Solar Farms Offer Renewable Power for the Rest of Us
Product Review
Community solar allows customers with site limitations to purchase commercial-quality photovoltaic systems—and the Clean Energy Collective is making it easier.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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The Federal Plan to Decarbonize Buildings and Increase Equity
News Brief
The U.S. General Services Administration has established two task groups in response to the president’s demands on climate and environmental justice.
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From AIA, How to Develop Your Sustainability Action Plan
News Brief
AIA’s “Creating a Sustainability Action Plan That Works” helps firms develop a living roadmap for continuous improvement on the 2030 Commitment and more.
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How Climate Commitments Are Transforming Design
News Analysis
2030 commitments are not easy to meet, but we spoke to three architecture firms that are progressing.
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24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Is the New Net-Zero
News Brief
Des Moines, Iowa, joins Google in aiming for 24/7 carbon-free electricity—a target that necessitates managing energy loads in buildings.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Architecture Awards Reflect Changing Priorities
Op-Ed
This year’s Pritzker, Gold Medal, and AIA Firm Award all reveal a new day dawning in architecture.
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Celebrating 30 Years of Publication
Blog Post
BuildingGreen’s editors look back on three decades of a movement
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After the Pandemic, What’s Next for the Building Industry?
Op-Ed
How will the AEC industry—what we build and how we work—change post-pandemic? We asked leading lights in the green building world.
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Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary
Op-Ed
Fifty years out, the increased awareness of the environment is heartwarming and the accomplishments significant, but our challenges are greater than ever.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Wood: What’s Good?
Feature Article
Mass timber seems alluring because of its low carbon footprint, but not all wood is equally sustainable. We dig deep into the controversy over which types of timber are “climate smart.
-
Existing Buildings Are Architecture’s Future
Feature Article
Take a plain old building and turn it into something remarkable, and you’ll also help save the planet.
-
Equity in Design and Construction: Seven Case Studies
Feature Article
From an affordable multifamily building to an iconic museum, these projects are designed and built to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion -
Re-forming the Building Industry: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Feature Article
People from marginalized communities are shockingly underrepresented in the U.S. building industry. It’s past time to change that.
