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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Embracing the Economy as a Design Challenge
Feature Article
How architects, community developers, and others are experimenting with new models to support progressive design.
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20 Ways to Advance Sustainability in the Next Four Years
Feature Article
In this age of political revolution and environmental urgency, it’s time to step back and take a look at priorities, challenges, and opportunities
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Pest Prevention: Steps Designers Can Take
Feature Article
Integrated pest management (IPM) design strategies can reduce structural damage and unsanitary conditions, and improve our community’s health.
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Climate Change: Building Industry, You’ve Got This!
Feature Article
Global warming has legs. Do our commitments to stopping it have teeth?
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Sustainability: Too Much or Not Enough?
Primer
The drive toward sustainable design is a long one. Are we there yet?
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Ecosystem Services
Primer
Functions performed by intact ecosystems provide essential support for human life, but how do we quantify their value?
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The Water-Energy Connection
Primer
The production of electricity is highly water intense, just as the transport, heating, and cooling of water is energy intense. So saving energy saves water and saving water saves energy.
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The Precautionary Principle
Primer
The precautionary principle employs "guilty until proven innocent" methodology, and suggests that we should avoid using questionable chemicals and materials until we know they're safe.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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iCrete Mixes Stronger Concrete With Less Cement
Product Review
iCrete is an approach to concrete mix design that uses a proprietary algorithm, informed by detailed analysis of available aggregates, to optimize particle packing and use only as much cement as necessary.
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Bella-Dura Contract Fabric Touts Its Green Credentials
Product Review
Bella-Dura indoor/outdoor fabric offers contract-quality performance in a competitively priced product. The company claims that Bella-Dura solution-dyed polypropylene fibers are colorfast and require less energy and water to produce than nylon or polyester.
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Lime Stucco from American Clay Enterprises
Product Review
American Clay Enterprises, known for its popular natural earth plaster, has introduced a setting lime stucco to the national market.
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Hands-Free Parking
Product Review
The AutoMotion Parking System creates an automated parking garage, offering advantages including indoor environmental quality benefits.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Implicit Bias Training: Is It Right for Building Professionals?
News Analysis
Bias training is on the minds of many in the green building community—but it might not be as effective as you expect. We should be doing more.
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“All for Reuse” Looks to Cut Embodied Carbon
News Brief
The All for Reuse initiative is currently seeking signatories.
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Rethinking the Architecture of a Racist Legal System
News Analysis
With the conversation on race and justice coming to the forefront, it’s worth thinking through how architecture can contribute to change. -
‘Architects Declare’ Pairs Climate Commitments with Social Justice
News Brief
More than 150 U.S architecture firms have signed on to fight a triple threat: climate, biodiversity, and justice emergencies.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Zero-Energy Buildings for All
Blog Post
There is increasing movement for buildings to reach net-zero energy, but they can't do it alone. Here's how to fix the system.
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Opting Out of Paris Accord Fortifies Global Warming Battle
Op-Ed
By making the administration’s position clear, Trump’s decision unleashed a wave of actions to stabilize the climate.
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Net-Zero-Energy Schools in a Post-Paris Accord U.S.
Op-Ed
The challenge might seem greater, but focusing on schools is crucial as climate change advocacy moves to local leadership.
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Our Economy is Broken (and We Can Fix It)
Op-Ed
Green building practitioners must take on the challenge of our broken economy, in our work and in our lives.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Circular Economy at Scale: Six International Case Studies
Feature Article
These teams are applying radical life-cycle thinking to entire projects—and redefining what building ownership means in the process.
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Can Concrete Save Us? Locking Up Carbon in Building Materials
Feature Article
Concrete is responsible for a huge proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions. A few companies want to reverse this cycle by sequestering carbon in building materials.
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Green Design: What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Feature Article
Beauty, place-making, and even love are motivating many green designers, who see these values complementing core sustainability tenets.
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Three Imperatives to Create the Future of Green Building
Feature Article
The industry will be in a better place a decade from now if we master these skills.
