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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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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Synthetic Gypsum
Primer
Synthetic gypsum, used in drywall, is chemically the same as virgin gypsum but is created from a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. Are designer and contractor concerns about heavy metal contamination justified?
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Permaculture for Urban Design
Primer
Permaculture promotes food production and nurtures ecological systems in both rural and urban environments.
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Using Fly Ash in Concrete
Primer
Fly ash lowers the environmental footprint of concrete and improves durability. Pouring and curing concrete with high levels of fly ash requires special treatment.
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Weighting Environmental Impact Categories
Primer
Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) score products or design options across a series of environmental impact categories. To compare two products with different impact profiles, it becomes necessary to weight those categories, a difficult process.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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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.
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Which Multifamily Buildings Should Be Electrified First?
News Brief
Significant challenges prevent the great majority of existing NYC multifamily buildings from being electrified, but these 480 buildings are prime candidates.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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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.
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Why Standing Rock Matters to Green Building (and How You Can Help)
Op-Ed
The green building community must choose its battles carefully. And Standing Rock should be one of those battles.
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Building Products Matter Even More Than We Thought
Op-Ed
Operational energy use is critical, but materials might be an even bigger part of the solution to climate change and other pressing environmental issues.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Re-forming the Building Industry: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Spotlight Report
People from marginalized communities are shockingly underrepresented in the U.S. building industry. It’s past time to change that.
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Passive House on Campus: Eight Exemplary Projects
Spotlight Report
Over the years, the original Passive House Institute (PHI) certification system has branched out considerably to offer different requirements for different building types, such as offices, hospitals, schools—even swimming pools.
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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do About It
Spotlight Report
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
