OVERVIEW
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.
IN-DEPTH
Filter results:
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AIA Top Ten Projects Really Do Lead the Industry
April 4, 2016News Brief
Top Ten Projects reduce energy use by half compared to baselines and are well above the industry average for reporting to the 2030 Commitment.
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Our Buildings Are Killing Our Oceans
April 4, 2016Primer
Carbon is more deadly than many other toxic substances we fret about every day. And acidification might be more of a problem than climate change.
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The Green Building Movement Has Lost One of Its Unsung Heroes
February 19, 2016Op-Ed
Kirsten Childs 1944 – 2016
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The Big Materials Dream Needs to Include Climate Change and More
February 9, 2016Op-Ed
We’re finally getting vital toxicity information about building products. But let’s remember that sustainability is about more than avoiding health hazards.
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Free Database Can Guide Early Design Decisions on Carbon, Health
October 27, 2015News Analysis
The Quartz Project opens up Pharos and GaBi intelligence to the public, combining the formats of HPDs and EPDs into one tool.
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How a Dense Metropolis Can Support a Living Building
September 9, 2015News Analysis
Net-zero water tops the list of obstacles a New York group is tackling. Its goal: to solve the large-scale ecological problems of dense urban areas.
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Air Pollution Near Kids’ Homes Linked to Lower Grades at School
August 31, 2015News Analysis
Academic performance of minority students shows disproportionate effects from air pollution, according to a study in El Paso.
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Health and Wellness Trending Among Interior Designers
June 19, 2015News Brief
ASID’s Outlook Report ranks health and wellness first and sustainability third in most influential industry trends.
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New Online Portal for AIA 2030 Eases Burden of Reporting
May 19, 2015News Brief
You can ditch the reporting spreadsheets. Benchmarking the 2030 Commitment is now streamlined online.
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California Could Go Solar Without Destroying Habitat
April 17, 2015News Analysis
If PV were installed only in developed locations throughout California, the state could meets its energy needs three to five times over.
