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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Counting Carbon: Understanding Carbon Footprints of Buildings
Feature Article
Everyone seems to be talking about measuring carbon footprints and designing carbon-neutral buildings, but these terms mean different things to different people. Some focus just on operating energy, while others also look at transportation, materials, and other building-related emissions. As with so many things, the results depend on what you count and how you count it.
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Making Air Barriers that Work: Why and How to Tighten Up Buildings
Feature Article
Incorporating a continuous air barrier into a building's design and construction can save energy and improve the indoor environment, among other benefits. The right materials and assemblies can help accomplish that goal, but careful attention during design and close oversight during construction are essential.
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Is Nano a No-No? Nanotechnology Advances into Buildings
Feature Article
Nanotechnology takes advantage of the novel properties that particles can exhibit at a billionth of a meter in size. Those properties are being used in building materials, where they can improve thermal performance and the effectiveness of photovoltaics, among many possibilities. The field has little regulation, however, despite significant health and environmental concerns.
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Investing in the Environment: The Financial Industry's Approach to Green Building
Feature Article
Recent changes in the financial industry are providing new opportunities for financing green buildings. However, lenders and investors have different approaches to documenting the benefits of green, which affect how they use rating systems and other metrics. To navigate effectively in the financial world, green designers and builders need to understand the territory.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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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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Three Steps To Make Green Globes Part of the Solution
Op-Ed
An entry-level alternative pushing LEED to get better would be great, but GBI’s Green Globes needs to start by joining the green building community.
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Climate Change Fatigue? How to Read the IPCC Reports
Op-Ed
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, has been busy churning out report after report. Rather than tuning out, we should be reading closely.
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Earth Day + 40
Op-Ed
Forty years ago, the first Earth Day celebration brought environmental awareness into the mainstream. But we're still consuming oil at an ever-increasing rate.
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Changing Practices
Op-Ed
A reader reports on changing his building practices with inspiration from Environmental Building News.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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