Building Science
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Building Science
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough
Feature Short
We used to look for coatings, adhesives, and sealants that contained no VOCs. Great for smog prevention, but IAQ and installer health are also important.
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How to Get from VOC Certifications to Better Products
Feature Short
The FDA regulates flies in our soup, but no one regulates VOCs in our indoor air. Somehow that’s a designer’s job to figure out.
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VOCs in LEED and Other Rating Systems
Feature Short
Most building certifications encourage low-emitting and low-VOC products, but they all do it differently. Here’s how it all fits together.
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The Questionable Science Behind VOC Emissions Testing
Feature Short
We need the protection that product VOC testing provides, but it’s far from the last word on human health in buildings.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Energy Metrics: Btus, Watts, and Kilowatt-Hours
Explainer
Mixing units of electric power with those of energy is a common mistake, but distiguishing kilowatts from kilowatt-hours is not that complicated, and is worth getting straight.
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Solar Reflectance Index and Cool Roofs
Explainer
Understanding reflectivity and emissivity of roofing materials is important to evaluating their effect on cooling loads and the urban heat island effect.
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Shedding Light on Light Quality
Explainer
Two terms commonly used to refer to light sources-color temperature and color rendering index-tell us about the quality of light, but can at times be counter-intuitive. Lights with a low color temperature, for example, actually feel "warmer" on the color spectrum.
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How the Sun's Path Can Inform Design
Explainer
Designing a building with the sun in mind can help reduce both heating and cooling loads.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Heat-Pump Water Heaters
Product Guide
Heat-pump water heaters are preferable to gas or electric resistance. Those that use CO2 as a refrigerant are future-proofed against refrigerant phaseouts and are also the most efficient.
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Faucets
Product Guide
Bathroom faucets and aerators with a flow rate of 1.0 gpm or less, plus other unique water-saving tech
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Toilets
Product Guide
These residential and commercial models meet WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance.
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Urinals
Product Guide
Waterless urinals and high-efficiency fixtures that use 0.25 gallons per flush or less
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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California Bill Would Mandate High-Efficiency Toilets
News Analysis
A bill working its way through the California Legislature could reduce the maximum water consumption for toilets sold in the state to 1.3 gallons per flush.
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EPA Introduces WaterSense Label
News Analysis
In June 2006, EPA announced the launch of WaterSense, its new water-efficiency program, similar to its successful Energy Start energy-efficiency program.
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The Return of Mister Miser
News Analysis
Twenty years after its debut, the Mister Miser urinal has been reintroduced.
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Governments See New Accounting Rules for Brownfields
News Analysis
A new rule announced by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) will codify the responsibility of local and state governments to disclose their financial liabilities associated with polluted properties.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Poor Insulation Work Adds to Home Retrofit Challenges
Op-Ed
Reader Paul Eldrenkamp encourages more widespread use of HERS ratings to measure the effectiveness of insulation retrofit work.
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News and Views in Real Time
Op-Ed
BuildingGreen has a new online resource for real-time green building news: BuildingGreen.com LIVE.
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Bringing Water Back into the Discussion
Op-Ed
Most Americans treat freshwater as if it were limitless and free, even as water shortage is becoming a reality in many areas of the United States. But there are many cost-effective ways to reduce that consumption.
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Get Ready for Fuel Switching
Op-Ed
As the cost of heating fuel rises, utilities must prepare for increased demand as homeowners switch to cheaper electric-resistance heat.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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We Must Decarbonize Existing Buildings by 2050—but How?
Feature
Curbing carbon emissions requires that we address our vast stock of existing buildings. Here’s how to make the case and get it done.
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We Must Decarbonize Existing Buildings by 2050—but How?
Spotlight Report
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Build More or Build Green? Affordable Housing’s False Choice
Spotlight Report
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Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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Are Ground-Source Heat Pumps So Last Year?
April Fools
GSHPs have gone mainstream, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, and the hippest AEC professionals are so over them.
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Houston Becomes “Bike City USA”
April Fools
Building on Texas’s reputation for environmentalism, which stems from its clean grid, Houston is aiming to rival Amsterdam and become a worldwide leader in urban bicycle commuting.
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Experts Warn of “Literally Deadly” Hyperbolic Feedback Loop
April Fools
With headlines daily jumping the shark, scientists warn of dangers for Earth’s oceans and for humanity.
