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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Energy-Efficient Multifamily Housing
Feature Article
Now you can get LEED, Energy Star, and other labels for designing or retrofitting high-performance multifamily buildings.
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Making Windows Work Better
Feature Article
How to choose curtains, solar screens, awnings, and storm windows? The options are dizzying, but the right choice can cut energy bills.
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Measuring Energy Use in Buildings: Do Our Metrics Really Add Up?
Feature Article
How much energy our buildings use matters a great deal, but figuring out how to measure that use and compare it from building to building is tricky. Here's a guide to key metrics and how to use them.
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Re-Framing Sustainability: Green Structural Engineering
Feature Article
Want to design the greenest building possible? Get a handle on the best structural options available to you, and invite a creative structural engineer to join your team.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Invasive Plants
Explainer
In the quest for a balanced ecosystem it is important to choose native species and avoid invasive plants. Invasive species can put a strain on water usage and can take space and resources away from native plants.
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Power Flushing With Pressure-Assist Toilets
Explainer
Many of today's best-performing low-flow toilets enhance their flush with air pressure to force water into the bowl at high speed.
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Radiant Floor Heating: Wrong Choice for Green Homes?
Explainer
While very popular, radiant-floor heating is not well-suited to highly insulated, green homes.
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Combined Sewer Overflow
Explainer
Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur in municipalities with older wastewater systems that carry both sanitary wastewater and stormwater; eliminating CSOs involves investment in wastewater infrastructure and reducing stormwater flows.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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DC Power Supply Integrates AC and Renewables
Product Review
Nextek PhD provides AC-to-DC power at the building scale, integrates renewable energy, and can even save on first costs.
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Green Multifamily Cabinetry: Three Top Options
Product Review
Need multifamily millwork that’s attractive, high-quality, domestically manufactured, low-emitting, and sustainably sourced? You’re not alone.
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The Best Indoor LED Luminaires of 2016
Product Review
Winners of an annual DOE competition represent some of the best LED lighting for decorative pendants, downlights, and healthcare.
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Win the Turf Wars with Rubber-Free Artificial Fields
Product Review
You don’t have to choose between recycled tires and natural grass for athletic surfaces. There’s a spectrum of good options in between.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Green Public Schools
News Analysis
With federal funds flooding in, the industry can transform K–12 education in the next three years—but only if we do it right.
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Free Tool Estimates Embodied and Operational Carbon
News Brief
EPIC from EHDD is used very early in building design to help project teams make choices about structure, envelope, landscaping, and more.
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NYC Carbon Caps Face Lawsuit
News Brief
Local Law 97, New York City’s building performance standard, is facing a legal challenge from building owners.
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Feds Introduce Decarbonization Specs for Government Projects
News Brief
A new concrete rule from GSA and energy code adoption from DOE continue U.S. efforts to curb both embodied and operational carbon.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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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.
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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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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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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.
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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