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 Dashboards: Using Real-Time Feedback to Influence Behavior
Feature Article
Real-time feedback on energy use can change occupant behavior and save energy. Several products now on the market provide this feedback in varying degrees of complexity.
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Bringing Nature Indoors: The Myths and Realities of Plants in Buildings
Feature Article
Some proponents of indoor plants promise that they will clean the air and promote occupant health and productivity. But will they? Scientific backing for these claims is still being developed, but some of the results are promising.
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Water Policies: Encouraging Conservation
Feature Article
Conserving water goes beyond building design and technology. Water use is governed by federal, state, and local policies, from maximum flow requirements to pricing structures that encourage or discourage conservation.
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Ductless Mini-Splits and Their Kin: The Revolution in Variable-Refrigerant-Flow Air Conditioning
Feature Article
Ductless split systems using heat pumps and variable refrigerant flow offer an energy-efficient alternative to conventional heating and air-conditioning systems for a variety of settings, from homes to hotels and schools. Three major manufacturers-Daikin, Mitsubishi, and Sanyo-offer the greatest variety of products.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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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.
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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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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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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.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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For a Low-Maintenance Green Roof, Give Plants Better Soil
Product Review
Inventors of the WaterGrip growing medium say it supports near-miraculous growth—but do their claims hold as much water as their soil?
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New Ground-Source Heat Pumps Saving Energy and Dollars in Commercial Applications
Product Review
WaterFurnace’s CLW Chiller “geothermal” heat pump also uses excess heat and cooling within a building to provide energy-efficient HVAC.
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Silicone Air Barrier Offers Simple, Systematic Approach
Product Review
A whole-building air barrier system with a 15-year warranty is offered as a package from Dow Corning.
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Cost-Competitive LED Outdoor Area Lighting Is Here
Product Review
Cree’s high-performing LED technology plus an improved manufacturing process create the low-cost OSQ Area LED for parking, roads, and other uses.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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NBI Releases Code Overlay for Electrification
News Brief
Designed to layer on top of ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC, these provisions transition buildings away from onsite fossil fuel combustion. -
Experts Say Stop Counting Trunks and Look to the Canopy
News Brief
Half of urban trees don’t live past 10 years; we need them to reach at least 50. -
Tally LCA Software to Include Product-Specific Data
News Analysis
Product-level embodied carbon information will be available within BIM software in 2023.
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Energy Benchmarking and Transparency Laws: Do They Work?
News Analysis
Cities, counties, and states are adopting benchmarking and transparency regulations. But a newer type of standard may be more effective.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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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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