Codes & Certifications
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Codes & Certifications
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Passive House Arrives in North America: Could It Revolutionize the Way We Build?
Feature
The Passive House standard, imported from Germany, sets a high bar for energy performance in buildings. But some see it as inflexible and inappropriate for some U.S. climates.
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Retrocommissioning: Big Savings for Big Buildings
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Retrocommissioning or RCx can be a valuable tool for commercial building owners. RCx addresses the same scope as new building commissioning but is performed on existing buildings. RCx can improve building performance, save energy and money-especially for large buildings.
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Measuring Energy Use in Buildings: Do Our Metrics Really Add Up?
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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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Energy-Efficient Multifamily Housing
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Now you can get LEED, Energy Star, and other labels for designing or retrofitting high-performance multifamily buildings.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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From Ozone Depletion to Global Warming: The Kigali Amendment
Explainer
The amendment builds on the Montreal Protocol’s legacy, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
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Demystifying Climate Change Lingo: From Scope 3 to SSP
Explainer
Climate change is complicated, and the terminology can also be hard to decipher. Here’s a short glossary of a few relevant terms.
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Understanding Emission Scopes in the GHG Protocol
Explainer
The GHG Protocol’s three emission scopes acknowledge the complexities of supply and demand while also encouraging sector-wide alignment, consistent transparency, and support for science-based decarbonization targets.
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Building Decarbonization: How LCA and EPDs Fit in
Explainer
Life-cycle assessment and environmental product declarations reveal embodied carbon and other impacts, but it’s important to know their limits.
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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WTC Going for Gold
News Analysis
Three new World Trade Center towers to be built in New York City will pursue LEED Gold certification.
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Only LEED Meets Its Needs, Says GSA
News Analysis
A report released by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) reaffirms that for now, LEED is the most suitable green building rating system for GSA's buildings.
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Strawbale Walls Fare Well in Firewall Tests
News Analysis
Two new tests of strawbale wall assemblies under ASTM E119-05a resulted in separate one- and two-hour firewall ratings.
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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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Net Zero Has Failed. We Need a Universal Carbon Standard for Buildings.
Op-Ed
The building sector’s current “net-zero” standards are not credible, not scalable, and don’t eliminate emissions. There’s a better way.
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This is the Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard We Need
Op-Ed
The building industry’s current net-zero-energy and net-zero-carbon standards got complicated for a reason, but they don’t have to stay that way.
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The Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard Does Six Things
Op-Ed
Here’s how we’re going to deconstruct “net zero” and rebuild it as a comprehensive standard that applies to every building.
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The Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard Avoids RECs and Unnecessary Complications
Op-Ed
RECs and carbon offsets lack credibility, and grid interactivity adds unnecessary complexity. That's why this standard leaves them out.
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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