Comfort
Chartwell School puts students first with an emphasis on natural daylighting and other passive comfort strategies.
A focus on comfort in building design means a focus on people and their ability to work, learn, and heal. The connection between thermal, acoustical, and other types of comfort and productivity in the workplace is well established.
Because of this, investing in the comfort of occupants is one of the most cost-effective green design strategies. It’s also just common sense: buildings aren’t here for their own sake; they’re here for us.
Comfort
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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The Sound of Sustainability: Acoustics in High-Performance Design
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Acoustic performance is often overlooked by human-centered design. A holistic approach shows how to navigate the complexities of “sustainable acoustics.”
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Mind the Gaps: Making Existing Buildings More Airtight
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Leaky building enclosures create health hazards, comfort problems, and high energy bills. Fixing them isn’t rocket science; but you’d better know your building science.
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Clean, Fresh Air: Getting What We Need
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Human health probably benefits from more fresh air than current ventilation standards require. But pulling in outdoor air can mean pulling in pollution.
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What Makes the Building Envelope Green? BuildingGreen’s Guide to Thermal & Moisture Protection Products
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From insulation to flashing tape to cladding, we look at the attributes of the greenest building envelope products.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Circadian Rhythm and the Role of Lighting
Explainer
LEDs with color tuning are now being sold, but do we really have the light formula for waking us up and putting us to sleep?
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Standard Effective Temperature: A Metric for Thermal Comfort and Resilience
Explainer
Do you know how hot or cold your building would be if the power went out? You could be using thermal modeling to find out.
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Hygge: The Human Element in Architecture
Explainer
A Danish term for “home” is gaining attention as designers look for ways to foster wellness in buildings.
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Is Particleboard Deadly? Formaldehyde Emissions Explained
Explainer
Formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products will soon be strictly regulated in the U.S., but questions remain.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Acoustic Panels: Cutting through the Product Noise
Product Review
Choosing interior acoustic products that contain fewer potentially hazardous materials will improve the overall interior environmental quality without compromising designs.
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Demountable Walls: Here to Redeem the Open Office
Product Review
These movable partitions preserve the flexibility of an open office and provide the acoustical privacy office workers say they want.
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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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Greenest Greenbuild Products for the Indoor Environment and More
Product Review
We look at products that improve indoor environmental quality and check in on advances from previous Top 10 winners.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Collecting Stories to Improve Design
News Brief
New study describes the value of occupant stories in evaluating high-performance buildings.
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Overcooled Offices Impair Thinking
News Brief
New research shows a warmer setpoint combined with personal fans saves energy while maintaining occupant comfort and performance levels in tropical climates.
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Smog Outdoors Saps Worker Productivity Indoors
News Brief
75% of small particulates in outdoor air pollution come indoors and cause workers to be less productive, putting a $2 billion dent in China’s service sector.
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Employee Performance Doubled in Well-Ventilated Buildings
News Analysis
Reducing VOCs and adding more fresh air resulted in cognitive function test scores that were 101% higher in a double-blind study.
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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