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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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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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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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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Lighting Design for Health and Sustainability: A Guide for Architects
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A report providing architects guidance on how to design sustainable lighting that supports health and wellness while reducing energy use.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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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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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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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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Demand-Controlled Ventilation: Fresh Air Only When You Need It
Explainer
Balancing the need for fresh air with minimizing energy use is difficult. Demand-controlled ventilation is the responsive solution.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Underfloor Air: Rising Above a Checkered Past
Product Review
With attention to building science, UFAD may offer greater comfort and better energy performance than other systems.
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LEDs Finally Hitting Stride in Supporting Health, Productivity
Product Review
By allowing tunability of color and intensity, USAI’s Color Select LED technology can match the natural daylight cycle and needs of end users.
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Aerogel Coating May Reduce Thermal Bridging
Product Review
Thermal breaks can be pricey and may affect structural integrity. Aerolon is a non-structural alternative designed to have similar benefits.
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At David Edward, Material Transparency Is a Given
Product Review
Tracking materials is standard practice at David Edward, giving the company an edge in a market where transparency is a priority.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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WELL Building Standard Officially Launches
News Analysis
Enhancing people’s health and wellness in the built environment is the focus of the WELL standard from the International Well Building Institute.
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New Tool Compares VOC Content of Coatings for Product Selection
News Analysis
Healthy Building Network’s CompAIR calculator allows you to compare the total VOCs of wet-applied coatings based on coverage and other factors.
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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.
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A Peek Inside Google's Healthy Materials Program
News Analysis
Google is way out front of other organizations-both public and private-when it comes to screening materials for hazardous ingredients in its workplaces.
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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