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.
-
Finding Furniture Without Toxic Flame Retardants
Feature
Flame retardants in upholstered furniture are easier to avoid under new rules, but they’re not gone. Here’s how to navigate the changing landscape.
-
Natural Ventilation: The Nine Biggest Obstacles and How Project Teams Are Beating Them
Feature
Designers are reinventing the art and science of passive comfort control even where climate and culture favor mechanical systems.
-
Innovative Products and Technology from the Greenbuild Expo
Feature
Our product editors pick some winners from the expo floor at Greenbuild 2013 while raising questions about some materials.
-
Designing for the Next Century's Weather
Feature
How do you create a climate-responsive building in a changing climate? Brand new modeling techniques are helping us figure it out.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
-
Building Products and Health: A Look at Risk vs. Hazard
Explainer
Use of "hazard avoidance" versus "risk assessment" for understanding toxicity of building materials is hotly debated. Why, and is there a common-sense answer?
-
Buffering Humidity with Interior Finishes
Explainer
The relative humidity of indoor air often fluctuates. Interior finishes can help moderate those changes, improving comfort and IAQ as well as saving energy.
-
Building Acoustics: The Basics of Managing Sound and Noise
Explainer
Acoustic performance is crucial to occupant well-being. And smart design, not added cost, can make the difference.
-
Post-Occupancy Evaluations: Ignorance Isn't Bliss
Explainer
POEs tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your buildings. Don't be afraid to ask.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
-
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.
-
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.
-
LEED Buildings Still Average in Occupant Satisfaction
News Analysis
Early versions of LEED pull ahead in air quality but lose ground with inadequate lighting, resulting in a tie with non-LEED buildings for overall workplace happiness.
-
Attention, Employers: Green Design Tied to Fewer Sick Days
News Brief
Increased worker health and productivity offers a strong financial incentive for employers to adopt green design features, according to a recent report.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
- Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
- Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
- You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
- Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
- Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
- You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.
