Mineral silicate paints are some of the most sustainable coatings available. They contain few if any synthetic substances or VOCs and are extremely durable, so they would be an ideal choice for interior projects.  But these paints are primarily for exterior use on mineral-based substrates such as limestone, concrete, terra cotta, and brick.

Romabio’s Domus potassium silicate-based paint line has been formulated for use as a drop-in replacement for standard acrylic latex, even on drywall. Products in this line contain fewer fossil fuel-based ingredients (and in some cases, none) while providing better permeability and mold resistance.

Finding a low-emitting paint used to be such a simple task. We could look at a paint can and see the volatile organic compound content in grams per liter (g/l). In LEED v2009, if a paint met the VOC requirements for South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule #1113, we were good to go. For standard flat acrylic latex paints, that meant 50 g/l or less.

But VOCs are not so simple. VOC limits were first established by SCAQMD in Southern California as a way to combat ozone and ground-level smog caused by VOCs reacting with pollutants and sunlight. The volatile solvents in paint were a major VOC source—and usually hazardous as well—so waterborne solvents replaced them in low- and zero-VOC paints, leading to less pollution and better indoor air quality.

I first learned about GAF’s new halogen-free polyisocyanurate insulation when I was teaching a workshop on resilient design at the GAF headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, in March, 2017. Having called for manufacturers to develop such products several years ago (see Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation), I am particularly attuned to such developments.

It so happened that I was also looking for rigid insulation material to insulate the roof of a small cottage in Brattleboro, Vermont. I had thought of polyiso for this application, because of the high R-value. Here was a chance to install a product I could feel good about relative to chemical ingredients as well as energy performance. I reached out to GAF, and we ordered the product. (Disclaimer: GAF provided me with a discount on the material and covered the shipping cost.)

Balancing indoor air quality and energy consumption in ventilation is no easy task. Bringing in fresh air keeps us healthy and alert, but heating, cooling, and adjusting its humidity (also known as conditioning the air) requires energy, and much of that energy is lost when stale air is vented.

The Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator (CERV) from Build Equinox and the Boreal 12000 from Minotair Ventilation Inc. (MVI) are engineered to maximize the energy efficiency of indoor/outdoor air exchanges by conditioning fresh air using air-source heat pumps—effectively heating, cooling, and even dehumidifying incoming air while capturing energy from the outgoing/incoming airstreams. Engineered primarily for residential use (and potentially multifamily), these innovative systems have been available since 2014, but are being updated for fall 2017 to improve performance and simplify installation.

When we turn on a faucet in the U.S., it’s easy to think that the clean water that comes pouring out is a limitless resource. But fresh water is a precious commodity and it takes a lot of energy and resources to filter, sanitize, pump, and transport potable water into our buildings, and then out again as wastewater.

We can reduce our water consumption—and the amount of waste flowing through our aging water infrastructure—by reusing the “graywater” from showers and sinks for irrigation, flushing toilets and urinals, and other uses. To do so, that graywater has to be filtered, sanitized, and stored.

Living walls, or green walls, can provide a powerful connection with nature in otherwise sterile urban interiors. But plants used as interior decorations have been consistently overhyped as tools for everything from cleaning indoor air to increasing productivity (see Bringing Nature Indoors: The Myths and Realities of Plants in Buildings). Worse, living walls have the potential to add CO2 and excess moisture into a space, causing more indoor air quality (IAQ) problems than they solve.

Nedlaw has a long history of building successful living walls, having installed more than 30 systems over the years, beginning with its first (and still functioning) living wall in 2003 at the University of Guelph-Humbert in Toronto, Canada. The company’s Living Wall Biofilter is different from other living walls because it incorporates a ventilation system behind the plants so that air is drawn through plants’ root zone, where microbes break down volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and clean the air, according to the company.

BuildingGreen has been asking for formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation for years (see The Search for Better Insulation). In 1996, fiberglass batt manufacturers began replacing formaldehyde—a carcinogen and respiratory irritant (see our primer on formaldehyde)—with acrylic resins. In 2008, formaldehyde-free biobased resins arrived. And today, the entire fiberglass batt insulation industry is formaldehyde-free. Yet, somehow, the mineral wool insulation industry missed this trend and continued to use urea-extended phenol formaldehyde binders…until recently.

Thermafiber announced an industry-first, light-density, formaldehyde-free SAFB (sound attenuation fire blankets) batt insulation at the 2017 AIA conference in Orlando, Florida in April. And shortly thereafter, Roxul informed BuildingGreen that it too is offering a formaldehyde-free batt insulation, AFB EVO.

Responding to the shift to LEED v4 and the growing popularity of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), insulation manufacturers are now offering a number of products that comply with various elements of these rating systems. BuildingGreen conducted a survey to assess these products as they relate to the material options for teams pursuing certification (see the table below).

Evaluating the impact of insulation

One of the major changes in LEED v4 is the shift in how building materials are evaluated. The new Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits in the Materials & Resources category emphasize transparency of a product’s life-cycle impacts on the triple bottom line of environmental, economic, and social health.

Active chilled beams (ACB) are energy efficient, provide fresh air, and are compact enough that they work well in retrofits or buildings with lower ceiling heights—potentially lowering construction costs (see Active Chilled Beams: Saving Energy and Space). These ceiling-mounted hydronic HVAC systems, while common in Europe and not new in the U.S., are not as ubiquitous as other types of HVAC systems, in part due to concerns about installation costs and condensation. But they are growing in popularity in North America, particularly in education and office settings.

Semco’s Neuton controllable chilled beam pump module (CCBPM) was engineered to simplify chilled beam installation and reduce the chance of condensation. First introduced in 2015, the product already has an update; the 2017 Neuton Multiple Single Zone pump controller improves upon the original by adding HVAC control of small rooms or zones.