Design for Resources
Good design depends on informed material and resource selection—balancing priorities to achieve durable, safe, and healthy projects with an equitable, sustainable supply chain to minimize possible negative impacts on the planet.
Learn more about the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
Reproduced with permission of The American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Avenue, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20006
Design for Resources
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part One: Embodied Carbon
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The idea that wood is inherently carbon neutral has masked negative impacts. The climate stakes are too high for us to keep buying those claims.
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AEC Was Left Out of a Key Decarbonization Pilot. What’s Next?
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Science-based targets for the building sector no longer apply to design firms and most construction companies, but experts say AEC must continue leading the industry toward net zero.
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part Two: Moving from Carbon to Climate
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Mass timber at scale could make climate change worse. Instead of embodied carbon alone, “climate-smart” practices focus on our increasingly fragile forests.
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No More Red Lines: Undoing Our Legacy of Urban Segregation
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Redlining in the U.S. has left us with unsustainable, under-resourced neighborhoods. Inclusive green design can help them heal.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Modular Carpet
Product Guide
These carpet tiles are made with natural wool or are certified NSF 140 Platinum or Cradle to Cradle v3.1 Silver or Gold. They are free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
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Photovoltaics and Their Environmental Performance
Product Review
Renewable energy systems, particularly photovoltaic (PV) panels, have come under attack for using toxic materials and having a high carbon footprint. The truth is more complicated. -
New Blowing Agents Revolutionize XPS Industry
Product Review
Due to regulatory changes in Canada and certain U.S. states, manufacturers will be offering XPS with low global warming potential starting in 2021.
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BuildingGreen Announces Top 10 Products for 2021
Product Review
These innovative products reduce carbon emissions and include negative embodied carbon carpet, repurposed EV battery storage, carbon sequestering aggregate, and more.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Will ESG Move the Green Building Needle?
News Analysis
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is becoming a driver of sustainable building design and operations in the U.S.
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Maine Outlawed PFAS in Everything: How Will That Work?
News Analysis
With a recent Maine regulation, PFAS “forever chemicals” are regulated as a category—not chemical by chemical.
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The Rise of Mass Timber in a Volatile Market
News Analysis
Demand for mass timber is going up, but there’s still lots of room to grow. Can that happen—sustainably—in today’s market?
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Embodied Carbon Limits: New Language for Codes and Specs
News Analysis
Now there are standardized ways to write embodied carbon limits into both building codes and architectural specifications.
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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The BuildingGreen Guide to Building Product Certifications and Ecolabels- Discounted
Special Report
This BuildingGreen publication provides a no-nonsense guide to the world of green building product certifications to help designers, purchasers, manufacturers, and others in the industry to focus on what is significant and relevant so that market forces can work and the industry can focus on bigger issues.
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The Missing Embodied Carbon Link: Construction
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Some researchers say construction emissions could account for as much as 30% of a project’s embodied carbon. What can be done about it?
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Getting Low-Carbon Concrete into Your Next Project: A Virtual Roundtable
Webcast
In this one-hour deep dive, we’ll speak with industry experts on current and potential low-carbon concrete technologies, how to track concrete’s embodied carbon, and how to specify viable low-carbon concrete.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to negative health and environmental impacts. Getting them out of our building products is going to require work.
