Design Strategies
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Design Strategies
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Improving Resilience in Affordable Housing
Feature Short
A Q&A with Laurie Schoeman, director of resilience and disaster recovery, Enterprise Community Partners
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Checking for Resilience in Multifamily Housing
Feature Short
Washington, D.C. is developing a tool to assess affordable multifamily housing for resilience to climate change.
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‘Build Higher’: HUD’s Rules After Harvey, Irma, Maria
Feature Short
HUD’s new rules for disaster recovery funds reinstate floodplain building standards established by Obama and revoked by Trump.
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How a Hurricane Forged New Hope for Resilience
Feature Short
Hurricane Maria is inspiring design that has the next natural disaster in mind
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Permaculture for Urban Design
Explainer
Permaculture promotes food production and nurtures ecological systems in both rural and urban environments.
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Comparing Fuel Costs
Explainer
One would think comparing the costs of different heating fuels would be simple, but figuring out the amount heat available in a given quantity of fuel-and the associated cost-can be tricky.
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Biophilic Design: Indulging Our Love of Life
Explainer
New biophilia metrics pin down what it means to engage the love of nature through design.
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Beyond Accessible: Universal Design for Green Buildings
Explainer
By planning ahead for all ages and abilities, designers reduce the need for renovations and may extend building service life.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Mobile Photovoltaic Power Generators
Product Review
Mobile photovoltaic generators can provide a silent power supply for construction sites and other off-grid applications without the use of fossil fuels.
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High-Efficiency, Variable-Speed Pumps from Wilo and Grundfos
Product Review
Advanced, variable-speed, "smart" pumps from the German company Wilo and the Danish company Grundfos offer significant energy savings for hydronic heating systems and other circulation systems.
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Sol Power Tile: Integrating PV into Clay Roofing
Product Review
SRS Energy's Solé Power Tiles incorporate thin-film PV into a building-integrated system that matches the profile of clay tiles and provides homeowners and businesses an alternative to crystalline panels.
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Crystalline Technology Still Dominates PV Landscape
Product Review
Crystalline PV produces more energy per square foot than thin-film but both are viable systems, so consider your space limitations as well as your energy needs and budget.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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California to Require Net-Zero-Energy Buildings
News Analysis
The California Energy Commission has recommended strong energy-efficiency requirements for buildings, and is working to incorporate them into building codes.
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PV Prices Rising
News Analysis
Contrary to predictions that increased demand for PV systems would result in continuing price reduction, the average cost of PV installations has risen slightly in the last three years.
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Fears Grow with Polycarbonate Chemical Bisphenol-A
News Analysis
Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic for numerous building materials as well as consumer items, is under growing scrutiny in the U.S. and Canada.
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Conserval Introduces Rooftop PV and Thermal Modules
News Analysis
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Finding HPDs: How We Do It At BuildingGreen
Op-Ed
There are several ways you can find Health Product Declarations. Here’s a look at them, including what BuildingGreen offers.
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Opinion: Transparency Is Just the Beginning—How Manufacturers Can Use HPDs
Op-Ed
Ingredient inventories and assessment are important. But ultimately, we need to design for an indefinite future.
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The Green Building Movement Has Lost One of Its Unsung Heroes
Op-Ed
Kirsten Childs 1944 – 2016
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On the Path to Net Zero
Op-Ed
At Leonard Farm, we’ve taken another big step in our quest for net-zero energy and net-zero carbon—but we’re not there yet!
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Housing for All
Feature
Large cities such as Los Angeles have been suburbanized for decades, with single-family homes dominating the building sector. Housing is being pushed farther and farther out from city centers, adding to pollution and compromising affordability. Economic, community and environmental sustainability have all suffered. This piece focuses on “Capital A” affordable housing—low-income, government subsidized multifamily rental housing—with proximity to mass transit, jobs and social services. These spaces are models of contemporary policy, planning and building, meant to increase housing security for all people, including those who are without shelter or at risk of being without reliable housing.
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For the Trees
Feature
Mass timber is a billion-dollar industry poised to reduce embodied carbon. Its trajectory may surprise us all.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
