Material Selection
Selecting building materials can be complex. You have to take into account toxicity, performance, the environmental life cycle, cost, and other factors.
Understanding what makes a building product green is a long-term prospect. Green characteristics differ from product category to product category, and multi-attribute vetting is critical.
Material Selection
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building
Feature Article
Why we will never understand the true impact of our buildings—and how we should try to anyway
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Stone, The Original Green Building Material
Feature Article
Stone is natural and durable, emits no VOCs, requires almost no maintenance, and provides a connection to the earth and our history.
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Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation
Feature Article
In an effort to eliminate the use of halogenated flame retardants, building code changes are being proposed by a group of fire experts, architects, chemists, and environmentalists.
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The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies
Feature Article
Any four walls and a roof make an enclosure, but for efficiency, comfort, and durability, those elements have to be meticulously designed and installed.
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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BuildingGreen Selects Top-10 Products for 2014
Product Review
Solving key design and environmental problems cost-effectively was the focus of this year's selection by BuildingGreen's editors of its top building products.
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Laminate Flooring: Worth a Second Look?
Product Review
Laminate flooring offers recycled content and low emissions in an economical, low-maintenance product that has overcome aesthetic and performance challenges.
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Kinetex: Just Don't Call It a Carpet Tile
Product Review
Kinetex is a hybrid: thinner and more durable than carpet tile, this "textile composite flooring" is suited for hard-surface tile applications.
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Measuring Drywall Against Environmental Standards
Product Review
Drywall is one of the most ubiquitous building materials. A new UL standard aims to reduce its energy impact and toxicity in landfills.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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AIA Writes ‘Prescription’ for Healthier Materials
News Brief
A new publication published by AIA provides guidance on how to put healthier material selection into practice.
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Would Wood Skyscrapers Improve Urban Sustainability?
News Analysis
Plans to build a wood skyscraper in Tokyo will promote large-scale mass timber construction in cities.
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Mass Timber to Be Recognized in Washington Code
News Brief
Supporters of Washington’s new mass timber law hope it will increase tall wood construction.
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Concrete Pours through Loophole in New Carbon Law
News Analysis
Buy Clean California requires contractors to specify lower-carbon products, but industry pressure quashed the law’s potential.
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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Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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