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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Biobased Materials: Not Always Greener
Feature
We tend to think of biobased materials as inherently greener-but even "natural" and "rapidly renewable" materials can carry big environmental impacts.
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Exterior Paints: Long-Term Protection and Environmental Tradeoffs
Feature
Exterior coatings protect buildings from the environment but often contain hazardous ingredients, so maximizing their durability is often the greenest option.
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The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies
Feature
Any four walls and a roof make an enclosure, but for efficiency, comfort, and durability, those elements have to be meticulously designed and installed.
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Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation
Feature
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.
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 Announces Top-10 Products for 2015
Product Review
Transformative products eliminate toxic chemicals and fossil fuels, and improve building and site performance.
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Three Lounge Seating Manufacturers Keeping Pace with High BIFMA Standards
Product Review
Three lounge seating manufacturers have been certified to BIFMA e3 level 3, but tracking chemicals of concern in these products is still a challenge.
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Bamboo Flooring: Still Green, for a Price
Product Review
Bamboo flooring, the rapidly renewable darling of the green building movement, is still sustainable if you are willing to pay for quality.
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Green Multifamily Cabinetry: Three Top Options
Product Review
Need multifamily millwork that’s attractive, high-quality, domestically manufactured, low-emitting, and sustainably sourced? You’re not alone.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Furniture Gets Multiple-Attribute Sustainability Certification
News Analysis
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FSC Certification Available for All SierraPine Composites
News Analysis
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Certified Wood Credit in LEED Gets Makeover
News Analysis
After more than two years of work, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has proposed a major change for certified wood in its LEED Rating System.
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ICC Launches Sustainability Verification for Products
News Analysis
As part of its Evaluation Service, the International Code Council has launched a program to evaluate building products for compliance with numerous sustainability criteria.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Finding the Building Products You Need to Do WELL
Blog Post
The WELL Building Standard has stringent transparency and health criteria for products and materials. Here’s how to find what you’ll need for certification.
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Combining Sheathing With a WRB and Air Barrier
Blog Post
How well do Zip and ForceField sheathing integrate a structural panel with bulk water and air management?
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Pete’s Puzzle: Mold on Painted Clapboards is Food for Thought
Blog Post
There is mold on the factory-primed, latex top-coated wood clapboards on the south but not the north side of our house
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An Embarrassment of Riches: Products and Materials at Greenbuild 2017
Blog Post
A new focus on embodied carbon and LEED v4 are driving designers to dive deep into what we choose for our buildings
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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