Material Selection
Materials really do matter to the health of occupants and the environment, but finding out what is in a product—and why—is not easy.
Products also have to perform as intended, so there are often tradeoffs between performance and the most sustainable materials.
Here you will find articles on:
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the least hazardous, most environmentally sustainable materials used in products
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environmental product declarations that can reveal the life-cycle impacts of materials
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standards and third-party certifications that provide important VOC criteria and other health and performance metrics
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chemicals of concern in building materials
You’ll also learn how what makes a product green can differ from product category to product category, and why multi-attribute vetting is critical no matter what product or material you’re selecting or specifying.
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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Are Cool Roofs Green? The Answer’s Not Black and White
Feature Article
Roofing choices are complicated by heating tradeoffs, climate effects, and condensation, but proponents say reflective roofs still make sense in most climates.
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Can Concrete Save Us? Locking Up Carbon in Building Materials
Feature Article
Concrete is responsible for a huge proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions. A few companies want to reverse this cycle by sequestering carbon in building materials.
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The PVC Debate: A Fresh Look
Feature Article
PVC is banned by some green building programs and simply reviled by some groups. How did we get here, and has anything changed since vinyl became the enemy?
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Innovative Products and Technology from the Greenbuild Expo
Feature Article
Our product editors pick some winners from the expo floor at Greenbuild 2013 while raising questions about some materials.
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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Passive House Windows and Doors Continue to Wow
Product Review
Exciting new doors and windows featuring cork, composites, and low U-factors have come to U.S. markets.
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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.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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EPA to Regulate Hazardous Chemicals in Building Materials
News Analysis
Asbestos, HBCD, and other chemicals face restrictions under the new Toxic Substances Control Act.
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Behind Humanscale’s Living Product Challenge Certification
News Analysis
Going big, committing early, and removing unneeded chemistry were key ingredients in certifying the Diffrient chair and Float table under LPC.
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Stone Certification Recognized in LEED v4, Living Buildings
News Brief
Natural stone is one of the oldest green building materials, but it’s the newest to have a rigorous multi-attribute certification recognized by USGBC
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Legal Wood in LEED Barks Up Wrong Tree, Say NGOs
News Analysis
A pilot credit to address illegal logging has been criticized by advocacy groups like the Sierra Club. They’ve offered USGBC their own ideas.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Sustainable Sealants: The Challenges of Predicting Service Life
Blog Post
Caulk joint sealants can be a major deciding factor in how long your building envelope lasts. Is there a better way to predict how long the sealants last?
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Stickiness Explained! Making Building Tapes and Membranes Stay Put
Blog Post
When you use tape to seal a seam or flash a sill, you need peel-and-stick performance—not “stick-and-peel.”
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How to Choose a Sealant That Works
Blog Post
Any sealant can perform well in the right application, but knowing which to pick for your job is another thing. Our guide to sealants and how to use them.
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Tape It? Seal It? Glue It? Sealing Weather Barrier Seams
Blog Post
Lots of building products offer some help in keeping air, water, and heat in our buildings, but without attention to the joints, you lose critical continuity in your barriers.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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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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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.
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Materials Transparency & LEED
Webcast
This deep dive into the three Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits in LEED v4 provides the rationale for why product choices are so important, the details on how to achieve points within the three credits, and which options you shouldn't bother pursuing.
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Deep Material Vetting (That Won’t Chew Through Your Design Budget)
Webcast
In just one hour, learn how to vet products and materials (without having to earn chemistry and toxicology degrees!). Includes special access to a forum offering post-webcast product vetting support.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
- Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
- Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
- You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.
