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:
-
the least hazardous, most environmentally sustainable materials used in products
-
environmental product declarations that can reveal the life-cycle impacts of materials
-
standards and third-party certifications that provide important VOC criteria and other health and performance metrics
-
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.
-
Engineering a Wood Revolution
Feature Article
Engineered wood products are challenging concrete and steel in structural applications while proffering a lower environmental footprint.
-
Can We Replace Foam Insulation?
Feature Article
There are a lot of reasons to avoid foam, but its high performance can make it a hard habit to kick, as designers are finding out.
-
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
-
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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
- 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.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Knoll, Steelcase in Lead with Level 3 Certified Products
Product Review
Two years after the "level" furniture certification program was developed by BIFMA, six products and products lines meet the most rigorous of the certifications-level 3.
-
BuildingGreen Announces 2010 Top-10 Green Products
Product Review
BuildingGreen announces its 2010 Top-10 Green Products, with exciting entries drawn from the GreenSpec directory and coverage in Environmental Building News.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
-
Bark Cladding Is First Cradle to Cradle Platinum Product
News Brief
C2C Platinum certification sets a very high bar for sustainability. A decade in, Bark House shingles are the first product to make the grade.
-
Living Product Challenge Logs First Certifications
News Analysis
Though only a year old, LPC has its first two entry-level certifications: Owens Corning insulation and Sirewall rammed earth.
-
New Ways to Meet LEED v4 Ingredient Disclosure
News Analysis
LEED addenda for April 2016 add BIFMA, C2C Material Health, Declare, and the Globally Harmonized System for classifying chemicals.
-
Study Vets Materials for Entire Wall Assemblies
News Brief
When you look at the whole assembly, it can change how you see the materials. Here XPS and fiberglass come out ahead, and SPF behind.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
-
EBN Editors Help Untangle Green Certifications
Op-Ed
The editors of EBN and our GreenSpec Directory provide guidance on the growing field of certifications in BuildingGreen's new special report, "Green Building Product Certifications."
-
A New Edge in Specifying Green Building Products
Op-Ed
BuildingGreen will link our Web-based green products resource, GreenSpec, with the Healthy Building Network's Pharos Project to provide one trusted, authoritative, independent source for specifying green building products, information and research.
-
Fixing the Perception Problem with Cradle to Cradle Certification
Op-Ed
Products carrying Basic and Silver Cradle to Cradle labels are on a path toward sustainability, but calling them "certified" is misleading.
-
Concerns About Broadening LEED's Wood Credit
Op-Ed
Bill Edgerton, AIA, writes about his concerns that broadening LEED's wood credit would weaken LEED and erode USGBC's credibility.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
-
The PVC Debate
Webcast
If, like a lot of people, your head has been spinning over the last decade as PVC has been debated to point where clarity is hard to find, we'll review the key context that underlies this whole debate—and where facts and opinions diverge.
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.
