All--

Metropolis magazine asked me to write a long piece about the current state of post-occupancy studies. I'm wrestling with whether to do it and how to approach it, but it would be helpful to hear your thoughts on the following--

--importance of the topic

--typical and atypical approaches and criteria

--examples... Read more

People tracking pollutants and dirt into buildings can cause indoor environmental quality (IEQ) problems, increase maintenance costs, and reduce the life of the floor. When they track rain and snow on hard surfaces, it increases the risk of personal injury due to slips and falls.

BuildingGreen-Approved Track-Off Systems

... Read more

Hi All - 

Has anyone explored hydronic system analysis software (1D CFD)? 

Some options are PipeFlo, AFT Fathom, PipeFlow (eerily similar name to first option), COMSOL Pipe Flow Module. 

Applications could range from general system troubleshooting, pump sizing, to district hydronic system network analysis. 

Best,... Read more

Hello - I have met several of you virtually over the last couple years. My name is Megan Zack and I am excited to share that I have changed positions and will be the Cheif Sustainabilty Officer at Wight & Company. After spending the last 20 years working as an architect with a small percentage of my time dedicated to sustainabilty, I'll be... Read more

I have been watching LEED Zero for a while, and have appreciated certain things, but one thing I think is an absolute disaster is their allowance of mainline RECs for claiming Zero Energy and Zero Carbon performance.  I just asked this question on the LEED Zero webinar, and the panelist basically said, "it's part of LEED Zero, therefore it is... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Are your clients asking you about wellness? You’re not alone. Employee health and wellbeing has been called the ‘second wave of sustainability.’ In this hour-long live webinar, GreenStep Education’s Alex Spilger will walk you through Fitwel certification, including its requirements... Read more

Hi (again) all,

Jacobs is looking to hire specifically for sustainability needs! We have a current job posting for a Senior Sustainability Specialist now up, and anticipate a similar posting soon for a mid-level person as well. Location for these would be in the Mountain or Pacific time zones, remote work is fine; other future... Read more

Composting toilets convert human waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for nonfood plants, rather than mixing the waste with potable water and flushing it down the drain. They can also save infrastructure costs and minimize the burden on wastewater systems.

They’re not for every project, but they do warrant consideration. Composting... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of LEED vs. Green Globes: A Definitive Analysis

Note: If you are taking this quiz as a member of LEEDuser, please take the quiz here.

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:


1. Highlight the most significant differences between LEED and Green... Read more

This might be going down a rabbit hole, but in moving to California this year I noticed that "zero net energy" (ZNE) is the standard term, whereas "net zero energy" (NZE) was more common back east. The DOE's 2015 definition (below) uses "zero energy building" (ZEB), which to me implies a building uses no energy at all.

Regional... Read more

I'm loving the winning projects this year--congratulations to everyone who participated in making them so great! 

(In case you missed the announcement, here's our slideshow on BuildingGreen, and here are the winners with all the details on AIA.org)

Nadav

The Sages network is specifically for industry veterans and long-time Peer Network members, including those who are still active with one of the other networks and those who have moved on from that role. This group can help set priorities, drive advocacy, and... Read more

Hi all - I am in need of specification language for wood sourced from tribally owned and managed forests. Does anybody have examples they would be willing to share? I would be so greateful! thank you

Hi Green Gurus,

In this stressful time, I think it is important for us to continue to feel connected and supported.  Also, it is difficult to come to terms with the reality of what is happening.  So, I thought it would be helpful for us to share some information about the response of our respective firms to the Coronavirus.

The... Read more

Curious to see if your firms have researched metals and established a preference for what you use for roof and wall panels?  I'm interested in ranking environmental performance for painted steel, galvanize steel, weathered steel, painted aluminum, zinc, etc.

I have a client seeking grant funding & they're vetting current US technology around large-scale prefabricated mass timber. My question to this group is if this currently exists anywhere in the US.

Qualifications:

10+ years experience manufacturing and installing large-scale prefabricated mass timber elements into completed... Read more

Hi Green Friends - I hesitated to post on April Fools, but wanted to get the link out for folks to share with their netowrks    I'll be teaching a workshop at the Pacific Energy Center on May 11 on Electrification Retrofits of Exisitng Non-Residential Buildings.  I'll be bulidng on the great work our sub-committee led by Allison has been... Read more

Welcome to 2030 reporting season!

I brought up on the Fika today that there is a webinar December 5th to show updates to the DDx including the calculation of operational carbon from your energy data.  Below is a link to register.

https://aia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUocOutrTItHtWiySNMIqfGYv4ZbAhtjSg...

Hi all,

I am working on a Div 01 sustainability spec section for our firm to include by default on all projects. I've been finding a lot of great sample language out there for embodied carbon measures and material transparency (huge thanks to anyone here who had a part in developing those resources). 

One thing I'd like to include... Read more