Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. In North America, buildings and the building industry account for about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, 35-40% of ozone depletion, 20-30% of municipal solid waste, vast quantities of natural resource consumption, and dramatic loss of open space each... Read more

Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?

A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... Read more

Protecting trees and the local ecosystem when building on previously unbuilt land is a vitally important—yet often overlooked—part of environmentally responsible construction. Healthy trees and shrubs can reduce a home’s environmental impact and directly benefit homeowners in a number of ways:

•Enhancing comfort by shielding the house... Read more

Hi everyone -

I'm writing to conduct an informal (and unscientific) poll about the green certifications achieved by office spaces (main or branch) for Green Gurus firms. SERA is preparing to embark on the journey of finding, designing and inhabiting new office space, and we're interested to hear and learn from your experiences,... Read more

All,

I've probably spoken to a few of you over the phone, but I wanted to make sure all of you know that we are hosting a 4 part webinar series on our Tally LCA software, kicking off tomorrow 10/10. We just released the new of Tally version and ended up doing far more development work than initially anticipated, in no small part due to... Read more

Here's the Core Purpose for this group that came out of the Inaugural Summit.

We're off and running!

It is with the greatest pleasure that I announce to this esteemed group the recognition of our very own and much-loved leader Nadav Malin as an Honorary AIA member. AIA COTE had the honor to serve as Nadav's sponsor and we are pleased and delighted with this outcome (but not surprised of course.) For the record, "The AIA recognizes the notable... Read more

Does anyone have a Passive House detailing resource recommendation? Something that is applicable to wood over podium and/or metal framing construction? I have the book below but looking for something more applicable.

Passive House Details: Solutions for High-Performance Design 1st Edition

by Donald B. Corner (Author), Jan C.... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Can Concrete Save Us? Locking Up Carbon in Building Materials

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


1. Explain current strategies of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).
2. Detail how concrete offers another possible pathway to... Read more

Good morning, All,

Just a bit of news this morning.  My family and I are moving back out west!  I am continuing in my current role with EwingCole, but will be doing so from Portland, Oregon.  Although North Carolina has a been a wonderful place for us for the past 13 years, it is time to be close to family in the northwest and southwest... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Are your clients asking you about wellness? You’re not alone. Healthy interiors and wellbeing are the trending buzzwords of sustainable design. In this hour-long live webinar, GreenStep Education's Alex Spilger will walk you through the seven concepts within WELL and describe what sets... Read more

Hi all, 

You all know how much the Living Building Challenge and other ILFI programs have transformed the aspirations of our industry, right? This year ILFI has the privilege of being included in Washington's GiveBig campaign! For the next two days, you can help bring attention to the site, raise support and draw people to the page where... Read more

Hi folks,

The team at DPR Construction has kindly agreed to host a reception and evening of presentations during the AIA Conference in San Francisco. If you'll be in the area, come join us Wednesday, June 7 from 6:00–8:30 for networking and fast-paced sharing of ideas.

The plan is to have a networking reception from 6:00-7:00,... Read more

This came up a number of times at the SDL Tempe Summit so I thought I would share. If you have not already I highly recommend this recent research paper from the UW-IDL on the tradeoffs of operational and embodied carbon in envelope design in different climates. As a Passive House nerd it made me question the super-insulated envelope at least... Read more

Hey All,

I wish I could brag about the tremendous success Integrus has had in conducting a robust LCA on every project.  Our goal is to use Tally to conduct a WBLCA on every project, but we are struggling with issues with staff time, project schedules, scarcity of expertise, and not having a streamlined process to produce reliable... Read more