Welcome to the quiz portion of Designing Natural Ventilation.

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


1. Explain how natural venting and cooling potentials are realized in buildings.
2. Show how natural ventilation and passive cooling strategies can amount to increased... Read more

Hi all,

I see that this was a hot topic for the Winter Retreat this past year, but I am wondering how your firms manage standard materials across your practice. two aspects - standard specification items, and also designer choice materials. 

1. Do you have a spec baseline with high performance materials that you start with for all... Read more

There are a number of SDL and other peer network folks talking about a potential casual meet up in association with Living Future 24 (next week in ATL).

In the interest of Julie McCoy-ing this thing into being ... 

Who: All y'all ... any Peer Network folks who are in town for LF24 (or local to ATL). 

Why: Connecting is... Read more

Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.

And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more

Hi folks,

We’re working on the agenda for what’s shaping up to be a really awesome Summer Summit at a great new venue in Massachusetts. There is an awesome group already registered, and we’d like to fill the remaining slots soon so that we can develop the agenda with your input.

If you’ve been planning to register, please do it... Read more

This just in from Liz York at CDC: There's a webinar on Friday 11/2 at 3-4 ET on Building Design and Pandemics. For those who signed the petition to WHO urging action on aerosol emissions and have been following the ups and downs of those advisories, this is an especially welcome chance to hear from experts and ask questions. 

Centers... Read more

Hi All,

I wanted to pass on a few cool things we have going on at Built Environment Plus (formerly USGBC MA)  I really am conscious of not spamming you often and reserve posts for some of our most exciting happenings.

August 5, Building Tech Forum/MaterialsCAN: Getting to Zero with Embodied Carbon. Featuring 13 5-minute... Read more

Mary Ann Lazarus

Welcome to the quiz portion of Changing Building Design Priorities for a Changing Electrical Grid!

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


Define a “Highly Variable Renewable Energy” generation asset, or VRE, and understand how VREs can most effectively contribute to the... Read more

Hi folks,

Here's the next Peer Networks private webinar. As usual, it will be recorded and shared in the network if you can't make it in person:

Thursday, July 18, 2pm EDT (11am PDT)

The Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of the Fitwel Certification System, recently launched Fitwel v2.1, which advances a vision where... Read more

Some of you saw my 5-minute presentation about the Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont and how it is inventing new ways to keep excess nutrients from urine out of surface waters and use them instead as fertilizer. Now you can also hear about it on Planet Money: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/01/26/581156723/episode-820-p-is... Read more

I am wanting to take the pulse of this group on behalf of a manufacturer who has asked us a similar question.

The company in question makes wood products and has had FSC CoC for over a decade. Recently, they are encountering issues with sourcing FSC for about 50% of the wood species they offer. There just aren't FSC sources available.... Read more

Beginning this year, Miller Hull will not only continue to quantify the upfront embodied carbon of every project we finish through construction, but now purchase third-party certified carbon offsets equivalent to one-third of the project’s impact. Great design is no longer enough - we must take responsibility for our architectural impact in the... Read more

For those that missed Z's subtle mention of this a few weeks ago, Bora finally decided sustainability is important enough to have someone dedicated full-time to it, and then went out and got one of the best:

https://bora.co/bora-hires-sustainability-director-corey-squire/?tax=all-posts

I've been sharing Corey's thoughts on... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation!

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


Are your firms discussing the health effects of silica dust on people working with engineered stone and the recent announcement of the upcoming ban in Australia, as of July 2024?

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/12/14/australia-bans-engineered-stone-silico...

According to the article, a recent report says that there is no safe level of... Read more