An elevator system can account for 4%–10% of a building's electric energy load, without considering impacts on heating and cooling. Conventional finishes are also common.

BuildingGreen-Approved Systems

We approve the most efficient tension elevators from leading manufacturers, including models that incorporate:

regenerative... Read more

Should the Best Practice names always be accompanied by their number? See the attached screenshots, all taken from the main forum page:

Best Practice labels next to individual forum posts Best Practice names in the forum filter dropdown Best Practices in the main navigation dropdown menu

Are you ready to share the story about your best projects?

AIA COTE Top Ten Awards is a great way to get recognition for your best work and the call for submissions for the 2024 cycle is now open!

The awards cycle has shifted, and the deadline for the 2024 awards is October 26.

So NOW is the time to pull together... Read more

Hi All, 

My understanding is that SCL reporting is only for refrigerant use, or recharging for headquarters. I've asked our MEP contractor for a list of our 21 units, refrigerant use, and what quantity of refrigerants were used to charge equipment during installation or service.  

Is anyone tracking this for job sites?... Read more

Hi all --

We have a national restaurant client who is looking to source furniture (indoor and outdoor) with a minimum of 40% recycled/salvaged content from a woman- and/or minority-owned company.  They have a strong preference for a company that partners with/participates in community outreach and/or mentoring programs.  They also have ... Read more

If I'm remembering correctly, someone at the summer summit mentioned working on / or being familiar with the Berkeley CA gas ban. A town here in MA is also considering a ban and wanted to get some feedback from Berkeley.

Hi All,

I meant to put this is in Green Gurus and put it in SAL instead.  Rookie mistake.

After this long winter, who is up for some fierce creativity and friendly competition internal to your company or between Green Gurus?  What do you think of a location agnostic, virtual, Sustainability Scavenger Hunt from Earth Day to Mother'... Read more

For those of you that attended Greenbuild this year you may have heard about the Legacy project taken on by the USGBCMA Chapter. The winning project was The Green Building Tech Club at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. The USGBCMA Chapter recently reached out to me and asked if Structure Tone would take on an intern this summer,... Read more

All,

I'm sure a few of you attended our recent  webinar on the LEED v4.1 LCA webinar. In case you missed it, the recording is posted. We were stunned by the amount of engagement from the audience; we allotted 30 minutes for questions and I think it went even longer. The webinar recording should be a great starting point for anyone... Read more

Hi Folks, anyone in Boston (or willing to move) this could be a super cool opportunity for you! 

https://careers-bpda.icims.com/jobs/1557/senior-resilience-design-reviewer/job?mobile=false&width=805&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240

With this special offer, you’ll get the Spec This Not That Report at the reduced price of $89, a $40 savings. Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects

Can furniture be hazardous? You bet it can…

From flame retardants in foam cushions to unnecessary stain and dirt repellents on upholstery materials, everyday... Read more

Hi all,

We recently learned that Mass Dept of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) along with a few other state agencies are looking to offer grants for wastewater heat recovery implemented into projects. This is a newer technology that puts a heat exchanger or heat pump in the wastewater system that then extracts the heat energy and... Read more

Hi Green Gurus: check out this new series from AIAU that delves into the design and planning application of the 4th National Climate Assessment Report by region with some more recent updates. Free to members...looks like some great speakers and highly relevant. 

https://aiau.aia.org/regional-tour-climate-risk-planning-and-design

... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Lighting Design for Health and Sustainability: A Guide for Architects​!

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


Describe how high-quality lighting design dovetails with sustainability by improving energy efficiency and supporting occupant health and... Read more

Design assemblies that live up to their potential Course developer Peter Yost explains how high-performance assemblies are fundamentally different from traditional building assemblies.

High-performance buildings integrate site-responsive orientation, climate-responsive form, hefty R-values, efficient mechanical systems, healthy... Read more

We've gotten some requests recently, so it must be time to update our salary survey. For those didn't participate in the past, we last did one in 2015, and collected some really interesting data about compensation for SDLeaders.

Our first step in getting this started is to recruit a few volunteers who are interested enough in the data we... Read more

Hello SDL Peers,

We are currently in the process of expanding our firmwide carbon reporting (and goal setting). I am looking to see if anyone has some "best practices" or examples of their own firm's journey to carbon neutrality. Any info or tips are welcome!

Thx, JP