I was recently asked about potentially specifying concrete with wood nanoparticles and concrete with biochar as a way to further lower the embodied carbon and to increase concrete strength.  These approaches are something I know nothing about, and wondering if anyone in this group has any experience and/or observations that might be relevant to... Read more

Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects

We’re excited to issue our special report, Spec This, Not That.

In updating the report in 2020, we engaged a respected toxicology and regulatory-compliance firm to review and assist in our revision of the entire publication. This edition reflects the latest science in... Read more

I invite you to submit a speaker proposal for Gulf Coast Green and plan to join us at the Houston Zoo on March 22, 2024. It's always an inspiring event!

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
After 17 successful years, Gulf Coast Green has proven to be the leading green building conference in the Gulf Coast region.  In addition to a lineup of... Read more

Hi! I’m working on two reports about equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the building industry, and I’m looking for contributions from you or others in your firm. See below for what I’m looking for, and please reply directly to me at paula@buildinggreen.com.

NOTE: Ideally, I’m hoping people will want to provide names and firm names... Read more

Huge shout out to Patty Lloyd, Luke Leung, Janet Olsen, and Sarah Gudeman for their webinar on the Power of Peer Networks. They share lots of insights into the value of participating in BG Peer Networks and many others. Ten bucks to Illinois Green gets you access to the recording--I loved it. What would you have said that they didn't?

Welcome to the quiz portion of Introducing Fitwel v2.1!

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


1.  Explain the purpose of the Fitwel standard, including how it advances the goals of health and well-being of building occupants—as well as public health.

2. List nine ways in... Read more

I am looking for example specifications for low carbon concrete to have our structural engineer(s) review and incorporate.  Does anyone have good examples or  link(s) to good examples?

Thanks,

Mark

Happy Friday, SDL!

We're running a Tally WBLCA for an environmental education center, which has a very small floor area but a fairly robust concrete/steel structure. Still, I was surprised to find an intensity of over 1,000 kgCO2/m2 for the building.

This is way higher than the general benchmarks I've found in the CLF's database,... Read more

When BuildingGreen started publication in 1992, simply finding building products designed with environmental benefits in mind was a big challenge. 

In the years since we’ve seen rapid advances in green building materials and products, and manufacturers are beginning to take topics such as embodied carbon and social justice concerns—... Read more

The page you're looking for is no longer available. There may be several reasons:

I'm sure may are familiar with Aqua in Chicago, and Joe Lstiburek's article on thermal bridging. (https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi062-thermal-bridges-redux) We have similar problem with a project that is a residential highrise building, concrete structure. Here is my questions. Will energy simulation be able to pick up the... Read more

Hello Green Gurus, here's a reminder that this webinar is happening one week from today!

Register here.

Sustainable Community Design Leaders: Who we are, What we do
Tuesday, February 16th, 2021
3 - 4pm ET (12 - 1pm PT)

Description: Join this live webinar to learn about the brand-new Sustainable Community Design... Read more

Hi all,

Passing on a message from Julia Siple at AIA who is conducting a series of focus groups related to the AIA 2030 Commitment's DDx platform. You may have already received this from other channels but I thought I'd post here as well in case it got missed. They are looking for more participants in the morning and lunchtime (lunch... Read more

Hi All,

We’re planning a conference here in Boston, October 23rd & 24th, focused on Designing for People.  We’re rounding out our speaker lineup and I thought I’d reach out to you all for ideas.  If you had an all-star list of people speaking on Health and Wellness in the Built Environment who would be on that list?  Send me 3 names... Read more

Plastic windows come in both ABS and vinyl (PVC). Even though PVC is particularly loathed by environmentalists, energy performance is BuildingGreen's primary green consideration for windows, and some vinyl windows offer exceptionally strong energy performance, often with competitive pricing.

BuildingGreen-Approved Plastic Windows

... Read more

Related to some recent questions on site-specific sun/wind analysis and early energy modeling tools, are there any tools that account for nearby topography (like bluffs) or large buildings/vegetation in energy calculations? Or favorite methods to estimate its impact particularly during early massing studies?

Thanks,

Rachel