Hello SDLs,

I'm fairly new to the group, joined in November and I must confess to being a total wallflower here, having gone almost 6 months now without introducing myself. I am an Architect with Dyer Brown Associates in Boston, MA where I head up our firm's sustainability efforts, as well as devote a fair amount of time to '... 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

After reviewing BP language today with internal staff, we realized we'll need to add a glossary to explain industry jargon and technical terms that might not be widely used. I'd like to consolidate those terms onto one web page, a glossary. This probably should be on the list with the best practices, and it will need its own page. Thanks!

Hello friends,

We are embarking on calculations to quantify avoided embodied carbon from converting an old school building into a multifamily project and I wanted to vet our methodology with you.

Our idea is to first establish a benchmark for a new replacement multifamily building based on published studies. We have found a few... Read more

I am the Sustainability Program Manager for Sellen Construction in Seattle, WA where we build healthcare, education, office buildings, museums, historical renovations, and unique structures like sculpture parks and the “spheres” that have been in the news lately.  My role blends environmental regulatory compliance, sustainability in field... Read more

For the fourth year in a row, we’re proud to release our sustainability survey findings, based on the real-world knowledge and experience of our clients and partners, to help determine how sustainability, resilience and wellness are perceived by the commercial real estate industry. We’ve compiled these survey results in our 2019 report, which... Read more

I am wondering how architectural firms plan to close the gap to zero in the next few years. 

Owner's dictate outcomes and the typical owner is not committed to zero - even when sustainability is a focus of the project. 

We can present solar-ready designs, all electric buildings, geothermal, etc. but there is still quite a gap to... Read more

We're now mid-way through Summer Summit season! One of the “good problem to have” challenges we’ve had at recent SDL Summits has been too many great five-minute presentations. It’s hard to find time for them all. This year, since we’ll be online anyway, we can get a jump on that by starting the five-minute presentations early in addition to... Read more

HGA is collaborating with the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) to research how the AE industry is currently using climate projection data, and what they need in order to grow their use of data. MCAP is currently producing a set of dynamical downscaled climate projections for the state of Minnesota and unlike other... Read more

I wanted to make sure that everyone saw this.   Next Friday is a launch webinar for the Commitment.

Introducing the Contractor’s Commitment       November 13th, 2020          3pm - 3:30pm ET (12am - 12:30pm PT)

This webinar will mark the launch of the Contractor’s Commitment as a pilot program for 2021. We’ll give a brief overview... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Net-Zero Water and More: Moving Beyond “Low Flow”

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


1. Define net-zero water.
2. Describe the role of utilities in water efficiency solutions.
3. Explain the water-energy nexus and the water-... Read more

Hi folks!

Do you have examples or case studies of projects with compelling examples of circularity/salvaged material reuse? We’re looking to go beyond the examples we've seen of furniture reuse or creating art from salvaged material, and we’d like to collect some examples to get our client excited about the possibilities in a deep... Read more

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

Hans “Grumpy” Grimm

Happy New Year! 

I haven't seen this topic come up in the forum, but might have just missed it. 

I'm sure many of you have seen the recent article in Dezeen of Australia banning engineered stone due to links silicosis. Australia bans engineered stone due to silicosis risk (dezeen.com)

We are looking for appropriate... Read more

Hi all - many of you have been involved in our project to crowdsource the best building performance graphics and make them searchable and freely available. After redesigning the website for functionality and bi-monthly (instead of annual) competitions, we are launching our first of these Challenges: Daylight + Glare. Upload a graphic or three,... Read more

Will any SDL folks be at AASHE in Pittsburgh next week? Would love to grab a coffee and catch up. 

Hi all,

The USGBC Pacific Region is launching a new award this year that recognizes projects that have aspires to promote health of occupants and surrounding communities.  In true USGBC style, this award has not been properly publicized, so they are still looking for submissions.  I believe the deadline will be extended to June 7.  I... Read more