Preliminary research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has shown that the ASHRAE 90.1-2013 energy efficiency standard would achieve greater energy efficiency than the 2010 standard. In a Notice of Preliminary Determination posted May 15, the DOE has taken the first step in issuing a ruling that will likely establish... Read more

When first introduced in the late 1990s, LED area lighting—for parking lots, office complexes, some roadways, and other uses—was expensive and out of reach for many, but over the past few years, the costs have continued to drop while efficacy has improved. We have previously highlighted top-performing outdoor lighting from Cree... Read more

The building design and construction industry has long relied on material safety data sheets (MSDS) to provide basic information about chemical ingredients and VOC emissions when specifying building materials.

But it’s not a perfect fit for the industry. Intended to give first-aid information to... Read more

NSF International has released a product category rule (PCR) for flat glass produced in the U.S. The document builds on efforts to encourage transparency and improve data quality through life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs), as explored in The Product Transparency Movement: Peeking Behind... Read more

Raingardens, bioswales, and constructed wetlands are all hallmarks of low-impact development (LID), which mimics natural hydrology in order to manage stormwater quality and runoff rates. Since its development in the early 1990s in suburban Maryland, LID has been slowly gaining ground in green projects—and we mean that literally... Read more

Cool roofs—those with reflectance and emissivity that make them good at keeping out the sun’s heat—are recommended widely without much regard for climate or project specifics. They’ve been adopted into multiple energy codes, including ASHRAE 90.1, the International Energy Conservation Code, and California’s Title 24, not to... Read more

The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is updating the criteria it uses to accredit degree-granting architecture schools in the U.S. It is accepting comments on the “First Reading” of its criteria through June 24, 2014.

BuildingGreen is concerned about some of these changes and has submitted... Read more

In a December 2013 blog post, we presented a green wish list for 2014. The first of seven wishes was for rigid insulation with no flame retardants and insignificant global warming potential. Partly in response to our urging, tomorrow, insulation manufacturer Johns Manville (JM) will introduce ENRGY 3.E, a polyisocyanurate... Read more

Florida may be the most dangerous state in which to walk, a new report from Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition (NCSC) suggests.

Dangerous by Design 2014 ranks U.S. cities according to a “pedestrian danger index” (the rate of pedestrian deaths compared with the number of... Read more

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC), which plans to develop a rating system similar to LEED for sustainable purchasing and procurement policies, has taken one step closer to launch by releasing a set of guiding principles. The principles are meant to give companies an idea of what leadership in procurement... Read more

Electronics and AM radio signals might disrupt the internal magnetic compasses of migratory birds, suggests a study published in Nature. According to the magazine, decades of experimentation have shown that migratory birds orient themselves using an internal compass guided by Earth’s magnetic field. Cites, researchers conclude... Read more

The Green Parking Council (GPC), an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, recently launched the Green Garage Certification Program. The program, according to GPC, is the parking industry’s equivalent of LEED certification—a rating system for sustainable parking facility design.

The idea of a... Read more

Five projects have achieved Net Zero Energy Building Certification recently through the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). ILFI offers the certification as a pared-down, more energy-focused version of its broader and extremely rigorous Living Building Challenge­­. The structures—two residences, a government office,... Read more

The Healthy Building Network (HBN) has released a research brief, Phthalate-free Plasticizers in PVC, that describes six alternatives to phthalate plasticizers. Phthalates are semi-volatile organic compounds used in PVC building products to provide flexibility and other performance characteristics (see The PVC Debate: A Fresh... Read more

Transitions.

Design simulation made easy

Kjell Anderson wants to change the way you think about computer simulation of buildings.

For a lot of people, computer modeling is synonymous with energy modeling, and climate data is something you just input to your energy model. Anderson wants you to do energy modeling for your buildings, and he wants... Read more

For me, the creative tension between beauty and green performance came to a head in 2006, when I began working with the staff of Architectural Record on their new magazine: GreenSource. (GreenSource is no longer a separate... Read more

Urban Green Council has announced the winners of its third annual EBie awards, which celebrate the innovations and achievements of facility managers, building owners, and others responsible for the performance of existing buildings.

John Smith and Chris Pinelli shared the All-Rounder... Read more

Neighborhoods with a mix of older, smaller buildings give rise to more diverse populations and more new businesses than those made up of newer, larger structures, according to a study released by the... Read more

When I was in Portland, Oregon for the 2014 Living Future Conference I had an... Read more