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

Hi,

I have a colleague doing research on PCM in several projects. For context in their report, they were wondering if this group has seen any recent increase in application of PCMs in recent years. Is it just in ceilings or other applications? If so, what products are being used? They were having difficulty finding manufacturers other... Read more

We are hiring! Please share with any potential talented and passionate candidates.

https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150052970/sustainable-design-specialist

ps. And, yes we recently rebranded for our 40th anniversary for those who may be confused :) 

Hi All - as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) becomes increasingly prevalent, I'm trying to learn more about what types of requests for ESG-related information folks are actually receiving and what types of trainings on ESG would be most helpful.  Drilling down a bit, I'm curious as to how ESG data points are moving down the supply... Read more

We have several projects that are small enough that we don't hire consultants to run energy models. I just received permission to do some training so that I can run these models myself. I am looking at doing this training on eQuest:

https://www.udemy.com/course/equest-energy-modelling-detailedtraining/?c...

I am thinking it would... Read more

Hi, this is a somewhat niche/specific question - we are working on an all-electric school (middle and high school) that includes a chemistry lab. The lab was going to have portable sources for flame experiments, but there is concern that the portable sources would be unsafe for middle school students, so they are asking for a hard-pipe natural... Read more

Products & Materials Specialist and LEED AP BD+C Brent Ehrlich excels at deep, unbiased, and nuanced technical research on the health and environmental impacts of green building products and materials. Some areas of focus include:

product and material constituents, including their risks

product certifications

... Read more

It's time for our next Peer Networks webinar! Ariane wowed us with her five minutes on future climate data at the Show-and-Tell at HKS in Chicago last November. Now we'll get the deep dive.

Wednesday, May 29, 2:00 pm EDT

Register here: https://www.buildinggreen.com/peer-networks/webinars

Remember--this live webinar is for... Read more

Successfully managing the LEED documentation process requires specific knowledge, tools, and skills that are not covered in the LEED Reference Manual. This CEU course is based on the LEED Project Management course that GreenStep developed and teaches through UC–Berkeley Extension. It is designed for professionals who are somewhat familiar... Read more

Hi folks! Our AIA Seattle Committee on the Environment is hosting a series of decarbonization talks that might be of interest to this group. The next one is coming up next Thursday with the University of Washington. 

Details and free registration here: https://aiaseattle.org/event/cote-university-of-washingtons-pathway-to-d...

Colleagues,

As we all know, ventilation rates must be kept the same between the LEED Baseline and proposed energy models. However, we're aware of projects that have been able to claim energy savings associated to reducing ventilation using systems like Aircuity. 

Have any of you successfully claimed credit for reduced airflow due... Read more

Ground- and water-source heat pumps move refrigerant or water through the ground or a body of water for use as a heat source (for indoor heating) or heat sink (for indoor cooling).

BuildingGreen-Approved Heat Pumps

BuildingGreen approves:

SDL Show & Tell in Chicago, Tuesday, November 13 from 7-9:30 PM (CST)
HKS | 125 S Clark Street | Chicago, IL 60603

What better way to kick off your time at Greenbuild than with snap previews of the best sessions? The Sustainable Design Leaders Show & Tell is back, brought to you by BuildingGreen and HKS! This event is by... Read more

As announced in last week's SDL/SCL Winter Summit, I have been working with a group of regional AEC professionals, industry stakeholders, and the New Buildings Institute on two code proposals to the 2021 Seattle Building Code that limit the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of concrete & steel in buildings over 50,000 sf (see attached).  We ... Read more

I'm guessing this is the most impactful thing any of us could do over the next couple of years. Energy Codes are far and away the biggest lever that our industry has in fighting climate change. I'm up to my eyeballs in commitments at the moment but heartily encourage you (yes, YOU!) to sign up.

...

Hi all – if any of you are... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Video: Energy Reporting in LEED with MPR6.

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


1. Define the role of MPRs in achieving LEED certification
2. Describe MPR6 and the pathways for achievement
3. Answer MPR6 Frequently Asked Questions... Read more

Hello Gurus,

I’m writing to share with you an effort a small group of lighting designers from the Boston area started which is now rolling into a large scale effort.  We’ve put together a Lighting Advocacy Letter to accelerate the sustainability of lighting products. Inspired by the AIA Materials Pledge, the letter is intended to... Read more