Based on current projects, pursuits, and ongoing thought leadership, the following are hot topics across the Stantec Buildings group.

Read on to stay up to date with evolving skills and expertise not only in your own BC but also... Read more

Hi Everyone! 

I am building our internal/firm resources around sustainable design, and creating our post-occupancy evaluations is one of those resources. Does anyone have references or resources they'd recommend me to look into for post-occupancy evaluations? So far I am considering a few evalutation types: building user input, building... 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

SmithGroup is hosting Metropolis Magazine for a “Think Tank Event on Waterfront Redevelopment and Urban Resilience”.   While the event is in our office, if you're not in DC, it will also be broadcast live on Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/events/1299577320146259/) Feel free to share this invitation with others.  Information about the... Read more

We just heard from one of our more progressive clients that they are pulling Mohawk from their shelves and are no longer allowing it on their projects. Apparently there are some chemical ingredients they objected to, but more importantly the manufacturer "lied" to the client about the content. Does anyone have an idea what this might be about?... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Here is the information for this month's first Peer Networks Webinar, Previewing the WELL Equity Rating: a roadmap for advancing DEI. So sorry for the short notice - we had a pileup of tech issues and time off. We hope you can still join us!

Register HERE.

Previewing the WELL Equity Rating: a roadmap for... Read more

Dear All,

Greetings. On this Earth Day, I hope you're enjoying our planet's gifts and also giving your gift with reckless abandon.

As I take a short break to plan what I want to do next, this coming Friday, April 26, will be my last day at HKS. Maybe I will get a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tattoo like Paula. 

I... Read more

Does anyone have any research studies they could share on the effect of construction/renovation noise and activity on employee productivity?  I'm trying to make a case for the measurable negative impacts of having ongoing renovation construction activity in an office environment.  Thanks!

The 2018 ENR Green Building Survey is due March 16th.  I'm sure you all know the metric they use to evaluate your ranking is solely the revenue from projects pursuing a green building certification in the previous calendar year.  Personally, I think this totally bogus.  How "green" a contractor is may correlate with how much revenue they have... Read more

Prefabricated, or modular, buildings can provide environmental advantages over conventionally constructed buildings. They are built in factories where manufacturing and cost can be tightly controlled, so materials are kept out of the elements, there is less waste, and thermal properties and air sealing can be enhanced. There are also fewer... Read more

Hi Gurus,

We are having a hard time sourcing a baby changing table that is free of anticmicrobial coatings. KoalaKare, the predominate manufacturer, includes Microban in both their plastic and stainless steel product options.  Does anyone have any experience with a durable, ADA compliant and readily available baby changing table free of... Read more

Hello friends,

Anyone who will be attending NESEA's BuildingEnergy Boston conference next week is invited to an informal Green Gurus meetup! Stop by the Built Environment Plus booth (#4 on the map) at 6pm Monday (during the second half of the trade show reception) to say hi to some fellow Sustainability Leaders. SDL member Keihly Moore... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of BuildingGreen’s Top 10 Green Building Products for 2018.

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


1.  Explain the transparency and optimization criteria in the LEED v4 (applicable to  Building Product Disclosure and Optimization credits in LEED v4 BD+C and... Read more

Hi folks,

Some of you have seen me do a 5-minute presentation on an initiative to divert urine from wastewater. That team is now developing a building-scale urine treatment technology with support from the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award. 

In order to learn more about the sustainable... Read more

Hi All:  We are in the design phase for a 5,700 SF project in NH. The team is taking care to drive down embodied carbon where possible. It will be NZE.

A1-A3 emissions are coming in at 67.15 kgCO2e/sf, of which 11.97 kgCO2e/sf is a hot spot attributed to permeable paving and concrete pavers (a little skewed, since lot and patio sizes... Read more

Hi folks,

We're currently scoping out a BuildingGreen report on how the global market for recycled/recyclable materials has changed over the years, and what that means for waste management practices in construction, and for the availability of recycled content materials. 

This ties into the goal from the SCL Summit about LEED... Read more