Hi all, it's time to schedule our next session. Who's in? Ping me at amt@vmdo.com if you want to be considered part of the working group, and fill out your availability on this Doodle poll.

If you just want to monitor what's going on, we'll post updates to the Working Group page. 

The agenda for this call is to figure out what we... Read more

Hive mind,

We recently learned that 3M has discontinued the production of their 3M Daylight Redirecting Film (https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/building-window-solutions-us/solutions/dayli...). This product was selected by an architecture client last year as the optimal daylight/glare control strategy for a school project, and we're assisting... Read more

At our SAL call today, folks were talking about how there was just too much to read about DEI. This is the best short summary I have read about the problems of incorporating it into the organizations where we work. It's much easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk because it takes time and accountability.

I'd love to hear thoughts from the design, consulting, and contracting firms in this group about ways to make our specs more inclusive, or at least less exclusive to minority and women owned contractors and subcontractors and others that have not had the benefit of what a recent "Equity in Specs" presenter termed the "Fathers / Brothers / In-... Read more

We're hiring: Join our dynamic team as a Sustainablity Coordinator at Structure Tone Southwest!
APPLY NOW!

Posting is listed for Dallas, but we're open to Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.

Are you passionate about sustainable building practices and wellness in the built environment? Join our team at Structure Tone Southwest... Read more

Hi all, 

Thank you to those of you who attended the Greenbuild Show & Tell! We had an incredible time and learned so much from the presenters -- thanks so much to each of you for sharing.

I am including the slides for some of the presentations below. Please be aware that we have permission from all of the following presenters... Read more

Hi all,

GBD turns 50 this year! I would like to share some examples with leadership of how we can make it more than just an event for clients... something that can give back, engage the public, focus on sustainability, etc. I remember that a Seattle firm had an awesome event that engaged a public plaza, etc. I had read something about it... Read more

The Project StaSIO competition is in full swing, and its time to rate the submissions that made it to the public voting round!  Fancy yourself a connoisseur of simulation graphics and have a spare 5-10 minutes this Friday?  Take a browse through the gallery and rate the 10 graphics and 4 case studies that made it to the final round! Winners... Read more

We think fresh water supplies are endless, but this idealistic vision is clouded by the smoke of countless forest fires in the U.S. West and elsewhere. Instead of endless bounty, climate change is bringing us catastrophic droughts and flooding that now dominate the headlines and threaten entire regions.

This report covers innovative... Read more

Has anyone had any success with achieving the LEED Building Envelope commissioning points with an alternative compliance path using the requirements of the PHIUS verifier? It seems like an unnecessary duplication to ask the client to pay for a BECx agent and a Passive House verifier. Or am I missing something? I can't find any LEED... Read more

Has anyone used Insight for Revit to document the LEED Daylight Credit If so, would you recommend it?

Thanks,

_Ilana

Hello all,

Could any of you point me out to recent studies showing the health impacts of plastic piping vs. copper piping? 

We have a project where NIRON or Aquatherm are proposed as a VE item in lieu of copper.  I know there is some studies showing PEX and PVC piping health impacts, but I can't seem to find anything on these 2... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Climate Analysis for Architects (recorded webcast).

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


1. Access climate data.
2. Choose appropriate design energy simulation tools.
3. Know when and how to run analyses with projected weather data... Read more

Does anyone know of a good summary of state and local energy code adoption for new building and ordinances for existing buildings? I know of this energycodes.gov site, but it feels somewhat misleading when you dig into it. For example, in CO, it suggests there is no min code, but there is, and it doesn’t show the extent to which local govs are... Read more

Hi all - I can't remember this topic being posted recently so here goes. With fossil fuel free finally being something our clients are increasingly wanting to know about, we are stuck on diesel generators. They have several advantages including: cost, inherent refillability from a truck, reliability, and are the market standard. In initial... Read more