Hello Peer Network members,

I have some bittersweet news: I’ve accepted another job and will be leaving BuildingGreen. I’m excited to be the new Community Outreach Manager at Brattleboro VT’s Retreat Farm and to support their mission of connecting people to the land and to each other. I’ve learned so much from being part of this... Read more

He just posted the following on the Building Performance Knowledge Community forum:

Does anyone have a recommendation for software that is easy to use and relatively inexpensive for doing energy performance analysis at the schematic design (or before) phase?  We are looking for a tool that gives good quantitative comparisons for... Read more

I am still basking in the afterglow of this week's summit, and getting ready to share nuggets of wisdom with my colleagues at our all-staff next week. I was so immersed in the moment that documenting the outlines and choices presented for breakouts slipped my mind. Is there somewhere to access these slides to refresh my memory?

Thanks... Read more

Hi all,

I wanted to reach out to fellow MEP energy modeling teams to assess everyone's experience with the new PCI calculation methodology in 2016. It was a substantial change in how we show savings on projects. Big changes can often come with un-intended consequences. I'm all for pushing to higher efficiency - just want to make sure we... Read more

The current Stantec/BuildingGreen featured topic is Material Health. Read on to learn the essentials, and then dive deep to earn CEUS.

Also see the Resilient Design featured topic, and also a survey of topics trending in Stantec’s regions.... Read more

Our firm is looking into our hiring process with JEDI objectives and looking for examples that have been successful. Just like any other firms, we utilize career fair opportunities from local Universities, we have scholarship & endowment programs for several institutions, which became a major pipeline. We are working on evaluating all... Read more

We are working on a large healthcare project in Minnesota.  We're setting sustainability goals a bit late - no certification, but targets with accountability.  I'm working to determine recycled steel content (for structural steel and rebar), and I've gotten a bit of push-back on recycled content based on being in the region of the Iron Range... Read more

Has anyone vetted through all the Epoxy and Resin-based flooring systems to see which flooring application is "healthier"?

Below is a preapproved list from our local health department:
• Tera Lite • Stonhard Stonclad, Stonclad Ut, Stonshield Hri • Sunbelt 110 • Everlast • Westcoat Epoxy Mortar, Slurry, Or Double Broadcast • Dex-O-... Read more

Sustainability leadership has requested that you take this quiz to help assess sustainability literacy across the firm. Your own results will be presented to you at the end of the quiz but will not be shared with anyone else. Only aggregated, anonymized results will be available to others.

Please don’t do research to inform your answers... Read more

All - 

We have corporate clients that are starting to request antimicrobials in response to Covid-19. I assume we are not the only ones seeing an increase in these requests. Knowing that the evidence supporting antimicrobials has limited to no efficacy, how are you approaching these conversations? We want to continue to advise based on... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Resilient Design: 7 Lessons from Early Adopters

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


1. Recount the ten resilient design principles.
2. Recount each of the seven fundamental messages embraced by the model practitioners.
3. Describe... Read more

Sustainable Design Leaders in NYC

New York City has been discussing implementing PACE Financing for years but has not taken action. Over 48 municipalities in New York State have PACE financing for Commercial (including multi-family) properties, it's time NYC does as well. I recently learned from colleagues in the City that all of the... Read more

Hi all,

I see that this was a hot topic for the Winter Retreat this past year, but I am wondering how your firms manage standard materials across your practice. two aspects - standard specification items, and also designer choice materials. 

1. Do you have a spec baseline with high performance materials that you start with for all... Read more

As the Communications Associate, Petra works closely with both the marketing and editorial teams at BuildingGreen. Whether it is creating posts on Instagram, analyzing metrics, editing feature articles or writing news briefs.

Petra has a background in journalism, digital marketing and social media. She has a BA in journalism and media... Read more

An elevator system can account for 4%–10% of a building's electric energy load, without considering impacts on heating and cooling. Conventional finishes are also common.

BuildingGreen-Approved Systems

We approve the most efficient tension elevators from leading manufacturers, including models that incorporate:

Hello Sustainability Leaders,

Our next First Friday Fika* is tomorrow -- Friday, September 1st at 11am ET (8am PT). We'll meet on Zoom for some lightly structured coffee-chat time. This includes both facilitated sharing and open conversation about the topics you're interested in at the moment. Any Peer Network member who wants to say hi... Read more