Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.

And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more

Preservative treatments extend the service life of wood, but many such treatments are highly toxic, especially to aquatic life.

BuildingGreen-Approved Preserved Wood

Products approved by BuildingGreen use chemicals (commonly borates) that are relatively low in toxicity and have low VOC emissions.

Health and Environmental... Read more

I am brushing up on current tools for local government greenhouse gas inventories and was wondering if any of you have used the EPA's Local Government Greenhouse Gas Inventory tool? Download the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool | US EPA 

Some of my immediate questions include: 

Is the EPA tool straightforward to use?

Are... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

HPBA Control Layers – It’s in the details Tue, Sep 11, 2018 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT (11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT)

Why high-performance assemblies? And why now? Today we demand better thermal performance from our building assemblies than ever. But higher performance... Read more

We apologize, but the heating fuel cost calculator is no longer on the BuildingGreen website.

Take a look at Efficiency Maine's heating fuel cost calculator instead.

Welcome to the quiz portion of Eight Tips for Passing the LEED v4 AP BD+C Exam.

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


 

1. List important tables and calculations from the reference guide.
2. Explain what's pertinent about credit options and documentation.
3. Detail... Read more

I have a client seeking grant funding & they're vetting current US technology around large-scale prefabricated mass timber. My question to this group is if this currently exists anywhere in the US.

Qualifications:

10+ years experience manufacturing and installing large-scale prefabricated mass timber elements into completed... Read more

Hi SDL!

Our CM recently offered up the possibility of substituting Pozzotive into our structural and paving concrete mix (www.pozzotive.com) on a large public building. Apparently it is on a level with the cost of standard cement.
We are eager to reduce the project's embodied carbon, and this seems almost too good to be true.

... Read more

Hi all! I'm very excited to report that we have interest from a developer client in tracking embodied carbon through construction. We have issued construction documents and the construction managment team is begining the process to establish the GMP.

We're looking to use EC3, and/ or ZGF's LCA analysis tool for concrete to look at how we... Read more

Hi all - I am in need of specification language for wood sourced from tribally owned and managed forests. Does anybody have examples they would be willing to share? I would be so greateful! thank you

Seeking Pros/Cons, Feedback/Commentary about signing the US Architects Declare Commitment. 

https://us.architectsdeclare.com/

Reviewing against the "shoulds" and "shalls" of the 2020 AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ... and other commitments that are out there ... any feedback welcome.

Tips for how your workflow... Read more

Hi All,

I'm teaching a class this semester at CU Boulder on Zero Carbon Buildings and Cities (a new class that I'm making up as I go). The hardest part, I'm finding, is locating some good materials that cover the basics of energy efficiency for non-building engineers or designers (we are energy and sustainability generalists in this... Read more

Hello SDL friends,

It has been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with so many of you through this group or through my work with Tally, the USGBC, ILFI, and in my role as an environmental researcher at KieranTimberlake. This is not so much a goodbye as it is a "hope to see you soon." I am making a shift away from building design into... Read more

At the request of the SCL group, here's the SCL Salary Survey! 

There is a link at the end of the SurveyMonkey Survey to a Google form where you will be able to register that you completed the survey—that way we’ll know who participated without having any identifying info in the actual survey. Results will be shared with those who... Read more