How much will it cost to achieve LEED v4 certification?

“We’d love a green building, but can we afford it?”

“We’re required to be LEED Silver, but we’re not sure how to get there under the new rating system.”

“Sure, we’re interested in LEED, as long as it doesn’t cost extra.”

LEED v4 and cost uncertainty

With... Read more

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Chillers are part of larger systems that provide cooling in large commercial buildings.

BuildingGreen-Approved Water Chillers

Because there isn't a single relevant efficiency standard for chillers, approved products use innovations such as magnetic bearings, variable frequency drives, or other technologies that significantly... Read more

Greenbuild bound colleagues-

I unfortunately cannot join for the summit Tuesday but should be flying in early enough to potentially join the group for dinner. Are there any plans brewing that I might join?!

Let me know? Thanks.

Katie Rothenberg

Vice President, Sustainability & Innovatio 

HITT Contracting... Read more

Hi SAL friends,

As some of you have heard by now, we've decided to shut down this Peer Network.

After several years of trying, we have not managed to activate it as we had hoped. Given the urgency of the collective action we need to transform the building industry into a force for good in the world, we all need to focus our... Read more

Live webinar tomorrow (link available after for viewing any time)

Tomorrow at 3pm EST will be the first in the series - mid-sized firms who successfully met the 2030 targets in 2019. 

Lessons learned and sharing stories. 

https://2030secretsofsuccess.eventbrite.com

Our high performance consulting team is frustrated by project teams that regularly fall back on outdated rules of thumb in their system and equipment sizing. 

What challenges do you face in your work flow to limit oversizing and promote right-sizing?

By the way, Roger Chang, our literature search on the subject turned up an eleven... Read more

Hi folks,

Wondering if this group has insights about the low-embodied carbon product "Vertua" from Cemex, which appears to be a proprietary concrete product launched in 2020.

Our client wants to use CarbonCure; but our likely concrete sub is saying Cemex (where they typically source their concrete) offers an alternative called... Read more

Hello All,

ASHRAE and ICC released a draft standard for operational and embodied GHG evaluation.  It's on a fast track to be completed in time for the next code cycle.  This 30 day advisory draft includes dozens of questions looking for feedback from experts like all of you.  Please take a look and provide comments.  I've uploaded the... Read more

Hello everyone,

Over the past couple of years the Climate Smart Wood Group has met monthly to discuss all things related to the use of timber in building design and construction.  From forestry practices, to supply chain and sourcing information, to design experiences and examples, the group has operated as an open forum for advancing... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Designing for Future Weather (recorded webcast)

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


1. Understand the science of climate-change predictions.
2. Stay abreast of changing climate models.
3. Learn how to make use of future weather... Read more

Hello -

We're hiring two interns this summer. One position is in Urban Design & Planning, the other is an architectural position split roughly equally between our Housing Studio and our Sustainability Resources Group. If you know of potential candidates who might be interested, please forward this link. http://www.seradesign.com/... Read more

Here are some EDI resources from our internal discussions about EDI. Please don't share them with any identifying information outside this group as they do not reflect our official policies, yet. The Social Justice Research Presentation shows some of the research we have done into Just., B Corps, Benefit Corporations and Global Reporting... Read more

I'm looking for precedents of retail centers (think outdoor centers with multiple buildings or converted indoor malls) that have incorporated any of these strategies. Also, any research studies on the health, social, and other benefits of incorporating these strategies. 

a. Preserve/restore natural ecology, green infrastructure... Read more

It may take hundreds or thousands of years to return to pre-industrial-age levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, but the loss of animal and plant species that is occurring today is, practically speaking, irreversible. It will take millions of years for evolution to fill the ecological niches being vacated by extinctions and restore healthy... Read more