BuildingGreen recommends low-emitting acoustic ceilings that do not contain formaldehyde resins or PVC coatings. Look for those that have C2C Silver or Gold certifications, are Declare Red List Free, and are third-party certified for low emissions using CDPH Standard Method. We also prefer wood ceiling products with FSC certification. The... 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

Hi all,

We are about to start a affordable housing passive house project in Boston and in a few presentations I've seen great signs that builders use to try to get the point across to subs as to how important air sealing is. Some are even quite funny! The builder we are working with does not have a sign like this, but is open to ideas.... Read more

Hi SCL, 

Just thought I would share an interesting piece from Construction Dive about a lack of guidance on when to halt work due to bad air quality--from wildfires or otherwise. A few SCL companies are mentioned here as having their own policies, but I was pretty shocked to learn that this isn't required by OSHA. 

https://www.... Read more

I was wondering if any design or contractor friend here can kindly share the carbon emission factor of excavation during construction. 

I found a paper that provides energy use rate per cubic meter and associated carbon emission in kgCO2 for different phase of construction such as excavation earth work, pouring and lifting concrete,... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Practitioners interested in reducing the embodied carbon of buildings are likely now used to considering the impact of different materials, like mass timber or low-carbon concrete. Low-carbon... Read more

All--

A few months ago, I sent around a note about an article I was writing about the state of post-occupancy studies. It finally came out, in the latest issue of Metropolis. Great quotes and work from Payette, EDR, KieranTimberlake, HKS, and others. Thanks to all for helping with this.

I don't believe it's available online yet,... Read more

Hi folks,

Has your firm:

- hired a consultant to conduct firmwide bias training?

- revamped its hiring process using an antiracist lens?

- developed coaching circles / reading groups around racism/anti-racism? 

- instituted new support structures for staff development around inclusivity?

- some other... Read more

Hi SDL: Please see attached letter to USGBC about the urgent need to address climate change in the next iteration of LEED v4. It's based on the realization that in the last few years it has become clear that climate change has become the dominant global threat to humans and our fellow species. And it has also become clear that the steep... Read more

I'm curious if anyone can share their strategy on indoor air quality for the return to office. Is this something that is prioritized at your firm from a wellbeing standpoint and with the current health crisis at hand? Lendlease is looking into options to safeguard our employees/occupants as we move back into the workplace and I'm researching... Read more

Hi all,

Are you looking for a senior level sustainable design position in Canada?  We’re hiring a sustainable design leader and senior sustainable design consultant with location options in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary or remote (Canada only). https://dialogdesign.ca/careers/current-openings/

I joined DIALOG 10 months ago... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Finding Products for LEED v4—A Guide

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


1. Describe ways in which the LCA approach is gaining ground in LEED v4 and how the transition is reinforced by manufacturer transparency and disclosure.
2.... Read more

Dear Colleagues,

I proposed CarbonCure for a project and the structural engineer in the meeting was opposed to it. He later sent me detailed reasoning by email. I have not used this technology and would like to hear other more experienced opinions on the technology. The project we are working on is well integrated with climate, 99% sDA,... Read more

Team,

After talking to UL today, I thought it will be good for them to do a presentation on what they see in embodied energy/carbon road map of MEP equipment can be like.

Should we schedule them for a 30 minutes presentation in the next call?

Best,

LL