Author
Products & Materials Specialist Brent Ehrlich excels at deep, unbiased, and nuanced technical research on the health and environmental impacts of green building products and materials. Some areas of focus include:
product and material constituents, including their risks
product certifications
third-party product... Read more
Product Guide
Textiles have some of the worst environmental records of any product found in our buildings. Textile production uses a number of hazardous chemicals and pollutes water; and its environmental impacts often affect our most vulnerable populations.
BuildingGreen favors textiles made using fibers and manufacturing processes that have low... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of The Value of Variability.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand why variability is important to the comfort and well-being of building occupants.
2. Define “alliesthesia” and explain how it relates to the well-being of occupants... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone have an experience on recycling/reusing architectural glazing? We have a sizable glazing replacement project, and I am realizing how difficult it is to find a way to prevent the glazing from going into the landfill. So far, I have reached out to Terrazzo (aggregate) manufacturers, Glass Recycling Coalition, Architectural Glass... Read more
Forum topic
I opened IE11 (Internet Explorer 11) today, and saw a message indicating IE11 will be retired June 15th, 2022. While I have no personal attachment to IE11, it was the only internet browser I could consistantly get to open LEED Online credit templates on the actual website.
Has anyone found another way to be able to fill out LEED credit... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Stone, The Original Green Building Material.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how stone is natural and durable, emits no VOCs, requires almost no maintenance, and provides a connection to the earth and our history.
2.... Read more
Forum topic
Hello All,
A group of us (three architects and a builder- sounds like there should be a joke here) were debating this and we are stumped.
Application: Residential exterior trim.
50 year warrantied composite product of agricultural byproduct with PVC (EPD not published yet) vs 100 year (if primed on all sides and painted or... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
We're trying to budget Fitwel Certification consulting fees for a non-profit client for whom we're designing an early childcare center in Louisville, KY. It would be for a single tenant new building Fitwel certification and include a Fitwel introduction workshop, working with design team, and coordinating/submitting documentation... Read more
Certificate
has completed the BuildingGreen continuing education course titled
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[node:created:custom:F j, Y]AIA has approved this course (#[node:field_quiz_aia_course]) for [node:field-quiz-ceu-aia] LU/HSW.
AIA has approved this course (#[... Read more
Forum topic
We're expanding the capacity of our team, with two positions, a general project sustainability specialist as well as a more targeted position focused on the healthcare sector.
Healthcare Sustainability Specialist
Sustainability Specialist
In both cases, we're looking for smart, experienced people who understand the power... Read more
Forum topic
I'm loving the winning projects this year--congratulations to everyone who participated in making them so great!
(In case you missed the announcement, here's our slideshow on BuildingGreen, and here are the winners with all the details on AIA.org)
Nadav
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
We have an exciting new addition to the Peer Networks Hub to share with you. The recordings of this summer’s 5 minute presentations are finally available! You can view the full list on the Resources Page in the Hub. Using the headings at the top, you can sort by presenter name, title, or the date or event at which the... Read more
Forum topic
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
Forum topic
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
Forum topic
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
Forum topic
Has anyone here found an alternative to XPS for the void former?
A structural engineering contact was included in recent conversations about embodied carbon in insulation materials and brought to our attention that this is a common use for XPS that has nothing to do with its insulating properties. It is typically used where concrete is... Read more