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

Hi folks -

I was contacted last week by the producer of the documentary that launches this Thursday, 12/10 - he is hoping to generate interest among folks across the environmental spectrum (which of course includes all of us!) so I am sharing his pitch below with you all. The subject of water scarcity and drought is only going to... Read more

At the summit we discussed sharing which consultants our firms have used for anti-bias training and EDI education. My office will participate in the upcoming AIA Seattle pilot Intercultural Leadership Program, but that only includes two of our firm leaders. If anyone can refer a consultant in the Seattle region for all-office trainings, I'd... Read more

Hi Folks - 

The "request for participation" email below is from Brendan Owens, who most of you know was at the USGBC for over 18 years, and is now the Chief Sustainability Officer for the US Dept of Defense. As I read the text, I couldn't help but think of this group as a deep well of expertise and experience that could undoubtedly help... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Pest Prevention: Steps Designers Can Take!

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


Hi all, 

Following the SCL Summit back in November, the Waste Subgroup agreed to complete a Model Waste Management Plan to serve as a contractor commitment to reduce construction waste. I distributed the attached (very rough) draft back in Jan., and received some good feedback via forum comments. 

We would like to set up a call to... Read more

I’m a volunteer member of the ASHRAE 209 ("Energy Simulation Aided Design for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”) Committee.  Are you familiar with ASHRAE 209? It was first published in 2018, and it outlines a process for incorporating energy modeling into the design process. 

From the forward: 

 ASHRAE Standard 209... Read more

Following the summer SDL summit - we formed a spinoff user group called "Carbon Sync" to discuss Life Cycle and Carbon Assessment tools like Tally and Athena.  We've had three successful calls with folks sharing a couple 5-minute presentations about various studies and explorations.  We have a mix of experience levels - but are collaborating... Read more

Hello! We are currently working on an LBC Petal project pursuing the Materials Petal. Does anyone know whether H1 lubricants are inherently Red List Free given they are food grade lubricants? We are trying to figure out whether NSF H1 registered lubricants need ingredient reporting or whether the NSF registration works similar to Delcare, RoHS... Read more

Hi all,

HOK has ~75 WELL APs whose credentials will expire in 6-12 months, so we're starting to look into a more robust CMP program.  Do you have great sources of health + wellbeing education, particularly WELL-specific CEUs, that you would recommend (emphasis on free or very low cost)?  We are currently using GBES, BuildingGreen, and... Read more

I've been seeing Armstrong's DC flexzone ceiling system at Greenbuild for many years. I'm working on a net zero project with LED lights and solar panels. In theory, the transmission losses in going from DC power from panels to AC for the building to DC for the lights would be eliminated. But does anyone actually have experience using this... Read more

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much to those who attended and shared at the Greenbuild 2024 Show & Tell! As always, we had a riveting lineup of presentations.

The slides for the presentations are below. We have permission from all of the following presenters to share the slides within Peer Networks-only spaces, but only the slides... Read more

Hey Everyone! My firm is a part of the local Passive House group helping organize the local Humid Climate Conference on May 2nd - 3rd. I wanted to make a post in the chat for those interested to sign up.

The theme is "Barriers To Better Buildings" and it's going to be a really strong, humid climate focused conference. We've nearly got... Read more