Feature
Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority.
Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?
A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... Read more
Feature
Carefully stake the building site and driveway, remove trees that are within the excavation area or too close, then erect a fence to keep heavy equipment off fragile soils and away from nearby trees.
Protecting trees and the local ecosystem when building on previously unbuilt land is a vitally important—yet often overlooked—part of environmentally responsible construction. Healthy trees and shrubs can reduce a home’s environmental impact and directly benefit homeowners in a number of ways:
•Enhancing comfort by shielding the house... Read more
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. In North America, buildings and the building industry account for about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, 35-40% of ozone depletion, 20-30% of municipal solid waste, vast quantities of natural resource consumption, and dramatic loss of open space each... Read more
Basic page
Is your team working on a LEED v4 or WELL project?
Finding products for these projects is daunting, and even when you find products you believe will meet the requirements, you have to know exactly... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all - I wanted to see if anyone will be in the Chicago area for the upcoming ASHRAE conference (21-23rd) and is interested in an informal meet-up? Or if you aren't going but are already in the Chicago area? Let me know and I'll see if we can organize meet-up!
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
We’re so excited to announce that registration for the first-ever “Summit for the Sages” is live! Register here and save your seat to join BuildingGreen, your Sages peers, and members of all three other networks in Omaha this Summer.
If you are in Sages and SDL and want to attend both summits, please check the “SDL... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) advocates!
We have an opportunity to advocate to the US DOE on behalf of HPWHs!
Geoff Wickes is an emerging technology product manager for NEEA (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance) currently focused entirely on HPWH technology, policy, and market adoption (and in full disclosure: also a... Read more
Forum topic
Financial literacy and speaking with clients on their terms. Guiding Questions:
Anyone have success stories? How do the financial considerations differ for developer work vs. institutional work vs. non-profit work vs. publicly funded work? What resources are available to assist? How have others talked to clients about costs? What has... Read moreForum topic
Nothing exciting like embodied carbon or EPDs... but I'm interested in some real talk on the actual performance of low-flow fixtures.
We continue to encounter pushback on water-saving fixtures for concerns of ongoing performance. I'd love to have a dialog in this group because I find it hard to believe these challenges can't be... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks,
If you're registered for the Summit, you should have gotten this message from me separately, but I wanted to post it here too to be sure. It would be great if everyone coming from out of town could stay together! We've achieved critical mass in terms of Summit participants--this is going to be a great and impactful gathering!... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all and Happy New Year: I'm writing to make sure that you're aware of the USGBC's call for members for a new LEED Resilience Working Group. See below. The deadline is coming right up - Please pass this along to others you may think of in the topic areas they identify below.
Thanks
Mary Ann
I wanted to let you know... Read more
Product Guide
Most products sold as “ceramic tile” are fired at lower temperatures and are less durable.
For porcelain tile, BuildingGreen starts with the Green2 standard for sustainable tiling—ANSI A138.1 American National Standard Specifications for Sustainable Ceramic Tiles, Glass Tiles, and Tile Installation Materials. This is a multi-attribute... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone know of a source for finding the operational solid waste generated by typical building/use types (weight/sf)? I couldn't find anything on LEED, True, or EPA. I found this table but isn't by sq ft for many of hte uses. Waste Generated by Industry and Building Type (wastecare.com)
Forum topic
Hello friends,
Here’s another upcoming event that BuildingGreen has been hiding up our sleeve: a San Francisco Bay Area Mini-Summit! A summary is below, see the registration page for more details or to sign up. This event is intended for SF locals, so folks who work farther afield can join, with the knowledge that Bay Area-specific... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Climate Change: Building Industry, You’ve Got This!
Important: This quiz covers all related articles within this topic. Scroll to the bottom of the article page to find links to all the articles covered by this quiz.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course,... Read more
Forum topic
Have any of you heard of anyone ever using phase change material (PCM) "movable partitions" as a resiliency strategy to mitigate indoor overheating during a heat wave in passive buildings? You'd keep them stored in a basement or cool room, and deploy them into habitable spaces during the heat wave to keep the space cooler than the exterior... Read more
Forum topic
Hello everyone,
I'm Jen, the administrative assistant for Peer Networks here at BuildingGreen. I haven’t been too involved with the SAL network yet, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you better!
There has been some interest in convening the Sustainable Advising Leaders to determine the shared purpose that will motivate us... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings,
I posted this a while back on the MEP SDL forum but also wanted to appeal to the broader community. We need help gathering existing plug/process load data. We know it is out there! Two golden stars to Becky Alexander from LHB who reached out to us after this month's meet-up with some useful material. We need more! Please... Read more
