Has anyone here had success in comparing life cycle impacts for different window system options? We have been trying to compare different options but have only been able to source one expired EPD for an actual window (frame + glazing). Is the typical approach to separately compare glass and framing options? Are we missing something or is there... Read more

With an urgent climate justice mission, AIA has the call open for volunteers to help shape our industry's action. COTE, the Codes + Standard Committee (one of the most important committees anywhere!), Board Committees (including the Committee on CLimate Action and Design Excellence - CCADE)  and the Strategic Council have openings. Consider how... Read more

We are hiring! Please share with any potential talented and passionate candidates.

https://archinect.com/jobs/entry/150052970/sustainable-design-specialist

ps. And, yes we recently rebranded for our 40th anniversary for those who may be confused :) 

Hi SDL: sorry to send another missive so soon but I wanted all to be aware of a great new effort just announced today coming from Greg Kats and Vivian Loftness among others - The Smart Surfaces Coalition. This effort brings together resources and research around city-scale resilience. "The Coalition is committed to the rapid, cost-effective... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of New Concepts in LEED v4.

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


1. Recognize the ways in which the Integrative Process credit requires teams to analyze opportunities early in design.
2. Describe how the new Location and Transportation... Read more

Hello All! 

We are using TallyCat to extract quantities from our REVIT Model, and bring them over to EC3 to get a model GWP (focusing on material categories required to evaluate ILFI Zero Carbon certification).  There are a number of questions that are popping up!!

I am sure there are others trying the same thing, yes... maybe?! ... Read more

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is an increasingly common expectation throughout financial sectors, and the real estate industry is no exception. 

This live webinar with our friend Chris Pyke, Ph.D., a senior vice president... Read more

Hi all,

As follow-up to the summit, I’m attaching a draft letter on MEP embodied carbon written by our group (Luke, Kristy, Adam).  The goal is to start a dialogue with manufacturers to include embodied carbon info for major equipment.  Will explain more on the call.  Please read in advance if you get the chance!

Thanks!

Hi All, wanted to share this webinar below :
The AIA 2030 Commitment and the Design Data Exchange (DDx) have transformed the way architecture firms collect project data on energy and carbon metrics, but it has never been a good place to visually understand these metrics. Architects tend to be visual people and have an intuitive... Read more

ASHRAE posted this year's list of honors and right there at the top of the list is our SMEPL colleague, Cindy Cogil - now able to add FASHRAE to her signature block!  Well done, Cindy and congratulations to ASHRAE for recognizing your accomplishments.

Hello all,

We are having a mini office debate on fiberglass vs aluminum windows for use in schools (k-12) in Massachusetts. In the past we have always used aluminum windows on our schools, for durability. However, their performance is not as great as other products that are up and coming on the market. There is some hesitation to switch... Read more

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

Our firm was asked by a government client in Canada to update their specifications for concrete to capture low embodied carbon as a performance metric. From the SDL group's knowledge of concrete procurement:

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