Returning to work: for many, it’s unthinkable without some kind of reassurance that leadership and the facilities team have taken all possible precautions. Lots of organizations are weighing in on what we should pay attention to, but how do we know if it’s working?

The free Re-entry program from Arc is a tracking and measurement... Read more

Hi all,

I'm wondering if you all have had a meetup at NESEA's Building Energy Boston conference before? Is anyone interested in meeting up this year? I'm open to ideas! If you give me your email address I can attempt to organize an informal meet up on one of the conference days.

For those of you not in the NE part of the country,... Read more

Do you have the authority to start using only EVs in your renderings?  Let’s normalize and accelerate this change!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_production_battery_electric_vehicles

Why are we showing gas cars in renderings of our green buildings?

Thank you for joining us for this webcast! Please complete the following survey to provide us with feedback and to record the information we need to report your CEUs.

By providing the information in this survey you will enable us to automatically report these CEUs to the appropriate organizations. Everyone attending and seeking CEUs must... Read more

Dear SD Leaders: I'm writing to make sure that you've seen a letter that has been circulating protesting the ‘pro-asbestos’ rule change the EPA is considering.  The letter is soliciting firm signatures/owners (as opposed to individuals).  I encourage you to sign and/or get your firm to sign ASAP. 

Please forward as well to any firm from... Read more

Michael led Opsis through several workshops as we began our journey to create a more equitable and socially just workplace. Michael had a great sense of humor and a really kind manner. I feel deep gratitude for having known him and for the lasting impact he has had on our lives. I know others in this group also worked with Michael and would... Read more

At Living Future last week a woman from Google asked about cost comparisons and I shared that the City of Santa Monica conducted a study analyzing the costs of a prototypical mixed-use project for a Living Building vs. LEED v4 Platinum vs. code compliant (Title 24, part 6). I thought this group might be interested as well so here is the link... Read more

Old windows can be leaky and uncomfortable, but window replacements are expensive and resource-intensive.

BuildingGreen-Approved Interior Window Panels

BuildingGreen approves interior window panels with robust warranties that are designed to achieve improved thermal performance with both reduced... Read more

Happy Earth Day! I'm sharing the results of our office Earth Day Mind Map, a collaborative event lead by our Green Team with office-wide participation. https://mm.tt/1471242441?t=4c76rJLKXz 

We are celebrating with a virtual happy hour later today and will use the Mind Map to generate conversation and sharing.

I would love to hear... Read more

Hi SD Leaders: As you may know, The National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) is currently drafting their proposed 2020 Conditions for Architectural Accreditation.  AIA COTE has prepared a response and believe it is critical that the NAAB accreditation process address the role of the architect in climate action and the projected impacts... Read more

Hello,

This is not my area of expertise but our contactor has suggested central heat pump hot water (CHPHW) is $1m more expensive than gas fired domestic hot water for a 150 unit multi-family residential building in Massachusetts. The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is extremely helpful but, from their comments, it is all coming... Read more

Hello SCL,

We are getting back to our usual schedule of a pre-Greenbuild SCL Summit. We will be opening registration and announcing topics shortly. In the meantime, please pencil us into your calendar.

Date: September 25, 2023

Location: ZGF Architecture 600 14th St NW #800, Washington, DC 20005

Time: Soft start at... Read more

Hi,

I believe a while back there was communication about a hard hat recycling program. Does anyone have any information about a hard hat recycling program? The contractors in the midwest have finally switched to the new style of hard hats with the chin strap and are requiring all subcontactors to comply by July 1, 2024. I'd like to... Read more

A colleague just pointed out an article about M-Fire. Its a factory applied fire inhibitor for wood construction. It's GreenGuard Gold but I can't find any real information. Have any of you heard of this or have any idea what it actually is? https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/construction-development/this-new-tech-will-stop-fires-before-they... Read more

Hello everyone,

We are far too often asked to include parking in our buildings (because why shouldn't the average family have 2.1 kids, .8 pets, and 3 cars) and it always grates on me that we are putting so many resources (natural and monetary) into something that is almost certainly single use and will need to be demolished in 30 years... Read more