Hello everyone!

The Sustainable Design Leaders Summit will be kicking off with a Pre-Summit workshop in Seattle July 31st, 9am - 3pm. If you are interested in joining your peers for this workshop, please see the registration link below. Also, if you know someone in the Seattle area that would be good to have in the workshop and might be... Read more

Hi amazing people!

Most of our projects are now going with some form of gender neutral/all-gender/inclusive toilet rooms or those that can easily be converted to such. With no urinals, we lose 3 LEED points because urinals are very water-efficient. With urinals, it's not as pure a solution. Do you all just take a hit on the LEED points,... Read more

The Sustainable Community Design Leaders Peer Network brings together planners, architects, landscape architects, and allied leaders who are committed to leveraging the... Read more

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in identifying any in-person opportunities (local to Greater Boston) to engage my office during Earth Week. We are all excited to be able to do things in person now, so if anyone has anything on their radar please let me know (a panel, educational activity, or volunteer opportunity!)
 

Thanks,... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Building as an Organism: Understanding the Integrative Process Credit in LEED v4 Projects (recorded webcast)

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


1. Explain why integrative design is the key to cost-effective, high performance green buildings and LEED... Read more

Hello - I have met several of you virtually over the last couple years. My name is Megan Zack and I am excited to share that I have changed positions and will be the Cheif Sustainabilty Officer at Wight & Company. After spending the last 20 years working as an architect with a small percentage of my time dedicated to sustainabilty, I'll be... Read more

I wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss this fun event.  We can all use some fun right now.

Built Environment Plus is celebrating the arrival of spring with a fun competition to get people out and about safely. A digital Scavenger Hunt will allow teams of 4 (or larger families) to complete a series of photo, video, and text missions... Read more

Hello all,

Could any of you point me out to recent studies showing the health impacts of plastic piping vs. copper piping? 

We have a project where NIRON or Aquatherm are proposed as a VE item in lieu of copper.  I know there is some studies showing PEX and PVC piping health impacts, but I can't seem to find anything on these 2... Read more

Hi All - 

Has anyone explored hydronic system analysis software (1D CFD)? 

Some options are PipeFlo, AFT Fathom, PipeFlow (eerily similar name to first option), COMSOL Pipe Flow Module. 

Applications could range from general system troubleshooting, pump sizing, to district hydronic system network analysis. 

Best,... Read more

Typically made from petrochemicals, carpet and its adhesives can offgas. It is also a challenge to recycle them, increasing the chances that it will be incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. Because carpet has a limited lifespan, its life-cycle performance is key.

BuildingGreen recommends modular carpet that demonstrates lower life-... Read more

Hi SDL: Please see attached letter to USGBC about the urgent need to address climate change in the next iteration of LEED v4. It's based on the realization that in the last few years it has become clear that climate change has become the dominant global threat to humans and our fellow species. And it has also become clear that the steep... Read more

I have been watching LEED Zero for a while, and have appreciated certain things, but one thing I think is an absolute disaster is their allowance of mainline RECs for claiming Zero Energy and Zero Carbon performance.  I just asked this question on the LEED Zero webinar, and the panelist basically said, "it's part of LEED Zero, therefore it is... Read more

Hi all,

Later today, we will be delivering the BITuser development site ready for content input. Andrea has created instructions to help get you started.

We would like to set up a few editor profiles for you. Could you let us know who should have a profile for content management? We need first and last name and an email.

... Read more

Some plasters have extremely high embodied energy or petroleum-based ingredients.

BuildingGreen-Approved Plaster

Products approved include:

The ASHRAE Conference staff is looking for more architecture sustainability leadership for planning their Integrated Design & Construction Conference (i'm sure they'd take contractors too!). The staff do almost all of the logistics themselves but they want thought leadership from across the industry to guide the focus, content.

See... Read more

Join our free Coffee Talk with Alex Spilger to discuss the latest WELL AP v2 exam. Hear what's new in this latest version, what to look for, and what to remember.

Alex combed the WELL Building Standard reference materials and took the v2 exam in writing an extensive exam prep guide.  Hear about... Read more

Lake|Flato developed a project process road map as an internal project management tool over a decade ago, and we're looking into updating it.  It serves as a sort of "checklist" of major design, sustainability, and QA/QC milestones for each project phase.  I know we've talked about similar tools at other firms at past SDL summits, so wanted to... Read more

Notes and Guiding questions here--please add your own!

2030 Commitment Check-In: Is it leading to more awareness and better outcomes on projects?

Is energy modeling and tracking going to get us to zero by 2030?

Is it effective at driving all projects across a portfolio?

What are firms getting out of reporting... Read more