Author
As BuildingGreen’s Content & Data Wrangler, Fran is a spreadsheet and content-management wiz who:
crunches data for our consulting team’s product vetting works internally and with our education partners to manage our continuing education program supports the editorial team with Drupal magicFran also compiles data submissions... Read more
Forum topic
Has anyone completed an LCA for an engineering structures lab, particularly one that has a strong wall and strong floor?
Forum topic
Hi everyone, on our SDL Regional Leaders call today we touched on how different offices are engaging with the Youth Climate Strike on Sept 20, and I offered to share a few resources that we've developed:
1) Here is our public-facing official statement/endorsement: https://www.vmdo.com/architecture-blog/vmdo-youth-climate-strike/?fbclid... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings to all of the AEC SD Leaders (a.k.a. the Green Gurus)!
Over the last two months, the 32-member Build-Back-Better (BBB) letter working group has developed a robust list of first 100-days, built-environment-focused executive actions for the Biden administration to consider. Kara Kempski, the AIA’s Director of Federal Relations,... Read more
Forum topic
Some of you are aware of my ongoing saga of off-site renewable energy and a LEED certification we are pursuing. The short version is that there is a new-construction corporate headquarters office building (Building #2 on the attached graphic). This building is pursuing LEED certification.
The company also just installed a 1 MW... Read more
Product Guide
Conventional roofs contribute to heat loss, heat islands, and excessive stormwater runoff.
BuildingGreen-Approved Green Roofs
BuildingGreen approves systems with appropriate planting media that can be created from regional materials and may be blended for specific characteristics, such as:
nutrient retention structural... Read moreForum topic
We have another great class of COTE Top Ten winners—congratulations to all of you with recognized projects. Join us on May 10 at 2:00 pm Eastern time for an inside peak at many of this year’s winners, along with insights from jurors. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
To keep things open and honest we won’t be recording this session. This “safe... Read more
Spotlight Report
Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.
And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone!
My awesome colleague, Paula Melton, is doing a short talk for USGC about mass timber and wants to know if there are SCLers in the group that can share their experience. In particular:
"I’m wondering particularly about how supply-chain and cost issues are affecting availability and decision-making, and what the onsite... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of The Problem with Net-Zero Buildings (and the Case for Net-Zero Neighborhoods).
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe several unintended consequences of focusing on net-zero-energy buildings.
2. List at least three advantages... Read more
Forum topic
Congratulations to Mara Baum (HOK) and Alison Kwok (U of Oregon), FAIA!
AIA announcement
Forum topic
Hi Green Gurus,
I am happy to join this group, and would like to share a short introduction of myself. I’m Jais, and I am with FXCollaborative as a Sustainability Design Specialist working with Ilana Judah. I have been here little over a month and am enjoying it so much!
I have studied architectural design focused on... Read more
Forum topic
from the Tortured by Randomness Department:
Y'all ... I was recently reminded (by Bill Reed) about a lovely quote ... and I'm keen to use it in a talk upcoming ...
Here it is:
Place is a doorway into caring. Love of place unleashes the personal and political will needed to make profound change. It can also unite people... Read more
Forum topic
Show & Tell Breakout: share what’s working and what isn’t! Which tools are your favorites? Have you developed any innovative applications? Discovered new pitfalls?
Presentations:
Experiences with Sefaira Early Performance Modeling software. How I got the firm to subscribe, how it wasn't working, and how I have been working with... Read moreForum topic
Hello Everyone,
As the staff here at BuildingGreen prepares for our third peer network summit in two months, we'd like to share out the Summit Report from the first online summit with the Sustainable MEP Leaders. We're a little delayed in sharing this with the wider Green Gurus group, but there is still plenty of time to review before... Read more
Forum topic
We are in the process of working with our ops people to figure out billability targets for my team. Something that may be useful is the firm survey that BG conducts before each retreat (See attached image). These are great, but it varies depending on which firms attend the retreat. Its also hard to tell (in some cases) which green dot is... Read more