Since starting at LPA last fall, the number one question I get from people outside the firm is how we are hitting (2018-2019) or getting so close to hitting the 2030 Commitment goals. 

Here is a chance to see for yourself! LPA is seeking a Sustainable Design Specialist to join our RED team (Research Education Design) - location open to... Read more

Hello friends. On a current school project, an abuse resistant wall covering has been proposed as an alternative to our typical MDF wainscot. The proposed product has been used successfully in healthcare, and switching to it will save the project almost $1million, which is no small amount when the project is over budget and 7-figure cost... Read more

Products recommended by BuildingGreen avoid potentially hazardous additives and binders and have high recycled content or offer superior energy performance.

Recommended cellulose insulations are derived from agricultural waste, offer superior moisture or air leakage performance, or impart lower indoor air quality concerns than other... Read more

Following my retirement from BuildingGreen, I’m also looking to retire from the nonprofit Resilient Design Institute, which I’ve been leading since 2012. My default plan is to sunset the organization in the fall of 2024, but I wanted to offer the idea of someone (or multiple people) taking over the organization.

RDI is incorporated as a... Read more

If your HVAC designers are addicted to the crack that is Trace 700, and knowing that Trane is giving up on that product in the coming year, what loads program are you weaning* them onto?

Asking for a friend:  Have any of you had success in using the Revit plug-in for loads?

*When told that they should use IESVE for loads, our HVAC... Read more

Here's a file upload.

Hi All,

Polling the group to see if anyone has experience with Simergy - an e+ based modeling tool?

The tool appears to have features and integration with a lot of e+ plugins that make it attractive - but i haven't heard of its widespread use.

Is anyone successfully using Simergy?

Welcome to the quiz portion of Energy Modeling: Early and Often.

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


1. Explain how energy codes and standards are pushing commercial projects beyond what they can do without modeling.
2. Describe the energy and cost-savings benefits... Read more

The Winter Summit participants have had this for a few weeks now, and no one has screamed about anything being inaccurate, misleading, or too revealing, so it's time to share the latest Summit report more widely. 

Per our long-standing policy, this report can be shared outside our "safe space"--it's a great way to share the wealth of... Read more

Another Break-out by Firm Size.

Guiding Questions:

SDL Best Practices by Firm Size

What's working and what's not? How are others integrating successes?

What strategies are effective in each of these areas: ongoing education, research, knowledge sharing?

How can we structure our green team across... Read more

Greetings, green gurus:

Is anyone in this group attending the AIA Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday, June 5 at AIA Conference on Architecture in Las Vegas? If you are, and you're a voting delegate from your AIA Chapter, could you support a floor Resolution recommending that the AIA Board take urgent and sustained climate action? My... Read more

For questions and/or to be added to the Summer Summit waiting list, please email Jerelyn Wilson directly.

2019 Summer SDL Summit
Islandwood, Bainbridge Island, WA
July 31st- August 2nd, 2019

Hi Everyone! 

I am building our internal/firm resources around sustainable design, and creating our post-occupancy evaluations is one of those resources. Does anyone have references or resources they'd recommend me to look into for post-occupancy evaluations? So far I am considering a few evalutation types: building user input, building... Read more

Practitioners interested in reducing the embodied carbon of buildings are likely now used to considering the impact of different materials, like mass timber or low-carbon concrete. Low-carbon construction, however, may be less familiar. 

Contractors are just... Read more

Hi all - we have several projects where money from the IRA may be able to get projects farther. I've seen the AIA/USGBC webinar and done some other research as well. Does anyone know if there's a Higher Ed group that is chasing down how and when the money is available and for what exact purposes? Are you planning on using consultants to help... Read more