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:

Hello!

I'm curious what other firms like to use to run site-specific sun path and wind path analysises that is relatively intuitive to use and generates good graphics. We have used the climate consultant software for wind roses which is free and simple. We've also used sefaira but we're hoping to crowd source more resources. We purchased... Read more

Hello everyone,

Over the past couple of years the Climate Smart Wood Group has met monthly to discuss all things related to the use of timber in building design and construction.  From forestry practices, to supply chain and sourcing information, to design experiences and examples, the group has operated as an open forum for advancing... Read more

We just had a planning call for the tour, and I’m more convinced than before that: a) we picked a great location for this year’s Winter Summit and b) you won’t want to miss this tour!

Alabama’s Gulf State Park got a big infusion of funds from the BP Oil Spill (that’s an interesting story in itself), and now has some amazing new... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Solar Thermal Hot Water, Heating, and Cooling.

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


1. Explain active and passive; direct and indirect; and low-, medium-, and high-temperature solar thermal systems.
2. Distinguish between the three most... Read more

ICYMI, this washington post piece reminded me of our summit conversation last Friday about architecture's/SDL's role in reimagining the world post-covid through innovating our practice. 

The article contains some compelling quotes from several visionary architects (fascinated that it's mostly big-A architects, largely bypassing input... Read more

What general forums do you want (in addition to the Best Practice forums)? On LEEDuser we have "Forum quick links" in the left sidebar that cover general topics:

https://leeduser.buildinggreen.com/forums

For example, you could have:

and any other category that isn't restricted to a... Read more

Successfully managing the LEED documentation process requires specific knowledge, tools and skills that are not covered in the LEED Reference Manual. This condensed, online training is based on the LEED Project Management course that GreenStep developed and teaches through the University of California–Berkeley. As part of this interactive... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of How to Succeed with the Living Building Challenge: 12 Teams Share Tips.

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


1. Prepare for LBC imperatives.
2. Structure an LBC process around absolute goals, with proactive leadership and follow-through... Read more

Greetings Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) advocates!

We have an opportunity to advocate to the US DOE on behalf of HPWHs!

Geoff Wickes is an emerging technology product manager for NEEA (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance) currently focused entirely on HPWH technology, policy, and market adoption (and in full disclosure: also a... Read more

All,

The Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) has undertaken the Zero-Based-Rulemaking process this year to eliminate all requirements that are not specifically life-safety related.  As such, they have proposed removing the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2018 provisions regarding commissioning... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

The monthly all Peer Networks Meetup has been a wonderful way for casual “face-to-face” connections since the beginning of the pandemic. However, after more than a year with the same structure, we think it’s time for a change. Throughout our virtual summits and events one of the most popular aspects has been... Read more

The results from the "CogFx" study are compelling, showing that people in environments with low VOCs and low ambient CO2 levels score higher on tests of cognitive function.  Specifically, they show that providing 40cfm of outdoor air per (actual live) occupant results in significantly higher scores than even the "Enhanced Ventilation" scheme... Read more

I'm writing an article surveying and comparing various embodied carbon tools, including whole-building LCA tools. I'm looking for interviewees who have used at least TWO of the three major LCA tools currently in use in North America (Tally, Athena IE, and One Click LCA). If you've tried all three, all the better! If you or someone in your firm... Read more

Friends,

We put a lot of effort into air tightness design, detailing, and construction administration, often including 6-sided mockup and parital or whole-building blower-door testing.  For commercial buildings, these tests measure air leakage in cfm/sf at 1.57 psf (75pa).  

I came across this research paper several years ago, but... Read more

We are pursuing sustainability goals (and documentation of those goals) outside of any certification/rating system for a current project.  However, we have set up a criteria list of goals by following strategies/credits from many of those systems (LEED v4 EPDs, SITES v2 threatened tree species, WELL v2 mindful eating, etc.).  This approach is... Read more