Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... Read more
Feature
Ozone depletion and global warming are two of our most serious environmental problems—and foam insulation materials containing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contribute significantly to both of these problems. The environmentally concerned builder or designer should make it a highest priority to avoid them. Even many of the non-CFC alternatives... Read more
Feature
Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority.
Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?
A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... Read more
News Brief
The American Institute of Architects convention in Boston this past June was the setting for a changing of the guard in the American architectural establishment. The Institute’s first woman president took the reins, the Committee on the Environment became its largest and fastest growing committee, and the first installments of the Environmental... Read more
Feature
Carefully stake the building site and driveway, remove trees that are within the excavation area or too close, then erect a fence to keep heavy equipment off fragile soils and away from nearby trees.
Protecting trees and the local ecosystem when building on previously unbuilt land is a vitally important—yet often overlooked—part of environmentally responsible construction. Healthy trees and shrubs can reduce a home’s environmental impact and directly benefit homeowners in a number of ways:
•Enhancing comfort by shielding the house... Read more
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. In North America, buildings and the building industry account for about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, 35-40% of ozone depletion, 20-30% of municipal solid waste, vast quantities of natural resource consumption, and dramatic loss of open space each... Read more
Forum topic
If you have a moment and are working in the IAQ arena, please consider filling out this survey, and you could also win an AirGradient ONE monitor. (Check my review video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpqYOWLzv7o)
https://forms.gle/ytLcq2dvtGrD2UZY7
I also have access to the results and will happily share the data whenever... Read more
Forum topic
Hi Folks, anyone in Boston (or willing to move) this could be a super cool opportunity for you!
https://careers-bpda.icims.com/jobs/1557/senior-resilience-design-reviewer/job?mobile=false&width=805&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240
Forum topic
I'm in search of anyone who's done a LEED ACP Pilot Credit. It's unclear to me whether using one of these pathways replaces the way the base prereq or credit would function in the rating system being used by a project seeking certification or if it's a strategy to achieve Innovation in Design credits only. The documentation I've been able to... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
We are in the very early planning phase of a k-8 public school project to be designed and built in an economically challenged urban location with very limited site options. The project is not LEEDv4 registered yet. We are at feasibility and costing the soil remediation, needless to say that we would really hope there would be... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all --
We have a national restaurant client who is looking to source furniture (indoor and outdoor) with a minimum of 40% recycled/salvaged content from a woman- and/or minority-owned company. They have a strong preference for a company that partners with/participates in community outreach and/or mentoring programs. They also have ... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
Due to the eclipse, Nadav and I will be out on our usual call day, April 9th, and we anticipate others may as well. We will be moving the call to Tuesday April 16th at the usual time (2-3pm ET). For this meeting, we'll be holding a whiteboard session about MEP2040, the development of plans to achieve it, and tactics to getting... Read more
Portal
The current Stantec/BuildingGreen featured topic is Material Health. Read on to learn the essentials, and then dive deep to earn CEUS.
Also see the Resilient Design featured topic, and also a survey of topics trending in Stantec’s regions.... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
Are you aware of any bldg codes that have included requirements related to Material Health?
Thanks!
Mona Lemoine Architect AIBC, MRAIC, LEED AP BD+C, LFA, Regenerative Practitioner, RELi AP
Associate, Senior Sustainability Consultant
Mobile: 236-878-1752
mona.lemoine@stantec.com
Stantec... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
AGC is the biggest umbrella organization for general contractors in the states. To date, there has been practically no interaction between the SCL and AGC. In my mind, the SCL group is the most knowledgeable group of dedicated sustainability professionals out there; so is there a way that we can partner with AGC to collaborate ... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks,
A few of us at SERA recently connected with a couple of women in the tech industry who are looking to solve sustainability issues with new software. They're in the "problem definition" phase and are eager to hear from SDL members about the big issues around operational and embodied carbon that we're tackling. See below and... Read more

