Welcome to the quiz portion of Designing for the Next Century's Weather

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


1. Understand how to adjust building designs to rising temperatures and humidity.
2. Recognize how climate-responsive buildings may not respond as expected in... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Here is the information for our second Peer Networks Webinar this month, coming up next week: Better Products = Better Buildings (Low Carbon Specs). We hope you can join us!

Register HERE.

Better Products = Better Buildings (Low Carbon Specs)
Thursday, May 19, 2022
1 - 2pm ET (10 - 11am PT)... Read more

Hello,

As with most people I feel some what helpless about what the next 4 years will bring. Heather Clark, Senior Director for Building Sector Climate Policy at The White House thinks that a big bill will be presented in the new year and one of the small items in there will be the axing of the Inflation Reduction Act. What she made... Read more

Hi All, I was initially reluctant to share this, but I've seen similar posts and I think it's in line with our mission and interests so I'll go ahead with it.

Tomorrow 12/9 at 1 PM EST I'm moderating a panel of industry leaders in public health (as it pertains to buildings), construction finance, and project development to review the... Read more

Friends,

Through AIA work I have been working with Kim Shinn from TLC Engineering. Kim is involved on the ASHRAE 209 development and has been advocating that the AIA, ASHRAE and USGBC align around this standard. Personally I think this is a good idea as I expect that this standard could easily make it's way into regulations and contracts... Read more

Hi folks,

BSR/ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P, Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Buildings, is out for Public Review until March 18. It covers what construction activities have to be tracked and reported and provides placeholder values to use during design. If you have input or suggestions on what would be needed to make... Read more

Hi friends,

We recently tracked our water consumption on site during the structural demolition of some existing reinforced concrete buildings.  The new OSHA silica regulations required us to keep dust to virtually zero, so we had a bunch of mist cannons and water hoses pumping water around the clock.  We consumed ~855,000 gallons in a... Read more

Hey all,

Thanks to everyone who joined today's peer network webinar - it was great to share what our working group has been developing in the last year. This group gathered to work through a series of decision-making trees to publish some kind of relatively repeatable guidance for how to advance this conversation with a variety of owners... Read more

Carpet is comfortable, offers good sound control, and offers great aesthetic options. But it is typically made from petrochemicals, and carpet and its adhesives can offgas VOCs. It is also a challenge to recycle, increasing the chances that it will be incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. Broadloom carpet cannot be readily repaired if... Read more

We are looking for colleagues from other firms to join a conference session proposal on "Dirt cheap Net Zero" for the ASHRAE / IBPSA conference (August 12-14, 2020, Chicago). 

We just had the grand opening of our first project designed to achieve net zero, a 50-unit affordable housing project, where we upgraded from the minimums required... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

We’re always trying to improve this online space, from adding an events calendar and 5-minute presentation recordings, to creating a filterable member directory. We have several other ideas in the works, and we’re looking for a group of Peer Network members to help us test them before they go live.

Requirements... Read more

Hi, folks! Posting on behalf of an individual outside of the networks. Are you seeking a sustainability and materials specialist in-house? This candidate great qualifications, including:

Love the profile of Anica as the "featured member" on AIA's website--congratulations, Anica!

It's great to see the "just do it" attitude to achieving the 2030 goals: "We do not rely on clients to tell us to design a high-performance building; we are going to do it anyway, it's our job."

Folks, it is with a heavy heart that I write this: Lance Hosey passed away unexpectedly on Friday. 

Many of you know him from the early days of the SDL group, or as an outsized presence at any of the many conferences where we overlap. He's been a list-maker, poll-taker and all around troublemaker in my life for over 20 years; I know I am... Read more

There are a number of clear finish options available, from natural oils and low-toxicity products primarily used on residential woodwork through factory-applied finishes where specific aesthetics and/or added durability are required (such as those used on cabinetry or commercial architectural millwork). Many of these have very high VOC levels,... Read more