News Analysis
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Here are all the details about our Peer Network event in NYC on Wednesday, September 28th. If you'll be in town, we hope to see you!
From 1-5pm we'll have the NYC Regional Mini-Summit, open to members of any of the five Peer Networks (Sustainability Consultants, Community Design Leaders, Contractors, Architects... Read more
Forum topic
Hello, All! We haven't run WBLCA on a project that may include electrochromic glazing before, and it's embodied carbon footprint is really high in comparison to a more traditional double or triple pane IGU (we thought it would be higher, but this is 3-4x higher). The EPD we have from Sage Glass for their triple pane electrochromic lists a GWP... Read more
Forum topic
I know that there is a risk of starting a whole flurry of congrats through the forum, but this is a biggie, and deserves some recognition:
Congratulations Andrea and Melanie!! Huzzah!!
And a reminder--If you want to reach out to them privately, rather than through the forum, with your message, you can see anyone's email address by... Read more
Forum topic
This just in from Berkeley Earth. The definitive report on 2023 global temperatures. Lots of incredible graphs to peruse but the news is pretty incredible. Actual temperatures far surpassed predictions. "At the start of 2023, we foresaw only a 14% chance that 2023 would become a record warm year, and only a ~1% chance that 2023 would reach 1.5... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Resilient Design—Smarter Building for a Turbulent Future.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. List three motivators for resilient design and at least three actions that address each motivator.
2. Explain why climate change isn't our... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Everybody,
I would like to invite you all to an event being hosted by the AIA Seattle COTE. This is the next event in a series entitled Pathways to Decarbonization. Date and time: May 13, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Description: Universities are learning laboratories to explore and implement solutions to our greatest challenges... Read more
Product Guide
Fluid-applied flooring (FAF), or resinous flooring, is made from various hazardous chemicals that can be released into the building, especially during application.
BuildingGreen-Approved Flooring
BuildingGreen selects FAF that meets CARB emissions standards AND either contains recycled content or offers other positive... Read more
Forum topic
Hi SDL: today is the last day to cast your vote in the voting for Greenbuild by 5PM ET.
please vote for the terrific program put together on PV23 "The Tools You Need to Design for Climate Emergency Action" with me, Betsy and Beth Heider that will bring together a collection of tools, including brand new ones from Saskia, using the Top... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone!
I've seen a lot of claims over the years of living walls or planted buffers that can mitigate *outdoor* air pollution and have always assumed there's no real scientific basis for that idea, unless we're talking an actual forest that's 10s of feet thick. Am I wrong? Are there examples of living walls that actually have been... Read more
Forum topic
Following up on the Decarbonizing Existing Building: Envelope + MEP Solutions Integrative Design Jam, a cohort of us determined a "Decision Making Tree Toolkit" that begins to classify decisions into and "if/then" framework using region, market, climate, scale of intervention, and other factors would be useful in helping us collectively move... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all, has anyone come across a comprehensive (and recent) study looking at how long buildings actually last (beyond Stewart Brand)? I know of plenty that look at the benefits of reuse, but none that look at existing building stock and how much has been reused vs. demolished.
As we start looking at embodied carbon metrics, I can't help... Read more
Forum topic
As if you weren't worrying enough already, here's a little something that I ran across through monitoring activity on the American Society of Healthcare Engineers discussion boards: https://www.id-hub.com/2018/10/17/hospital-plumbing-reservoir-resistance-interview-amy-mathers/, "Hospital Plumbing as a Reservoir for Resistance". This is both a... Read more
Forum topic
What’s the net present value of that extra insulation? Join us on Tuesday, June 25th at 2:00 pm Eastern for a Peer Networks webinar on “Balancing Embodied and Operating Carbon.” Bill Smarzewski and Jason Fierko of Ewing Cole have developed a method for combining energy modeling with embodied carbon data to determine the carbon “payback” of... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all-
We are dabbling in developing an official research component of our firm. We have collaborated with a class at a local university and are looking for ways to take our research to a higher level. I'm curious how some of the other firms doing design or building technology research approach the process. For instance, do you have a... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
The city of Portland recently expanded acceptable certifications for affordable housing projects they provide funding for to include Enterprise Green Communities Certification. Other options are LEED (flavor depends on project size) and Earth Advantage Multifamily, which is a regionally owned and operated certification. This... Read more
Forum topic
Sharing the below message from Mike McMeekin, who some of you know, regarding his current initiative, the Engineering Change Lab USA Climate Change Noble Purpose Statement. (Also, here is a Link to today's LinkedIn Updates on this topic.)
Greetings, I am re-sending my email from last week primarily as a reminder regarding the sign-up... Read more