Product Review
To the best of our knowledge, this product is now being marketed under the name Rauhsaser by Better Wall System of Kenora, ON.
CoverAge is a tacky name for a great product that all remodelers should know about. It is a paintable, textured wallpaper that’s made entirely of recycled paper (at... Read moreNews Analysis
It isn’t just environmental zealots who are up in arms about the U.S. Forest Service’s policies on managing the nation’s timber resources. The Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics has jumped into the fray—from the inside. Jeff DeBonis, the Association’s founder and executive director,... 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
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
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
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
Forum topic
Hi Fellow SD Leaders: This webinar from the AIA and the Building Resilience Coalition looks highly relevant and with some great speakers. It's free and open to all (I think...not sure how AIAU works for non-members.)
Free climate change risk webinar 10/23
Join members of 52 organizations of the Resilience Building Coalition for... Read more
Forum topic
Hi SDL!
Our CM recently offered up the possibility of substituting Pozzotive into our structural and paving concrete mix (www.pozzotive.com) on a large public building. Apparently it is on a level with the cost of standard cement.
We are eager to reduce the project's embodied carbon, and this seems almost too good to be true.
Peer Network Event
Forum topic
I am looking for case studies/trying to identify buildings using concrete mixes with upwards of 30% replacement of cement by SCMs. I've been in conversations with some structural engineers who are interested in lowering embodied carbon in upcoming projects, but would like to see examples of where this level of replacement has been successfully... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Making Windows Work Better.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand when window attachments may be used in lieu of window replacements.
2. Summarize why optimal management of heat loss and gain may require both interior and... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all - at the suggestion of Nadav and some of the Sustainable MEP Leaders, I'm reposting a thread I started a couple days ago in the SMEP forum.
In response to increasingly aggressive (and effective) targeting of building owners (particularly schools), a group of researchers have put their support behind a letter warning against the... Read more
Spotlight Report
Older buildings—especially those from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s—need our help. Many leave something to be desired in terms of aesthetics and comfort. But the truth is that they are part of the urban and suburban fabric now, and they aren’t going anywhere. As tempting as it might seem to tear them all down and replace them with high-performance... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
I will be in NYC for Regenerative Metropolis event at the end of Climate Week NYC. Is anyone else going to Climate Week? Did any events seem particularly worth attending? I've not been before but the only thing I've signed up to is the Nature-Inspired Solutions for a Sustainable Future on Wednesday night at COOKFOX.
Forum topic
Hi All- I will be starting bi-weekly mtg for the PFAS working group to align on our goals as consicous firms and finalize our message aka 'letter to manufacturers' for reducing PFAS in building materials. Please email me (pgupta-garg@wrnsstudio.com) to let me know if you are interested in being a part of the group. First mtg will be next week... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings to the Green Commons!
Those of you who attended Greenbuild may remember that during one of the keynotes, Ali Zaidi - White House National Climate Advisor, announced that the White House was developing a definition for "Zero Emissions Buildings" (here’s a [LINK] to a related Washington Post article). The draft language for the... Read more
Forum topic
SDL
Glad to see some of you at the COTE event at our studio last week.
Has anybody heard of this company and technology? https://www.enverid.com
Thanks in advance, Zach
Zach Craun, WELL AP, LEED GA
Associate
COOKFOX ARCHITECTS, DPC
250 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10107
... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone, it was so great to meet some of you at the winter summit and finally connect names with faces!
We have a project that is targeting CalGreen Tier 2 and LEEDv4 Platinum. Thought I'd reach out to see if anyone on this forum has found comparison guides between the two? Looking for something similar to this CalGreen 2013 tier... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone - I will be holding my breath and attending the AIA conference in person this June. Is anyone else going? I'd love to reconnect with each of you!
Apologies if I've missed it - with there be a BuildingGreen meetup?
Feel free to email me if you don't want to reply all - kanderson@lmnarchitects.com
-Kjell


