Welcome to the quiz portion of Affordable Housing and Sustainable Design: The Goals are Aligned

IMPORTANT: This quiz covers all related articles within this topic. Scroll to the bottom of the article page to find links to all the articles covered by this quiz.

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants... Read more

Healthcare Design, one of the most respected and widely recognized trade journals in the health care AEC space has released the names of its 2022 HCD 10 winners.  The mission of The HCD 10 is to recognize and celebrate the broad spectrum of outstanding professionals in that industry and the influence they have on healthcare design.

One... Read more

Hello Everyone!

Wondering if anyone has expertise in Algae Photobioreactor facades? Here is a product: https://cellparc.com/

My basic understanding is that they produce heat and biogas (as well as providing shade and some thermal value.)  However, I am not clear on the GHG balance benefit, so to speak.  I cannot determine if the... Read more

Looking for an example or case study for a building utilizing a radiant heating/cooling in climate zone 4a. General use type is office with some public assembly spaces, total of 85,000 sf.

As usual, everyone, especially mechanical engineer, is terrified by the thought of "condensation." So far, I read a DGWW case study, "Energy... 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

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, 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:

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

Hey group,

I'm part of the contractor team on a large commercial project pursuing LBC v3.1 Petal Certification, with one of those petals being materials. This requires the team to meet Imperative 10 Red List.

The ownership group has taken the responsibility of red list vetting as a task of their own. The construction team is to... Read more

Jill is a licensed architect with WELL and Living Future accreditation. Through her experience leading sustainable achievement and verification on projects in the workplace, K-12, civic, and retail/mixed use typologies, Jill brings her passion for sustainable materials across vetting categories, AEC disciplines, bid scenarios, and market... Read more

Hello all,

I have a quick question for you. While Energy Star appliances are a no-brainer for projects, I don't see a hard requirement to select Energy Star appliances in the energy prereq/credit. There are references in the water section for water using appliances like ice machines, dishwashers, clothes washers, etc., but no related... Read more

My name is Douglas Flandro. I am the sustainable design leader at CambridgeSeven in Cambridge, MA. I started my career in film and theater design. I moved into museum exhibit design with a graduate degree in interior architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. I still design museum exhibits for science museums, nature visitor... Read more

CEUs are available for reading all the building-envelope product guides and primer. Click here to learn more and take the quiz.

Vapor retarders are meant to protect our building assemblies from getting wet, but they can also slow drying, contributing to mold and structural degradation.

BuildingGreen-Approved Vapor Retarders

Hello,

We have a mass timber purpose-built rental project specifying flooring at the moment and are trying to find a healthy flooring option while managing acoustics with CLT floorslabs. We don't typically spec vinyl flooring due to the health concerns around PVC, but the project is budget-conscious, and our flooring supplier is... Read more

Concrete and other cementitious materials have both environmental advantages and disadvantages. As builders and designers, should we be looking for alternatives or embracing concrete over competing materials?

This special report takes a look at how these materials are made, presents the key environmental considerations relating to their... Read more

Greetings,

I posted this a while back on the MEP SDL forum but also wanted to appeal to the broader community.  We need help gathering existing plug/process load data.  We know it is out there!  Two golden stars to Becky Alexander from LHB who reached out to us after this month's meet-up with some useful material.  We need more!  Please... Read more

I'm looking for precedents of retail centers (think outdoor centers with multiple buildings or converted indoor malls) that have incorporated any of these strategies. Also, any research studies on the health, social, and other benefits of incorporating these strategies. 

a. Preserve/restore natural ecology, green infrastructure... Read more