A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of

Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... Read more

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

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

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

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

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

Hi Folks ,

Two fun and useful events to help us all do more in less time!!

1. DeCon Hackathon 4/12

These are sessions where the community comes together to 'crowdsource' standard construction details that are disassembly-friendly for a public detail library so that everyone can use it and start adapting those details in... Read more

Hi all,

We are about to start a affordable housing passive house project in Boston and in a few presentations I've seen great signs that builders use to try to get the point across to subs as to how important air sealing is. Some are even quite funny! The builder we are working with does not have a sign like this, but is open to ideas.... Read more

Anyone have experience with electric boilers? I think in cold climates it's perhaps the first thought when trying to reduce scope 1 emissions in an HVAC application that would have historically used gas-fired boilers... but it seems like they're only an incremental improvement compared to heat pumps / geothermal / VRF type solutions. We haven't... Read more

Hello,

We are having a discussion / a bit of a debate in our office about the merits and sustainability of different roofing materials. Our current standard is to use a PVC membrane, which we all know is highly toxic. TPO is an obvious alternative that is less toxic, but it has some performance concerns and can often lead to leaking (not... Read more

Textiles have some of the worst environmental records of any product found in our buildings. Textile production uses a number of hazardous chemicals and pollutes water; and its environmental impacts often affect our most vulnerable populations.

BuildingGreen favors textiles made using fibers and manufacturing processes that have low... Read more

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in identifying any in-person opportunities (local to Greater Boston) to engage my office during Earth Week. We are all excited to be able to do things in person now, so if anyone has anything on their radar please let me know (a panel, educational activity, or volunteer opportunity!)
 

Thanks,... Read more

Hi Green Gurus,

We have recently had a beloved member of the HKS DesignGreen team relocate to Toronto due to work visa challenges in the US. Our loss could be your gain if you have an office in Toronto! We are hoping to collect a list of leads for him once the dust settles on his move and he begins his job hunt. If you have any... Read more

Our firm was asked by a government client in Canada to update their specifications for concrete to capture low embodied carbon as a performance metric. From the SDL group's knowledge of concrete procurement:

I'm sure may are familiar with Aqua in Chicago, and Joe Lstiburek's article on thermal bridging. (https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi062-thermal-bridges-redux) We have similar problem with a project that is a residential highrise building, concrete structure. Here is my questions. Will energy simulation be able to pick up the... Read more

Hi All - 

Has anyone explored hydronic system analysis software (1D CFD)? 

Some options are PipeFlo, AFT Fathom, PipeFlow (eerily similar name to first option), COMSOL Pipe Flow Module. 

Applications could range from general system troubleshooting, pump sizing, to district hydronic system network analysis. 

Best,... Read more

Hello!

As perhaps one of the newest members, I wanted to take a moment to say hi.

I have recently joined Lois Vitt Sale at Wight & Company and look forward to engaging with the group.

Like many of you, my interests and work tend to span a wide range of topics – a necessity as we approach the complexity of today’s... Read more