Hello,

We’re looking for Design Energy Code Equivalents for Chinese commercial energy codes. Do any of you have  any good sources? I’ve only found data comparing ASHRAE 90.1 2013 to the Chinese Code at that time. We understand the Chinese code require a 65-75% energy savings over the baseline but don’t have good information for defining... Read more

Hello SDL!

Has anyone set "Ecosystem Benefits/Service" targets for an individual project or for all their projects? I was previously against the idea of even measuring ecosystem benefits but I've had my mind changed in recent months!

Currently we want to set a target for every project to: "Improve ecosystem benefits on every site... Read more

On a large sports project, we worked with the structural engineer to spec low carbon / high SCM concrete mixes. Much of the floor area will be sealed and polished concrete, and a concrete sub is pushing back on the SCMs saying they should not be above 20% (with a preference for 0%) for the polish to finish properly, per the manufacturer. Anyone... Read more

Hello Gurus,

I have a client (bldg owner) who has asked me to recommend a list of firms who have the internalized resilient design in their practice.

They are *not* asking for resiliency consultants right now, but for firms that they might hire for "regular" capital projects, but since resiliency is high on their priorities, they... Read more

Hi Everyone - I'm posting this on behalf of Jeff Frost whom many of you know from his days as an SD Leader with SmithGroup and SERA and in his new role as head of Brightworks Sustainability's materials group.  I am excited to be working with Jeff on this concept of multi-attribute product scoring.  Cheers, Lona

Dear SDL’ers,

We’ve... Read more

Hi Carbon Working Group,

It’s been a while since our last online meeting on 3/31 –- admittedly, a bit too long -- so I wanted to share some updates.  You might have seen Candice Pearson’s 5/13 post about the structure of the Contractor’s Commitment and how it’s evolving into a set of guidelines available not only to our SCL Group but to... Read more

Asking for a colleague:

"Have you ever had a large number of fire retardant tarps used to temporarily enclose a building during construction? Do you know of any solutions for recycling/reusing them or another product that doesn't use toxic fire-retardants that meets the performance criteria?"

I think we've all seen poly or fabric... Read more

Plug loads—the energy consumed by plugged-in devices—can use a substantial amount of the total energy in both residential and commercial buildings.

BuildingGreen-Approved Controls

BuildingGreen approves products that monitor and reduce electricity use for plugged-in electrical devices.

Plug Loads and Energy Conservation... Read more

Hi Everyone!  About ten days ago, Megan Zack posted a note announcing her new role as Chief Sustainability Officer at Wight & Company. (Yay!)  I'm so delighted that she will be stepping into this leadership role at Wight to shepard the firm in the next chapter of their journey in sustainability. 

I wanted to take a moment to say... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of "How to Access the Full Power of Biophilia."

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


Hi folks,

I hope you've seen the plug to sign onto the letter that's generated a flurry of messages on Green Gurus--I also emailed it out directly to everyone. We've got lots of architects on board, and a handful of engineers, but I think we just have one contractor so far (Thanks Theresa!)--it would be really awesome to have more.

Welcome to the quiz portion of Full-Blown Energy Modeling.

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


1. Explain the role of the energy modeler and how each energy model opens an informed discussion between the entire project team about the interactions between architectural and... Read more

Hi SDL Group -

Moody Nolan is actively seeking a new hire to help support our sustainability needs!

If you know of any interested parties, please have them visit the Moody Nolan webpage and select 'Careers' at the bottom of the homepage. Our available position is listed as the 'Sustainable Design Facilitator' role.  http://... Read more

Hi everyone, on our SDL Regional Leaders call today we touched on how different offices are engaging with the Youth Climate Strike on Sept 20, and I offered to share a few resources that we've developed:  

1) Here is our public-facing official statement/endorsement: https://www.vmdo.com/architecture-blog/vmdo-youth-climate-strike/?fbclid... Read more

We've updated the Salesforce BIT Community domain from "https://southfacecommunities.force.com/BITBuilding/s/" to "https://www.bitbuilding.org/s/" and there are a few links on BITuser that point back to the community that need updating.

Hello everyone! 

A small subgroup SCL members have been working on writing a response the presentation Wes Sullens gave us at the Summit this past winter. It's been a long process but the letter and all it's reccomendations are drafted and ready to present. The group felt it prudent to post the response here first for a short public... Read more