News Analysis
The recent ruling to allow logging on several thousand acres of old-growth forest in western Oregon was portrayed in the national media as a blow to environmentalists, but the action may not prove so damaging in the end. While the ruling permits logging on 13 of the 44 sites that were under consideration by the so-... Read more
News Analysis
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
Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... 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
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
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
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
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
Author
Ben Hewitt works behind the scenes to build and maintain BuildingGreen.com and LEEDuser. He brings with him over two decades of experience in his field. As an efficient problem-solver, his goal is to make the websites more user-friendly for his coworkers and designers and project teams using BuildingGreen’s resources.
Ben has proficiency... Read more
Forum topic
CALL for applications: national COTE Leadership Group
We need you! Or the dedicated, enegetic people you know ...
Please consider encouraging applications (or applying yourself) for the the COTE Leadership Group.
We have 2 1-year slots this year ... plus 3 3-year slots ... and we are looking for a diverse slate (diversity... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All ... I'm seeking suggestions for an ecologically minded landscape/site/civil consultant. Ideally with strong knowledge about Florida ecosystems. Thanks much for any sharing.
Rand Ekman
rekman@hksinc.com
Forum topic
Hey there hive mind,
We went looking through LEEDuser to try and find some direction and didn't find much so I thought I'd bring my team's question here to all of you smart people. We're working on a non-combustion central plant tied to a geothermal field and grid electricity. The project has cooling towers and their associated chemical... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Programming Buildings for Health: WELL, Fitwel, and Beyond!
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 will be... Read more
Basic page
Go to your profile, where you will find the TEAM MANAGEMENT section in the left side bar. Click on Team Members.
TO ADD MEMBERS:You can invite up to 9 more colleagues for a 10-person team to start their Premium Subscriber access through the Team.... Read more
Product Guide
CEUs are available for reading all the building-envelope product guides and primer. Click here to learn more and take the quiz.
Noise disrupts work, learning, and healing and can create stress and discomfort.
BuildingGreen-Approved Acoustic Insulation
We look for products with:
Greenguard Gold certification or similar... Read moreForum topic
BuildingGreen is considering hosting a reception and SDL Show & Tell at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019. If you are planning to attend the conference, please email me directly. Your participation will influence our decision. The newly forming Small Firm SDL peer network (firm w/less than 50 employees) will have their inaugural... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
I am working on a Div 01 sustainability spec section for our firm to include by default on all projects. I've been finding a lot of great sample language out there for embodied carbon measures and material transparency (huge thanks to anyone here who had a part in developing those resources).
One thing I'd like to include... Read more
Forum topic
Hello All-
We have a K-12 school project that is using a R-60 flat roof assembly as an energy & costing benchmark (along with other energy efficiency measures but this is the relevant detail to our question). The project mechanical engineer is not onboard with a number of our energy conservation measures and has been sharing... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
Passing on a message from Julia Siple at AIA who is conducting a series of focus groups related to the AIA 2030 Commitment's DDx platform. You may have already received this from other channels but I thought I'd post here as well in case it got missed. They are looking for more participants in the morning and lunchtime (lunch... Read more

