News Analysis
The City of Austin’s Green Builder Program was one of 12 award recipients in the United National Local Government Honours Programme at the Earth Summit in Rio, and the only winner from the United States. “The purpose of the Honours Programme is to recognize innovative local approaches to... Read more
Product Review
Builders concerned about out-gassing of formaldehyde from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) have long used Medex in cabinets. This exterior-grade product, originally developed for highway signs, is considerably more expensive than conventional MDF or particleboard, however. Now Medite II fills the need for a... 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
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
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
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
Forum topic
Hello, does anyone have experience with thin film solar? We're looking to add it to a city wide bus station application. Thanks!
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Here is the information for November's Peer Networks Webinar, Learning and Applying Evidence, Rosetta Stone: A Translational Tool for Research-Informed Practice. We hope you will join us!
Register HERE
Learning and Applying Evidence, Rosetta Stone: A Translational Tool for Research-Informed Practice... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of What You Need to Know About Concrete and Green Building.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Recognize concrete's environmental footprint and how to reduce the quantity of concrete used in buildings.
2. List the advantages and... Read more
Forum topic
We have several projects that are small enough that we don't hire consultants to run energy models. I just received permission to do some training so that I can run these models myself. I am looking at doing this training on eQuest:
https://www.udemy.com/course/equest-energy-modelling-detailedtraining/?c...
I am thinking it would... 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.
Water and air that penetrate building assemblies can damage materials, cause energy loss, and lead to mold, mildew, or other problems. The products used to address these may contain materials that are... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All,
We’re planning a conference here in Boston, October 23rd & 24th, focused on Designing for People. We’re rounding out our speaker lineup and I thought I’d reach out to you all for ideas. If you had an all-star list of people speaking on Health and Wellness in the Built Environment who would be on that list? Send me 3 names... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
I had a position listed for a Sustainable Design Coordinator which we have down for the moment as we've taken on a fall intern instead. In the interim, however, I did have a couple of great candidates that I'd like to help find good matches. One of those candidates is Marissa Lantieri, see her resume and portolio attached.
... Read moreForum topic
Hi: I'm writing to share a unique opportunity to make a difference at SCALE as a Sustainability Manager at Amazon Global Services.
This comes from Lisa Matthiessen, FAIA, LEED Fellow who some of you may know. Lisa just joined Amazon's Worldwide Sustainability Team who is charged with making real their Net Zero for all operations by 2040... Read more

