Green Gurus,

Taking advantage of the good stuff that this pandemic is leaving us with, the Boston COTE has gone virtual for its meetings. That means that all of you around the country can join our great program.

Coming up next Wednesday at 2pm EDT (11am PDT, 1pm CDT) we'll have the always inspiring Andrea Love present along with... Read more

Hi SDLers: ESG Investing is mushrooming which is a very good thing. AIA National, for example, just switched over to 100% ESG investments. With it, there seems to be a growing number of "ESG-lite" options. I'm wondering if anyone among this informed group has recommendations on how to determine a quality investment approach. I'd appreciate any... Read more

We are coordinating an effort to produce a "Building Reuse Practice Guide for Climate Action" for the AIA.  This is intended as a resource for architects working on major renovations and adaptive reuse, with a focus on reducing energy use, lower embodied carbon, electrification, and adapting to a changing climate. We are looking for around 5... Read more

Colleagues:

I "lurk" on the list serve of the American Physical Plant Administrators.  I wanted to share a posting from that forum:

Hi All,

Two questions here: wondering if any Universities in the Pacific Northwest have a thermal comfort standard they adhere to for new building design on campus? UBC is currently undertaking... Read more

On our Contractor Coffee talk a few weeks ago, Emi LaFountain (Turner Construction) brought up the idea that there was a lot of blue stain wood that are being landfilled instead of used, and suggested that maybe the designers among us could find a way to turn ugly into beautiful.

I had never heard of this issue, but I was on a call the... Read more

Hi folks,

We had a fun impromptu conversation on our call last week. We got most involved in the challenge of getting developers interested in taking advantage of IRA Tax Credits. That can be quite a challenge given their business model.

We also heard about emerging data on tradeoffs between embodied and operating carbon, and how... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies.

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


1. Define hygrothermal pressure and explain what it requires of water, air, and thermal barriers in high-performance assemblies.
2. Explain... Read more

Good morning all,

I'm new to the forum and I am really happy to be here. For the last year or so, I have been working to advance high performance design at Flad, grappling with so many of the issues discussed in this forum. Especially in the context of recent times, it feels really wonderful to join a group of people dedicated to helping... Read more

Hi all,

For your planning purposes for next year, here’s info on in-person events coming up in 2024:

As you may remember, our Summer 2024 SDL Summit will be July 15-17, 2024 at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island! Tickets will be $1800, which includes the cost of meals and lodging.

We are excited to announce we will also be... Read more

As part of the Philadelphia AIA COTE, we have been proposing implementing sustainability in some fashion into the design awards with our chapter's design committee.  I know that many of you have been down this road before, and wanted to get your feedback at a high level about what your local COTE is doing.  Anyone who's interested, can you... Read more

Hi Green Gurus, 

I am happy to join this group, and would like to share a short introduction of myself. I’m Jais, and I am with FXCollaborative as a Sustainability Design Specialist working with Ilana Judah. I have been here little over a month and am enjoying it so much! 

I have studied architectural design focused on... Read more

BuildingGreen recommends low-emitting acoustic ceilings that do not contain formaldehyde resins or PVC coatings. Look for those that have C2C Silver or Gold certifications, are Declare Red List Free, and are third-party certified for low emissions using CDPH Standard Method. We also prefer wood ceiling products with FSC certification. The... Read more

Hi all, 

Following the SCL Summit back in November, the Waste Subgroup agreed to complete a Model Waste Management Plan to serve as a contractor commitment to reduce construction waste. I distributed the attached (very rough) draft back in Jan., and received some good feedback via forum comments. 

We would like to set up a call to... Read more

Does anyone have experience with Oknoplast PAVA windows that they would be willing to share?

The site license permits the purchaser to share the PDF Guide file within their company/organization and post it on their intranet. Site licenses do not include the CEU quiz.​ If multiple individuals in your organization would like to access the CEU accredited quiz, please purchase individual copies.

The sheer number of... Read more

Angela has been an integral part of the BuildingGreen team for fifteen years, serving in a variety of roles.

Her diverse career path has led her from union organizing, to cabinet-making and exhibit production for the Boston Children’s Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to teaching woodworking at Massachusetts College of Art. She... Read more