Following up on the Decarbonizing Existing Building: Envelope + MEP Solutions Integrative Design Jam, a cohort of us determined a "Decision Making Tree Toolkit" that begins to classify decisions into and "if/then" framework using region, market, climate, scale of intervention, and other factors would be useful in helping us collectively move... Read more

Dear Esteemed colleagues: I was recently asked a good question in light of the impending (fingers crossed) passage of the reconciliation bill that will bring alot of funding to energy efficiency/decarbonization upgrades at the residential scale. The question is: What are the arguments/ scenarios about the importance for homeowners to contract... Read more

Dear Green Gurus,

I both regret and am excited to tell you that I am leaving this group to pursue my next adventure.  I'm stepping down as Kirksey's Director of Sustainability, moving to Tucson, and starting my own business.  My business plan is to buy existing buildings, renovate them to net zero, and then sell or rent them.

I... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

It’s been almost a month since we met in NYC for our Regional Mini-Summit! I’m pretty sure time moves faster when the seasons are changing! I hope the fall is treating you all well.

We have completed our Post-Summit Report, and would like to share with you all. Click here to view the report.

... Read more

We are excited to open registration for the Sustainable Design Leaders Winter Summit 2020! This year’s Summit will take place Jan. 29th - 31st, 2020 at The Lodge, Gulf Shores, AL. The Summit agenda will be shaped by the collective group feedback given in the upcoming pre-summit survey. The Summit begins Wednesday evening (usually 5pm) with a... Read more

The headlines are everywhere—from heat waves in Europe to wildfires in the Western U.S. to tropical cyclone flooding in Australia. In this age of climate change, just as there’s an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and other greenhouse gasses, we also need to adapt and invest in resilience.

Increasingly, owners are asking for risk... Read more

Good Afternoon -

I'm wondering if anyone has a sample project wellness plan or survey that they'd be willing to share?  The 2.0 says additional resources are coming soon but I have a few project engineers that want to help get these going and are looking for a starting point.

You can email me direct if you don't want to post here... Read more

For those who are visiting Chicago, Kira Gould has asked me to spread the word about a casual AIA COTE meet-up. Stop by, meet friends and have a beer.

If you will be in Chicago on November 15, please consider joining a casual meet-up of COTE leaders/members/friends (no fee to join; it's pay-your-own-way at the pub):  

AIA COTE... Read more

Who all is implement 360-degree reviews as part of their employee review process?  Lake|Flato is thinking of implementing this and would like to talk to a few other firms who have experience they would be willing to share.  Please contact me if you'd be up for a short email discussion or phone call to discuss.  hholdridge@lakeflato.com

... Read more

I am wondering how architectural firms plan to close the gap to zero in the next few years. 

Owner's dictate outcomes and the typical owner is not committed to zero - even when sustainability is a focus of the project. 

We can present solar-ready designs, all electric buildings, geothermal, etc. but there is still quite a gap to... Read more

Hi All: I'm writing to see if I can get some recommendations/links to some great, free web tours of sustainable projects for use in an intro to sustainability class I'm teaching online this fall. Typically we tour some local buildings but that isn't an option this year. I'm hoping to find a few different ones for students to choose from. They... Read more

Hi all,

BG WebDev needs to clarify the Forum comment moderation rules you would like us to put in place.  We do not require moderation for premium users in our LEEDuser forum unless they include a link in their submitted topic or comment. In this case, we hold the publication of the comment in moderation until we can make sure the link... Read more

Welcome to the Sages forum! Some of us have been hanging out together for ages, but others might be new to this group (if not to sustainable design/construction). So let’s start by introducing ourselves, with some highlights from our career and history with the Peer Networks, and why we’ve now joined this one.

My career history is pretty... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Energy-Efficient Multifamily Housing.

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


1. Restate the six big opportunities for energy savings in multifamily housing.
2. Differentiate between the four green building rating systems for new... Read more