Does anyone know of reports/studies of financial benefits from the developer perspective on Passive House multifamily projects? Specifically looking for market rate (not affordable) housing examples where there is a direct market advantage (higher rents) for PH buildings. 

Hi MEP Leaders!

Here's a reminder that our monthly meeting is coming right up--today at 2:00 pm ET.

There is a lot to talk about: James has put together a starting point for our "how to make the best use of your engineer" guide. And Summit plans...

You can view the agenda here.

All members of the SMEPL network are... Read more

We have an increasing number of projects, where the client is coming to us with "net zero" aspirations and plans, some of which don't fit the typical all-electric, grid-tied building that produces 100%+ of its annual energy use on-site.  There include examples like:

1) A (targetd) living building that maximizes on-site production, with... Read more

Hey, all. Confirming the forum index on the front side of the pay wall will be searchable. Thanks.

We are looking for colleagues from other firms to join a conference session proposal on "Dirt cheap Net Zero" for the ASHRAE / IBPSA conference (August 12-14, 2020, Chicago). 

We just had the grand opening of our first project designed to achieve net zero, a 50-unit affordable housing project, where we upgraded from the minimums required... Read more

Hi all - back in May I asked you for help reviewing our series ahead of publication. The first 5 posts are up, with the 6th a day or so away. Thanks to everyone who has helped out! 

It's a fail-forward effort to help us figure out what we are missing in our climate action on our projects and advocacy. Enjoy, and let me know if and how... Read more

Greetings, All.

The Resilient Outcomes Working group has been putting together a resource list (and map) of resources for supporting resilience-focused design across the US.  So far, we have around 50 resources on the list, ranging from the AIA Resilient Design Toolkit to local Vulnerability and Adaptation reports and tools.

We... Read more

My name is Douglas Flandro. I am the sustainable design leader at CambridgeSeven in Cambridge, MA. I started my career in film and theater design. I moved into museum exhibit design with a graduate degree in interior architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. I still design museum exhibits for science museums, nature visitor... Read more

Pint-flush and non-water urinals can save tens of thousands of gallons of potable water per year. A single non-water-using urinal can save more than 10,000 gallons of water per year compared with the U.S. EPA standard of 1.0 gallon per flush (gpf).

When older 3.0 gpf urinals are replaced, the savings can be as great as 50,000 gallons... Read more

Has anyone used the new 3M Smog-Eating Granules on a roof before? Malarkey and Soprema are offering this as an option for their roof shingles. Seems like a great technology for urban areas, but I'd be curious to see if anyone here has actually successfully specified and installed it.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/roofing-granules-us/... Read more

Hello All, I've a quick question. I am looking for a few potential subject expert speakers on the topic of the Circular Economy. Any suggestions out there? 

All thoughts are appreciated.

Rand Ekman

Dear All!

I recently met a passionate new hire at an architecture firm in NYC.  Her firm is reluctant to taking meaningful steps towards increasing sustainable impacts of their projects.  (Their work is in market rate of all types.)  This new hire is frustrated with the lack of sustainable adoption and understanding.

What would... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of In-House Daylight Modeling.

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


1. Explain general daylighting theory and design.
2. Simulate towards better daylighting design.
3. Demonstrate how daylight modeling is used in practice.
4.... Read more

Has anyone worked on a WELL project? I have heard that you can expect about 1.5 to twice the effort of LEED coordination but wasn't sure how accurate that was. Any suggestions for determining the possible time commitment of WELL coordination?

Thanks in advance!

Hi All! 

We have had a few multi-family projects consider this single package vertical unit with integrated ERV, but we haven't pulled the trigger for fear of the unknown. Our local engineers aren't sure how it actually performs and worry it may not meet code requirements for separation between exhaust and intake. Has anyone else used... Read more

Hey Team,

Has anyone had experience either taking or delivering a Carbon Cure CEU that ISN'T from Carbon Cure? We have a project for which Carbon Cure is a really good option to reduce embodied carbon, but the client has now started having second thoughts and we're looking to get them a CEU on it that isn't from Carbon Cure directly so... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Boost Happiness and Save Energy with Adaptive Thermal Comfort!

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


Define “adaptive thermal comfort” and explain how it can contribute to occupant health and satisfaction.

Compare the adaptive comfort model... Read more