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
News Analysis
It isn’t just environmental zealots who are up in arms about the U.S. Forest Service’s policies on managing the nation’s timber resources. The Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics has jumped into the fray—from the inside. Jeff DeBonis, the Association’s founder and executive director,... Read more
News Brief
Carol Venolia, Publisher/Editor
If “progressive construction” can be defined as pushing the tools and techniques of conventional builders in the direction of less environmental destruction, then Building With Nature’s material goes beyond progressive, into the forefront of visionary thinking about construction. This bimonthly newsletter, now... Read moreExplainer
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
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
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
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
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
Forum topic
Greetings Gurus!
Please sign up and spread the word (even if you can't attend, sign up to get follow up info!)
This is one of a series of Hackathons to crowdsource alternative design details that are intentionally meant for disassembly! The outputs are meant for public consumption so that anyone who doesn't have time (that's... Read more
Forum topic
I am looking for anyone that specializes in this area, see the principles below.
http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/
We have looked at HOK's Neurodiveristy document which is great. Are there other resources like this, or other designers/consultants you have worked with?
TIA
Kristen
Kristen... Read more
Forum topic
Hi MEP Leaders,
A reminder that our monthly call is next Tuesday, June 13, at 2:00pm ET, and all network members are welcome to join!
Here is the agenda and below is the Zoom link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83598691786?pwd=MjI2S01yZUJRSG4zcXRBNWtPbE5RZz09
Meeting ID: 835 9869 1786
... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Circular Economy at Scale: Six International Case Studies.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Define circular economy and explain its importance within the built environment.
2. Describe how to leverage long-term value over first... Read more
Forum topic
Join your peers and BuildingGreen February 22–26, 2021 for an all you can eat buffet week of networking, problem solving, and connecting with sustainability leaders within your industry and across the Peer Networks! During this week we will create a space for you to offer and receive support, exchange ideas and resources, and become stronger,... Read more
Forum topic
They do, seriously. They are fine people with tons of information, and without them, all of us Architects would be, well, out of luck.
So, we first want to say THANK YOU to all of our contractor friends who took part in our Contractor Coffee Talk on Tuesday. THAT WAS AWESOME!
We learned things like:
It is easier to divert... Read moreAuthor
Boyd is part of the marketing team at BuildingGreen, where he supports analytics and social media engagement.
Boyd’s experience before joining BuildingGreen includes a decade in the paddlesports industry guiding whitewater trips as well as 5 years working in beer and wine manufacturing with a focus on customer interaction as well as... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone know where one can locate weather files (EPW) that has predicted future data for climate change?
Thanks in advance.


