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
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
Forum topic
HI All,
I am curious if others are using THERM in-house for your envelope design?
We usually use our building envelope/curtain wall consultants (Boston - so mostly RWDI and Heintjes) but our teams are finding that they need the information faster than our consultants can provide, they are backlogged, or we have some curtain wall... Read more
Forum topic
Https://www.metropolismag.com/architecture/yale-un-environment-eco-living-module/pic/44437/
Many of you will be passing through NYC on your way to the SDL Summit in Garrsion this week. I encourage you to make a pit stop at the United Nations. You’ve heard me talk about the next generation, tech transfer building systems... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings!
Ayers Saint Gross is in search of a Sustainable Design Coordinator to join our team. This person is anticipated to sit in any one of our offices - Baltimore; Washington, DC; Tempe, Arizona; or Austin, Texas. Fit and skillset are more important than geography. The position is anticipated as full-time, but if the right candidate... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainable Advising Leaders,
Here are the notes from the last Zoom call. We had a great turnout! Looking ahead, now that things are rolling along we’d like to get into the rhythm of a regularly scheduled monthly call. Since Tuesdays seem to work well for most people, I am proposing the 4th Tuesday of the month from 3-4pm ET. That... Read more
Forum topic
Hello good people and fabulous troublemakers,
PFAS is in everything. In May, the NY Times published an article about this, along with the governments work to remove it from drinking water. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/climate/six-things-to-know-about-forever-chemicals.html
As you may know, a working group has been gathering... Read more
Forum topic
Five types of green buildings explained. Check out this great infographic by the Pembina Institute: What do net-zero and zero-carbon buildings mean for energy use and climate pollution?
Product Guide
Conventional heating systems burn fossil fuels on the building site or use outrageous amounts of electricity.
BuildingGreen-Approved Heat Pumps
The best heat pumps solve both these problems and provide efficient cooling. BuildingGreen approves air-source heat pumps with minimum HSPF and SEER levels of 10 and 20, respectively.... Read more
Forum topic
First, special shout out to Carolyn Day from Perkins Eastman for getting permission to use their Pro-zoom account for this Greenbuild wrap-up social session, because...frankly...Greenbuild just wasn't the same without all of you.
So, while we can't be together in person, that doesn't mean we are stuck by ourselves. Grab a refreshment and... Read more
Forum topic
Hello SD Leaders!
Two weeks ago a group of us gathered for the Winter 2020 Sustainable Design Leaders Summit. Those of us from BuildingGreen that were on site, greatly appreciated everyone's time and energy. It's always a pleasure to work along side you all!
Here is the summit report!
Reminder: We are giving a priority look... Read more
Forum topic
Zero Tool has an expired certificate and isn't functioning. https://zerotool.org/zerotool/
I've emailed info@architecture2030.org but nothing yet. Anyone have any suggestions for contacting the administrators?
Thanks,
Tiffany Broyles Yost
GBBN
