Hi everyone,

As part of our monthly SDLS call yesterday, we looked through the 2020 SD Leaders Winter Summit Report. To help paint an even fuller picture of what was covered at that summit, here are slides from many of the 5-minute presentations.

As a note: we have permission from these presenters to share their slides within the... Read more

I have reached out to the AIA staff members that I work with on the Energy Leadership Group (AIA ELG) to see about getting into the cycle of updating these standard documents.  Another member of the ELG, architect Kjell Anderson of LMN in Seattle, is interested in working with us on this effort, as he has started including Standard 209 language... Read more

All,

Can anyone suggest a product for the following situation.  We are looking to insulate existing aluminum eterior column covers that have a three inch air gap.  The issue is there is no way to remove the covers without destroying them.  we would like to cut small holes, pump in the insulation  and then cap the holes.  Can anyone... Read more

Hi - some of you may have received an invite to the White House for a 3-hr session to continue the discussion on the Net Zero Emissions building that they released earlier this year. This discussion will be on embodied carbon. I have no idea who the invite went to. If I beg I may be able to go, but if there are plenty of other Architects that... Read more

Hello Folks,
What is your experience with successes and failures in the design process? As a starting point I have listed my Top 5 for success, and my Top 5 for failure. We'd love to see your reactions and look forward to the discussion when we all meet next week at our monthly check-in.

Top 5 reasons for when integrative design... Read more

Dear Green Gurus: I'm so sorry to have missed seeing many of you at AIA last week. I heard the BG and COTE events were the highlights of the week! Congrats.

I'm sure by now you've heard of the dreadful Supreme Court decision about the EPA. I thought I'd share a helpful, if not sobering, perspective in an Op-Ed today in the Washington... Read more

Hello- If you use Procore....

Are your jobs using a template to conduct and create "reports" of their IAQ inspections? Did you set it up in forms or inspections? Would you mind sharing an example template with me? I know Green Badger has a great app to do this, which we use. We would use inspections in Procore for jobs that are not using... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Re-Framing Sustainability: Green Structural Engineering.

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


1. List at least three design approaches to green structural engineering.
2. Recognize two issues that would encourage owners to invest in... Read more

Hello all, excuse the blast and the short timeline -- while not explicity sustainability-related, this is a great way to connect with the future of the profession, and can be a great opportunity for SDL firms on the west coast (a number of SDL firms already participate), specifically in Tacoma, Olympia, San Francisco, Sacramento, or San Diego.... Read more

Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.

And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more

I'm looking into using solar shingles as a roofing option for a historic building renovation. Has anyone used them before and have any recommendations? I understand they won't be as efficient as traditional panels, but I'd like to figure out if it would be a worthwhile compromise to discuss with the historic commission, if necessary. Thanks... Read more

A colleague of mine from another firm is seeking a good sustainability consultant in North Carolina. I haven't done work in that part of the country so I'm wondering who you all would recommend.

Thanks,

Carolyn Day

All,

My team at WSP has a pretty awesome senior position available and I wanted to bring it the group's attention as we try to get the word out. The role is to lead our Sustainable Design Analytics group (part of our Built Ecology team), ideally based in CA or NYC, but open to wherever good candidates may be. If anyone knows someone that... Read more

Anyone know of tools/methodologies for estimating embodied carbon and carbon sequestration potential of individual green infrastructure projects (e.g. bioswale along bikeway)? I've seen tools for the larger scale (e.g. land use change) as well as specific to trees (e.g. i-Tree), but these don't fully meet my needs.

Thanks!