Author
Products & Materials Specialist and LEED AP BD+C Brent Ehrlich excels at deep, unbiased, and nuanced technical research on the health and environmental impacts of green building products and materials. Some areas of focus include:
product and material constituents, including their risks
product certifications
... Read more
Product Guide
Green walls provide an important connection to nature in urban settings.
BuildingGreen-Approved Green Walls
We approve green wall systems designed to:
improve the thermal performance of a building by creating shade and an air space between the plants and the building mitigate stormwater runoff (much like green roofs) reduce... Read moreForum topic
Good morning SALs! Nicole's survey on restrooms inspired me to post a survey of my own.
I’ve been trying to stay useful lately. I've been posting new writing on the industry, much of it complimentary, over on Roberts’ Green Letter. (Yesterday I posted the mission statement, explained via brand-new-puppy pics.)
I have a 1-minute... Read more
Forum topic
Hello everyone,
For those I have yet to meet, I'm Jen, the latest member of BuildingGreen's Peer Networks team.
Although it's been a few weeks now, we wanted to share the slide decks from some of the presentations that took place in Las Vegas back in June. Thank you to those of you who presented and who have given us permission... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Shoebox Energy Modeling.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the difference between a shoebox model and a whole-building energy simulation.
2. Approach shoebox modeling according to project type and software tool.
3.... Read more
Forum topic
Hi, this is a somewhat niche/specific question - we are working on an all-electric school (middle and high school) that includes a chemistry lab. The lab was going to have portable sources for flame experiments, but there is concern that the portable sources would be unsafe for middle school students, so they are asking for a hard-pipe natural... Read more
Forum topic
Hey there, Tally users. I'm looking for some answers to a few basic questions about using Tally:
When do you typically run a WBLCA? As soon as you have a Revit model? Later, maybe end of DD, when the Revit model is more fully developed? At the end of CDs? Are you mostly using Tally for targeted studies or WBLCA for the purpose of... Read moreForum topic
Hi all, we are embarking on an effort to standardize our LCA process in order to maintain a firmwide database of embodied carbon intensity from which we can create internal baselines and targets. I was wondering how other offices are setting boundaries for their LCA efforts. Below is our starting point. Most LCA will be conducted using Tally.... Read more
Forum topic
Hey team,
We're working with some institutions in the midwest that are trying to understand what kind of partnerships they could build with architectural salvage enterprises as they demolish many buildings to elevate land uses. I'm not overly familiar with the midwest market. Does anyone have any good circular economy / architectural... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone share the same feeling of stagnation? We are supposed to hit 80% pEUI reduction now and working towards 90% mark, but I don’t see it happening for majority of our projects, even the “right” ones that we implemented integrative design process & iterative energy modeling. I am wondering whether anyone would be willing to share... Read more
Forum topic
You know all those times when you want to reply privately to someone, but don't have their email address handy? What a pain, right?
Not anymore! Now you can go to the "Group Members" tab on the BuildingGreen Communities forum page, and hover over anyone's name to see their email address.
Only members of the forum can see your... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Passive House on Campus: Eight Exemplary Projects!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Explain the primary reasons that higher-education projects are pursuing Passive House certification, including its impact on the environment and occupant health... Read more
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
HPBA Control Layers – It’s in the details Tue, Sep 11, 2018 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT (11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT)Why high-performance assemblies? And why now? Today we demand better thermal performance from our building assemblies than ever. But higher performance... Read more
Forum topic
Happy 2021 Green Gurus,
BuildingGreen has some New Years news to share with you all!
Announcing an addition to the Peer Networks family, we are excited to be launching the Sustainable Community Design Leaders (SCDL) Peer Network!
The SCLD peers are planners, architects, landscape architects, and other professionals at... Read more
Forum topic
At our SAL call today, folks were talking about how there was just too much to read about DEI. This is the best short summary I have read about the problems of incorporating it into the organizations where we work. It's much easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk because it takes time and accountability.
Product Guide
Exterior doors often have poor insulation and seals that allow air through.
BuildingGreen-Approved Exterior Doors
BuildingGreen has different criteria for commercial and residential exterior doors.
Commercial swing (hinged) doors must be NFRC-rated, certified, and labeled for U-factor. They have a maximum air leakage of 0.... Read more