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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
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
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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
Product Guide
Faucets with high flow rates waste water—not to mention the energy used to treat and deliver it to our buildings—and the additional water stresses our wastewater treatment systems.
Warnings Low-flow faucets may not be appropriate for every application. Where there are long pipe runs or large-diameter supply pipes, it can take longer for... Read moreForum topic
Allison Mears at Parsons asked me to share this. Several folks on this list participated in these recordings. The courses are comprehensive.
Parsons Healthy Materials Lab has created a series of online learning courses specifically designed for professionals like you, dedicated to making the built environment the best (and healthiest... Read more
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Hi folks,
We had a great conversation about this today, following up on a past agenda item that we didn't get to, but that Kim wrote about a few weeks ago on a different thread. He said:
We didn't get to item 7: "Question about company size as a qualification for the network". I'd like to offer this input: I'd like to open it... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Natural Ventilation: The Nine Biggest Obstacles and How Project Teams Are Beating Them
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the primary reasons to design a building for natural ventilation.
2. Understand how cost, comfort... Read more
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Congratulations to Jill Kurtz for her Building Design + Construction 40 Under 40 award! A much deserved recognition.
Meet the 40 Under 40 class of 2021 | Building Design + Construction (bdcnetwork.com)
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The BE+ Annual Sustainability Scavenger Hunt is kicking off tonight/tomorrow or whenever you can join!
Anyone can join from anywhere, and participate as much or as little as you want.The missions are shared on the Goosechase App which is really easy to use and fun to see all of the other teams submissions.
Our office had four... Read more
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What do you specify for the laboratory countertop? Are there any healthier options I should suggest to my team? Thank you!
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Hi All,
In case you haven't been following State news lately, Massachusetts has a pretty major climate bill on the Governor's desk right now. He has through tomorrow to either sign or veto it. There's a ton of support from the bill from advocate groups. MA AIA and the BSA both wrote letters to the Governor in support. This only... Read more
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Our fledgling group had an organizing call last Tuesday, March 17th. Of course, it was a great conversation - the group is full of amazing people! The focus of our conversation was the goals and actions that should drive this group forward. I have a few ideas. Please share your own in this thread!
I start from the belief that we see our... Read more
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Hi Green Gurus,
We are convening our first Regional Coordinators quarterly call Thursday, July 21 2-3pm ET (11am-12pm PT). Anyone who might be interested in this role is welcome to join. We’ll give you more specifics, answer any questions, and create our list of representatives for each region. We’ll finish by looking ahead at what to... Read more
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Hello, folks! We recently had contact with Northeastern University about sand. I know it sounds ... dry. But sand shortages are a serious issue globally and are leading to criminal activity everywhere and even "sand mafias" in poorer nations without resources to enforce mining laws.
The ask from Northeastern is that BuildingGreen amplify... Read more
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Hi everyone, I'm sure that some of you already received the message below from Kira Gould (and/or others), but assuming that it didn't get to all of you, I'm forwarding it here. I believe that Lindsay is in common cause with all of us here on this forum, and will provide meaningful built-environment contributions to COP.
Thanks for... Read more
