I know that there is a risk of starting a whole flurry of congrats through the forum, but this is a biggie, and deserves some recognition:

Congratulations Andrea and Melanie!! Huzzah!!

And a reminder--If you want to reach out to them privately, rather than through the forum, with your message, you can see anyone's email address by... Read more

Hi all,

We are taking a deep look at green accreditations within our firm. Gone are the days when we could say: "our staff is XX% LEED APs!" as a metric of firm progress. Here are a few questions we are asking ourselves, and I'm wondering how you approach this in your firms:

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

Hi Everyone- as a follow up to the 5 minute presentation I did during the recent Virtual Summit-Palooza, I am pleased to announce that the Sustainability Action Plan Guidance Document created by the AIA 2030 Working Group is finished and released.  Please share!

http://content.aia.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/... Read more

As some of you know, BuildingEase is the first (FREE) platform focused on building products that combines a workflow tool, waste exchange and marketplace (yes, you actually buy it all right from the site!).

The platform saves tons of hours, major headaches and streamlines workflow within a firm and across a team.

We are going to... Read more

Has anyone done any museums in which they hired an independent QA/QC specialist? Or perhaps, your firm offers QA/QC services and experise in this area? If so, could you please reach out to me? I'm wondering what firm you used and what your experience was. Was it worth the fee?

Welcome to the quiz portion of How to Spot Greenwash--A BuildingGreen Webinar.

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


1. Understand the characteristics of quality standards and certifications to help screen out greenwash.
2. Recognize strengths and weaknesses of... Read more

Wood was the first material used in window frame and sash construction, and it remains popular for homes with its warm feel and relatively high energy efficiency.

BuildingGreen-Approved Windows

Wood windows must achieve an NFRC-certified unit U-factor of 0.22 or lower. Manufacturers also must demonstrate that their highest-... Read more

We all know the climates are shifting, and the ASHRAE standard that gets invoked for energy codes is shifting along with them--though not in perfect sync.  Louisiana is leaping from ASHRAE 90.1-2007 energy code to 2021 IECC (boom!).  The 2021 IECC as published uses relatively old climate maps; for Louisiana, at least, the same as the 90.1-2007... Read more

For those who work for companies that track and offset their carbon each year, how do you do it? Looking for best practices and how you vetted where to send your money. Don't need insight on quantifying carbon footprint, just offsetting.  Thanks!

Hi all, hope you're keeping safe and healthy. I'm thinking about protocols to put in place on jobsites related to COVID-19 in addition to our IAQ plans. Wondering if anyone's company has started to layout specific protocols, PPE, etc. and is willing to share.

What got me thinking was this article from Prof. Joe Allen at Harvard about... Read more

Hi all - I wanted to see if anyone will be in the Chicago area for the upcoming ASHRAE conference (21-23rd) and is interested in an informal meet-up? Or if you aren't going but are already in the Chicago area? Let me know and I'll see if we can organize meet-up!

Hello all, I would like to share an upcoming Virtual and In-Person conference for NOMA (National Organziation of Minority Architects).  Non-members can register, but I encourage anyone to join the organization to support the organization's mission.

"NOMA’s mission, rooted in a rich legacy of activism, is to empower our local chapters and... Read more

Some of us SDLers saw a need to create an online repository for the best simulation graphics and created IBPSA Project Stasio over the last couple of years. Along side graphics is a list of simulation questions (in progress) that we as architects may not know we could ask. The graphics are linked to answer the questions so our simulation... Read more

The results from the "CogFx" study are compelling, showing that people in environments with low VOCs and low ambient CO2 levels score higher on tests of cognitive function.  Specifically, they show that providing 40cfm of outdoor air per (actual live) occupant results in significantly higher scores than even the "Enhanced Ventilation" scheme... Read more