News Analysis
A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of
Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... 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
Ozone depletion and global warming are two of our most serious environmental problems—and foam insulation materials containing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contribute significantly to both of these problems. The environmentally concerned builder or designer should make it a highest priority to avoid them. Even many of the non-CFC alternatives... Read more
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
Feature
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
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
Hello Community!
I often get asked about the application cases of annual vs. marginal emissions. Are you aware of an ASHRAE standard or journal article that concisely describes the use case for different CO2 eq. metrics? Has anyone reviewed ASHRAE Standard 240P: Evaluating Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Carbon Emissions in Building Design,... Read moreForum topic
Team,
See this paper regarding outside air vs. filtration.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132313002515
MERV-13 is a good way to get most benefits without a huge cost.
Best,
Luke Leung
Forum topic
Hi All,
If you have 5 minutes, we would appreciate your input in the Google Spreadsheet (linked below). If you only have 1 minute, feel free to reply to this forum post and list your the typical equipment vendors you spec on projects. :)
We're asking each of you to enter your "Top 3" specified vendors for each of the products... Read more
Forum topic
I see that the Architect 50 questions this year are organized around AIA 2030 Commitment reporting. I have a question about how people are answering them. The DDX reports have percentages that are by GSF. Are people using this percentage to answer the questions? Or are you calculating the percentage based on number of projects out of total... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of How To Run a Great Workshop: 37 Tips and Ideas.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how the right mindset contributes to a successful design workshop.
2. Schedule a design workshop, set its agenda, and balance the skills of its... Read more
Forum topic
Hello SCL peeps,
Thank you to all the people who filled out our 2021 event survey. Your feedback did help us narrow down the options, but it was still inconclusive about whether there’s enough interest in doing an SCL-only Summit.
To stay on schedule with our planning (and to make sure the event will pencil out financially), we... Read more
Forum topic
Our Sustainable Construction Leaders peer network famously developed the Contractor's Commitment.
Famous because it is the industry's only agreed-upon framework for systematically addressing the environmental and social impacts of construction activity.
Famous because it now has 27 signatories, collectively accounting for $49... Read more
Forum topic
Hey Everyone!
We are delighted to share a major milestone in our commitment to sustainable design. After two+ years of intensive research, refining, and internal application, NBBJ is thrilled to announce the external launch of ZeroGuide, an innovative tool for early-phase carbon estimation, now available to the entire AEC community!... Read more
Forum topic
Folks, would love to hear what software you're for in-house daylighting/energy performance modeling at the SD/DD level. My IT folks have been pushing us to try out Autodesk's Insight again after a not so impressive pilot we did a few years ago. Has it gotten better? Was it us? What programs do you feel good about? Which ones really make you mad... Read more
Author
Mark oversees strategic marketing and product development for BuildingGreen. In this role, he works closely with our Editorial, WebDev, and Consulting teams to conceive, plan, direct, and budget integrated marketing programs that support our outreach and meet customers’ needs.
Joining BuildingGreen in late 2021, Mark brings... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
As designers who sometimes work in the field of healthcare, we occasionally like to gather data about both current attitudes and future possibilities. Steffian Bradley Architects would greatly appreciate your participation in our 2018 survey by completing the questionnaire linked below.
All responses are anonymous to... Read more

