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
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
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
Product Guide
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
Forum topic
Hello Everyone!
Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information regarding an All Peer Networks 2020 Summit Season Closing August 10th, 3-5pm ET (Noon-2pm PT).
Register HERE to get it on your calendar! The staff at BuildingGreen are looking forward to planning a fun and engaging cross-network event focused on this... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
After almost eleven years in this group, today is my last day at Perkins Eastman as I move on to a new step in my career at JLL (wish me luck!). This group has been invaluable to me both professionally and personally, and I have loved connecting with so many of you over the years, over the course of so many events! I hope to make... Read more
Forum topic
Hi Everyone - I'm posting this on behalf of Jeff Frost whom many of you know from his days as an SD Leader with SmithGroup and SERA and in his new role as head of Brightworks Sustainability's materials group. I am excited to be working with Jeff on this concept of multi-attribute product scoring. Cheers, Lona
Dear SDL’ers,
We’ve... Read more
Forum topic
We are having trouble sourcing a LEED compliant wallcovering adhesive. We specified Roman Pro-880 which is low VOC but doesn't have sufficient back up for TVOCs. Have you had success with other products?
Forum topic
We’ve reached the maximum capacity of our venue for the Show-and-Tell next Tuesday at Greenbuild in DC. We also have a full slate of great presentations lined up. Thank you, Perkins Eastman, for hosting!
RSVP is now closed—we're looking forward to a packed house and we won't be able to let folks in who are not on the list.
We can'... Read more
Forum topic
Just saying "Hello" and happy to be joining the SDL peer network. I am leading the effort at Integrus Architecture (Seattle and Spokane) to integrate performance and design and am looking forward to learning how others are accomplishing the same.
Quiz
This webcast was pre-approved for 1 AIA LU|HSW and 1 GBCI LEED-specific CE hour.
Please complete the survey questions to confirm your attendance and receive your CEUs.
By providing your credential numbers in your profile, you will enable us to automatically report these CEUs to these organizations. Please check your profile to be... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Now is a pivotal moment. Net Zero Stretch Code legislation has been proposed in the Massachusetts House and Senate, and draft code language is currently being developed by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS). The Net Zero Stretch Code is currently the greatest single opportunity to support reduced... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks,
I'm looking into lower-carbon pipe options for HVAC and plumbing. The MEP 2040 has slides from a Buro Happold study in 2020 showing PEX to be much lower in embodied carbon than copper, which is unsurprising. CPVC is also a lower-carbon option.
But PVC has its issues and neither PVC nor PEX are recyclable (especially if... Read more
Author
Amanda is BuildingGreen's Peer Networks Manager, working behind the scenes to support the Peer Networks team and members. They are passionate about sustainable design and love helping people find tangible ways to help the planet.
Prior to joining BuildingGreen in 2023, Amanda was a campaigns coordinator at a food justice... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Chemical Transparency: The HPD Issue.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Discuss why chemical transparency matters and answer common technical and practical questions regarding HPDs.
2. Offer solutions for the legitimate concerns... Read more
Forum topic
Hello all!
I'm new to the group, and so excited to be here. Two part question here (as we think about processes and new year goals).
I am at a smallish firm (20 people) in Boston helping to reform our processes to enable even those that are not steeped in sustainability at a daily level to be comfortable looking for opporutunities... Read more
Forum topic
Gather with the Changemakers in Sustainable Construction
You are invited to join BuildingGreen and your peers for the Summit that has always delivered on driving our movement forward. Over three days of collaboration, workshops, learning, sharing, networking, and socializing, we’ll set the agenda for changes to LEED v5, strategize on... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Everyone,
On September 9th a regional cross-network group gathered for the first in-person Peer Networks event since the beginning of the pandemic. All Peer Networks were represented at this Boston Region Mini-Summit! With this first one in the books, BuildingGreen is hopeful for paving the way to future regional events across the... Read more
Basic page
