Amal June Polt

Good Morning;

I wanted to share a resource that everybody might not be aware of - HomeFree by the Healthy Building Network which can be found here:  https://homefree.healthybuilding.net/products

Most of us know that HBN exists, but i think many folks just think HBN = Pharos, which is an extensive database behind a paywall that can... Read more

Hi all - Can you help me with a list of states with pending electrification/fossil fuel free ordinances? I am providing some technical aasistance for an article that is going to press soon. The author has listed WA, CO, and MA but I'm unsure how far each of these go and if it's technically correct to call them electrification ordinances.

This might be going down a rabbit hole, but in moving to California this year I noticed that "zero net energy" (ZNE) is the standard term, whereas "net zero energy" (NZE) was more common back east. The DOE's 2015 definition (below) uses "zero energy building" (ZEB), which to me implies a building uses no energy at all.

Regional... Read more

I'm hoping someone knows the anser to this question. For the LEED ND certification the minimum requirement is "The LEED project should contain at least two habitable buildings and be no larger than 1500 acres." Does habitable mean buildings with dwelling units?

Greetings, SDL network - We are attempting to resolve an issue with how data center projects calculate baseline EUIs for the AIA 2030 Commitment and could use some help from this network. With projects that comply with code prescriptively (i.e. not energy modeled), we have found the default baseline assumptions within the DDx platform are not... Read more

Apologize in advance if this has been posted before but we are trying to get manufacturers of stage curtains to give documentation that proves that the product does not have halogenated fire retardants. Manufacturers say they don't have them or concentrations are limited to 100ppm but they don't seem to have documentation to provide for it.... Read more

Greetings Gurus, following the AIA COTE Design for Economy concept, does anyone have a resource for a list of building efficiency ratio "targets" by space type? I've always struggled with this initiative. 

I took a first pass at content for the Energy Audit best practice, see the uploaded file. 

I opened IE11 (Internet Explorer 11) today, and saw a message indicating IE11 will be retired June 15th, 2022. While I have no personal attachment to IE11, it was the only internet browser I could consistantly get to open LEED Online credit templates on the actual website. 

Has anyone found another way to be able to fill out LEED credit... Read more

Hi Fellow GG: I just wanted to make sure everyone saw the great announcement from the White House yesterday about Code updates to address energy efficiency and resilience. It's great to see these kinds of initiatives that hopefully can continue for a few more years. So let's try to take advantage of them (said by someone who lives in Missouri... Read more

Textiles have some of the worst environmental records of any product found in our buildings. Textile production uses a number of hazardous chemicals and pollutes water; and its environmental impacts often affect our most vulnerable populations.

BuildingGreen favors textiles made using fibers and manufacturing processes that have low... Read more

Hi Green Gurus (esp. Sustainable MEP leaders...)

I'm looking for suggestions of contacts for MEP consultants, especially in the Chicagoland region, ideally with sustainability highly integrated into the work, specialization in geothermal systems, and indoor agriculture. (doesn't necessarily have to be all-in-one)

For context, we... Read more

Hey everyone,

This is a quick note to say I am retiring at the end of this month and will be taking a hiatus from the SDL group. I will no longer be practicing architecture, but I will remain active in efforts to preserve the wonders of this world for future generations.   

To all my SDL sisters and brothers (I don't always sound... Read more

Hi Shane and Dennis,

What return address should we use for BIT User forum notification emails?  Ben suggests something like no-reply@bit-user.org but whatever you like is fine.

Once you decide, please let us know who controls the domain name (e.g. bit-user.org or bitbuilding.org).  Ben will send them instructions for editing the... Read more

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is an increasingly common expectation throughout financial sectors, and the real estate industry is no exception. 

This live webinar with our friend Chris Pyke, Ph.D., a senior vice president... Read more