We are cautiously rekindling the age-old debate: how are we balancing modeling software for design /visualization and performance analysis during early phase of design.  

We are heavy SketchUp users for early design, and most of our staff have access to COVE tool for early performance analysis. Problem is, I’d rather use Revit to COVE... Read more

Friends,

This is a personal note. My son was just diagnosed with Asthma. I’m started to wonder if it’s just coincidence that this corresponded with him starting kindergarten in a school where they clean with Chlorine bleach. I found substitutes for his small preschool and at home.  My understanding is that there’... Read more

Built Environment Plus (was USGBC MA- aka Meredith Elbaum's band) has organized this awesome sustainability scavenger hunt.

It's fun. It's easy. Anyone can participate from anywhere - it's all app based, and it's a great way to get energized for Earth Day or week! And it's for a good cause, a fundraiser for supportive organization. Have... Read more

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

An elevator system can account for 4%–10% of a building's electric energy load, without considering impacts on heating and cooling. Conventional finishes are also common.

BuildingGreen-Approved Systems

We approve the most efficient tension elevators from leading manufacturers, including models that incorporate:

Dear all,

A mechanical engineer on a healthcare project we are working on has asked for help in dividing the ventilation calculations between ASHRAE Standards 170 and 62.1; can anyone here help shed some light on it?

"This is the first time I am working on LEED for a hospital and I am not sure how the template wants me to show... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Should housing be affordable? Or should it be sustainably designed, built, and operated?

When you put it like that, the question sounds absurd.

But the idea—usually unspoken—that sustainability wastes precious time and resources is painfully common in the... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of How Buildings Fail Their Users!

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


Explain the importance of finding common ground between a client’s project goals and the project team’s sustainability building goals for successful projects that incorporate... Read more

Hello, 

We are becoming involved with the design/construction of a new k-12 school that is intersted in entertaining geothermal. Does anyone have payback studies on geothermal?

Thanks!

Hello all,

I am reaching out to this community as SMMA has a job opening for a Sustainable Design Analyst (like many of you recently posting job openings on this forum).

Here is the job posting link: https://smma.applytojob.com/apply/mah0aDkOJ0/Sustainable-Design-Analyst

Please note that this position will support... Read more

Hi all,

We're doing some tool-related soul searching at WRNS and some folks here have raised Cove.Tool as a potentially interesting addition to our library. I'm looking for any insight you all can provide. Cove has come up various times, but curious if there's been any change for the better/worse in the past few years.

Do you use... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Rethinking the All-Glass Building.

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


1. Describe eight reasons all-glass buildings are so popular in architecture today.
2. List the four elements Arup examined in their modeling of the effect of... Read more

Many on this list teach or have strong contacts with university programs, so I'm hoping to leverage our network in service of something that may be of general benefit.

EDR has a Research Fellowship program where we host young talent for 3 or 12 months addressing new theme each year. The Fellow(s) get "academic freedom" and have no... Read more

Hi all,

We are growing our sustainability group at Flad -- we have a great opportunity to make significant progress as we approach 2030, and we are currently looking for someone to join us in our Madison office. If you know someone who is looking for an entry-level sustainability position, and would enjoy living in Madison, Wisconsin, my... Read more

Has anyone seen a comparison between IECC 2021 and previous versions of the energy code, including ASHRAE 2010? I'm curious how far ahead code buildings are relative to LEED v4.0, and how much the latest IECC raises the bar relative to the previous. I did a quick search for the LBNL and other studies that look at this, but didn't see anything... Read more

Currently not for sale, being updated and re-released in November 2021.

New Guide to Thermal Insulation Report

The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including cost comparisons and detailed recommendations on what insulation to use, and what to avoid. It's a treasure... Read more

I have a colleague (lawyer) who is trying to assemble a list of precedent projects that used penalties or incentives for achieving energy targets. The topic she is addressing is how contracts may be changed to address growing climate change concerns.

At the moment, the only concrete example she has is a project in Washington by the US... Read more