My name is Douglas Flandro. I am the sustainable design leader at CambridgeSeven in Cambridge, MA. I started my career in film and theater design. I moved into museum exhibit design with a graduate degree in interior architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. I still design museum exhibits for science museums, nature visitor... Read more

Kristen Fritsch, in the thread about ipe wood, asked about resources comparing the carbon footprint of transporting building materials vs the transport mode.  There are people who spend their lives on this topic that I won't presume to speak for, but I'll share a few observations:

Even though freight transport is something like 7% of... Read more

We are looking at installing an aerobic biodigester in a commercial kitchen for an office client that is VERY concerned about zero waste.  Basically, this system takes food waste, treats it with micro-organisms to remove organic matter, and turns it into water of high enough quality to go straight to the sewer.  The manufacturer we are looking... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

This one-hour crash course will review the concepts and key facts within the WELL Building Standard that are covered most extensively on the WELL AP exam. By... Read more

Does anyone know of reports/studies of financial benefits from the developer perspective on Passive House multifamily projects? Specifically looking for market rate (not affordable) housing examples where there is a direct market advantage (higher rents) for PH buildings. 

Hello SCL, 

If you didn't attend last week's SCL Summit, then I'll sum up one of the major takeaways: SCL members NEED TO COMMENT ON LEEDV5. The stakes are high, particularly around waste. 

Luckily, Amanda Kaminsky is making it easy for us. She has drafted a sample comment based on our discussion at the Summit. 

If you have... Read more

We are looking for colleagues from other firms to join a conference session proposal on "Dirt cheap Net Zero" for the ASHRAE / IBPSA conference (August 12-14, 2020, Chicago). 

We just had the grand opening of our first project designed to achieve net zero, a 50-unit affordable housing project, where we upgraded from the minimums required... Read more

We are working on a tenant improvement and want to determine the embodied carbon on bookshelves, product display cases, and desks. Initially finding that Tally is not reading furniture, casework, or fixture families. Are there any tips and tricks you have found to be successful for modeling or defining FFE items in Revit and quantifying... Read more

Green Gurus -

I’m honored to be co-chairing, along with Caryn Brause FAIA, the ACSA/AIA Intersections Research conference at UMass Amherst October 2023.   The theme, "Material Economies," was developed with an eye for inclusivity for academics and practitioners alike, addressing critical emerging issues around architectural material... Read more

Pat U. Mellona

Welcome to the quiz portion of Better Choices in Low-Slope Roofing.

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


1. Explain life-cycle impacts, health and environmental hazards, and durability of low-slope roofing options.
2. Classify situations for which reflective roofing... Read more

Team,

As you all probably saw, Boston is discussing using both CEI (carbon emission intensity) and EUI as basic scope of work.  Maybe the more surprising thing is China announced a new building code next year to include carbon emission analysis as a basic scope of work for all buildings.   New buildings in 2022, among other things,... Read more

Hi folks,

I’m excited to be welcoming Meredith Elbaum and Nellie Reid into this forum! Meredith and Nellie were the duo that originally conceived of the Sustainable Design Leaders network back in 2008, and led the effort (with BuildingGreen’s support) through it’s early years. 

They later left their SDL roles, so they haven’t been... Read more

Water and electrical metering and submetering equipment provide valuable diagnostic information and verification of building energy and water usage.

Measuring Water Use

The Alliance for Water Efficiency recommends metering all new connections, retrofitting meters onto existing unmetered connections, and submetering all new... Read more

Hello,

This is not my area of expertise but our contactor has suggested central heat pump hot water (CHPHW) is $1m more expensive than gas fired domestic hot water for a 150 unit multi-family residential building in Massachusetts. The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is extremely helpful but, from their comments, it is all coming... Read more

Hey, all. Confirming the forum index on the front side of the pay wall will be searchable. Thanks.

Hi All,

Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston is looking to fill a few positions -if you know of anyone looking in the Boston area, plesae let me know or send them my way. Kfritsch@elkus-manfredi.com

Specifically looking for an entry-level person with specialized expertise in parametric modeling, conceptual energy modeling and... Read more