As with most office furniture, systems furniture can be made from unsustainable materials and use adhesives and finishes that emit formaldehyde or other hazardous compounds.

BuildingGreen-Approved Furniture

BuildingGreen approves furnishings that:

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

Good morning all!

We're working on a higher ed project, and the university PM recently read an article about eco-friendly drywall and is interested in using it on the project.  We're currently using the USG EcoSmart drywall on another project and mentioned it as an option, but the article she forwarded also mentioned ExtremeGreen's MgO... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Stone, The Original Green Building Material.

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


1. Explain how stone is natural and durable, emits no VOCs, requires almost no maintenance, and provides a connection to the earth and our history.
2.... Read more

Hey, everyone! Many of you on this forum have probably already RSVP'ed but I wanted to put a plug out there for the happy hour event on the evening of November 2nd at our office in San Francisco.

The event is co-hosted by Architecture 2030 and national and local AIA COTE. There will be food, drinks, great people, and a chance to preview... Read more

Hi all, how many of your companies have started ESG reporting? If so, are you working with a consultant to calculate your impact of business operations? Or are you calculating it yourself? Are you purchasing offsets? I've been getting a lot of cold calls about this, mainly from a UK-based company. We are not yet at this point, but it seems like... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Can Commercial Kitchens Go Electric?

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


Understand why building electrification can be better for the environment and human health than use of fossil fuels, including natural gas.

List eight reasons... Read more

This message came in earlier today and is something of which we should all be aware.  I took the extra step, in this world of uncertain facts, of checking the veracity of the message with Jason Grant who confirmed it.  From William Bucholtz:

Dear Green Building Colleagues,

No one likes being fooled, but it’s... Read more

Hi all - I heard from sevearl of you at Greenbuild that you have learned from and perhaps even shared the Path To Zero Carbon series internally at your firms and externally. As I mentioned at Greenbuild, we are attempting to hand off the series to a non-profit, with the idea that groups of experts (including many of you, I hope!) will provide... Read more

Hi All,

I just became aware of the attached detail (if I uploaded it correctly) for a project in Portland, OR going out for permit at the end of this week.  Has anyone located the radiant tubing at the bottom of concrete like this before?  It doesn't sit right with me, though I cannot pinpoint exactly why.  Our consultants and the... Read more

Hi Green Gurus,

A "fun" take-away from the sustainable MEP Leaders Summit (just ended today):

Inspired by Passive House, we are embarking on a campaign: "Low Load Buildings Are SEXY".

One idea we have is:  what if the AIA design awards set limits on metrics like heating loads to meet basic eligibility?

If you have... Read more

Hi All,

Our local COTE committee has the opportunity to meet with a local jurisdiction on meeting the targets set forth by their Climate Action Plan.  In preparation I'm looking for innovative building codes/ordinaces that address existing buildings.  I am already digging into Boston's Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance... Read more

Hello, Rheaply is looking to connect with stakeholders who might be able to participate in the Phase I research. If you are interested, please use the links below and sign up using the link to the form. Please share with anyone in the built environment you think contribute knowledge to this effort.

Rheaply is collaborating with the U.S.... Read more

Anyone aware of tools or workflows for modeling of a specific outdoor space and effective surface temperatures?  We've done a goodly amoutn of microclimate simulations, but never explicitly factored in the ground surface, in terms of emissivity and other related factors.   

A site license allows your entire organization to access and share the report, and to keep a copy in your library. The site license does not allow multiple users to earn CEUs. If multiple individuals in your organization would like to earn CEUs from this report, please purchase individual copies.

The world’s most... Read more

Hey there SDLs!

We're having a debate in our firm about whether we're at a tipping point to hire an in-house energy modeler - someone capable of doing an MEP-caliber energy model inside a design firm. I know some you have in-house energy modelers on staff and I'd love to hear your experiences:

- How did you know your firm was at a... Read more