Feature
Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority.
Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?
A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... 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
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
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of In-House Daylight Modeling.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain general daylighting theory and design.
2. Simulate towards better daylighting design.
3. Demonstrate how daylight modeling is used in practice.
4.... Read more
Forum topic
Friends,
Might anyone be aware of research studies on the beneficial mental health effects of green buildings that you could point me to?
Thanks in advance.
Product Guide
Durability is the first priority for roofing membranes since interior repairs and replacement waste material, time, and money.
BuildingGreen-Approved Roofing Membranes
BuildingGreen approves:
best-in-class TPO membranes from companies that support enhanced heat testing and show proactive attention to performance EPDM products... Read moreForum topic
Hi everyone! LMN is embarking on a 17-part series to explore a more comprehensive carbon metric via summaries of various topics with lots of link. This dovetails with many other efforts in the industry and will reference all the best stuff that we are aware of...such as MEP 2040, SE 2050, CLF stuff, Epic tool, CARE tool, Arch 2030 publications... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) advocates!
We have an opportunity to advocate to the US DOE on behalf of HPWHs!
Geoff Wickes is an emerging technology product manager for NEEA (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance) currently focused entirely on HPWH technology, policy, and market adoption (and in full disclosure: also a... Read more
Forum topic
Building Green Peer Networks meet up @ Living Future 24
WEDNESDAY 8 May 7-830pm at Park Bar, 150 Walton, Atlanta
See you there!
Forum topic
We are excited to share the REPORT from the 2019 Small Firm SDL Summit held in Las Vegas on June 5th. Take a look and use this forum to post questions and comments that will allow us to engage our new members as we continue the valuable conversations begun at the Summit. As you will read in the introduction, we know that collectively small... Read more
Forum topic
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/04/new-china-policies-spark-di...
New China policies spark disarray in region’s recycling industry
Buried in the mountains of refuse at Casella’s recycling plant in Charlestown are tons of material that should have gone straight to the landfill — from tires and pots to lobster buoys and... Read more
Forum topic
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
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
We’re always trying to improve this online space, from adding an events calendar and 5-minute presentation recordings, to creating a filterable member directory. We have several other ideas in the works, and we’re looking for a group of Peer Network members to help us test them before they go live.
Requirements... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone have a good recommendation for getting started with energy modeling with future weather files? We use a combination of Sefaira and Climate Studio, but open to suggestions. Even just links on how to approach this for making good recommendations to clients. Thanks in advance.
Forum topic
Hi,
I selected a new background photo for the home page (the previous one was the same as on LEEDuser.com). I found the photo here:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-shot-of-building-1029618/
I needed to find something low-contrast that wouldn't compete with the text. I initially tried some of the stock photos... Read more
Forum topic
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
Forum topic
As I prepare to search for summer interns, I'm wondering what colleges and universities have programs for sustainability in the built environment. Are there any that you all know of? I am trying to find alternatives to the traditional architecture programs that we track. Thanks
