Author
Products & Materials Specialist Brent Ehrlich excels at deep, unbiased, and nuanced technical research on the health and environmental impacts of green building products and materials. Some areas of focus include:
product and material constituents, including their risks
product certifications
third-party product... Read more
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SmithGroup is hosting Metropolis Magazine for a “Think Tank Event on Waterfront Redevelopment and Urban Resilience”. While the event is in our office, if you're not in DC, it will also be broadcast live on Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/events/1299577320146259/) Feel free to share this invitation with others. Information about the... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of What Makes the Building Envelope Green? BuildingGreen’s Guide to Thermal & Moisture Protection Products.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe attributes of the greenest building envelope products.
2. Explain how to... Read more
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We're wrapping up a multi year project that went through multiple design changes, leaving us with a ton of material samples. Does anyone know of a good place we could donate these samples to, to keep them out of the landfill. I'm in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for any suggestions.
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Building Electrification: A Vital Solution to Climate Change.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the relationship between building electrification and decarbonization to improve the efficiency and sustainability of buildings.
2... Read more
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Does anyone have an opinion of Autocase? https://autocase.com/
I had not heard of this platform before. Their website says that some firms in the group are customers / users. Website does not do a great job of describing exactly what they do. Is there value?
Thanks,
Allen
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Hello Colleagues,
You all know our industry’s progress over the past decade related to the impact of materials. We have come a long way. Today we have over 110 firms that have signed onto the A&D Materials Pledge, pledging to a holistic approach to materials considering: Human Health, Climate Health, Ecosystem Health, Social Health... Read more
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We have an environmentally-minded client who asked us to look into an alternative to the blue adhesive film that is typically used to seal uninstalled ducts for IAQ purposes. From a human health and waste perspective, they were hoping to find something that was both plastic-free and reusable. Has anyone tried out other options? I thought it was... Read more
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Have any of you relied on Green Badger for LEED documentation on projects?
I am familiar with the tool and know Tommy from my time in Atlanta, but have not used it on a construction project.
Have you found value? Thoughts?
Either way, they publish a pretty nifty "LEED v4 Construction Tool Kit" that may be useful for your... Read more
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Tomorrow is my last day at FXCollaborative before I head back to school. It has been such a gift to engage with you all over the past 10 years. Please stay in touch - my contact information is ilanajudah@gmail.com. I am headed out to UBC next week to do a deep dive into resilience and adaptation in urban environments.
FXCollaborative... Read more
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Hi: Please check out the fantastic editorial from Ned Cramer at Architect on "The Future of Architecture Education is the Future of Civilization". The deadline to comment on the latest draft of the NAAB accreditation criteria is November 22 and, as in the past draft, it falls far short of prioritizing climate action and sustainability. VERY... Read more
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Hey Everyone!
My firm in collaboration with our architect partner organize the REBUILD conference in Cincinnati on October 5th, so I wanted to make a post for those interested to sign up.
At the 2022 REBUILD Conference, we want to Be Positive + and bring sustainability leaders together to celebrate advancement, advocate for... Read more
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Hi All,
The rural concrete supplier that is used for most of our projects sources their fly ash from a nearby coal burning plant that is scheduled to be closed in the next two years. In anticipation of this, they are looking into alternative fly ash sources and SCM options and we'd like to provide suggestions.
Does anyone have... Read more
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All,
Can anyone suggest a product for the following situation. We are looking to insulate existing aluminum eterior column covers that have a three inch air gap. The issue is there is no way to remove the covers without destroying them. we would like to cut small holes, pump in the insulation and then cap the holes. Can anyone... Read more
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Join your peers and BuildingGreen February 22–26, 2021 for an all you can eat buffet week of networking, problem solving, and connecting with sustainability leaders within your industry and across the Peer Networks! During this week we will create a space for you to offer and receive support, exchange ideas and resources, and become stronger,... Read more
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Congrats, Kjell, on your elevation into the AIA College of Fellows! Much deserved!
Product Guide
Depending on seating type, these products can contain PVC, toxic flame retardants, hazardous adhesives and finishes, and other unsustainable materials.
BuildingGreen-Approved Seating
BuildingGreen’s seating meets ONE of the following sets of criteria:
is certified to BIFMA’s level 3 standard and, where applicable, contains... Read moreForum topic
Hello SCL,
Our diligent Contractor's Commitment working group (led by the great Amanda Atkinson) have reviewed a massive amount of feedback and will soon be releasing an updated version of the program (CC 2.0). We will need a majority of the SCL membership to vote YES to adopt the updated version for 2023.
In advance of the vote... Read more