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

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 access the CEU quiz. If multiple individuals in your organization would like to access the CEU quiz from this report, please purchase individual copies. ​

A seal of... 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 Everyone!

Does anyone have a good resource for whole-building embodied carbon benchmarks broken down by building use and building category (structure, foundation, envelope, interior)?

I know of CLF’s 2017 Benchmark Study (great resource!) and the One-Click LCA study on European Buildings but are there any others?  I know many... Read more

Trista Little, Erika Duran, and Paula Melton

Hello!

I am working with a state agency who is interested in exploring performance contracting (primarily energy focus, but not necessarily limited to...) and it's been a while since I had heard of others implementing this (GSA, some universities).

Do any of you out there know of current/recent owners executing performance... Read more

Congratulations on the site launch!  One problem, though... you appear to have overlooked the home page orientation video. Currently there's just a placeholder image that doesn't actually do anything. Did your team end up producing a BIT User video?

Facilitating Engagement and Collaboration in Virtual Meetings (or, Avoiding a Goat Rodeo with Many Awkward Silences*)

If you weren't already sitting in virtual meetings every day... We all are now. So how do we facilitate an online meeting in which everyone is focused, engaged, heard, collaborating and problem-solving in an efficient,... Read more

P.J. is an accomplished writer and speaker who brings passion, humor, and discernment to all her work.

Whether it’s a spotlight report on decarbonization, a webinar on ESG, or just a chummy email bulletin, she is ferociously committed to truth, accuracy, and thoroughly... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Design Strategies for Occupant Engagement—and Why They Boost Performance.

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


1. Explain how research in the social sciences and neurology links occupant engagement strategies with specific sustainability... Read more

Hello All,

Through a regional School of Architecture, our firm has been connected with a very intriguing startup that has been engineering a new rooftop wind energy technology. They are developing a system to economically capture the increased wind flows at the edges of commercial building rooftops. They have engineered this system,... Read more

Hello Green Gurus!

Here is a [LINK] to an updated version of the letter, including all the signatories we had as of last Friday - thank you all!

This message is really geared for your firm's social media/communications team, so if you aren’t that person, please share this message with them! With that said, all of you (whether your... Read more

We are working on a multi-family project in Hartford that is townhouse style so each unit has an exterior door. The client has requested electronic key fob hardware. Has anyone had experience with retrofitting a passive house door with electronic hardware or have they used a door that is already fitted with electronic hardware? 

Plug loads—the energy consumed by plugged-in devices—can use a substantial amount of the total energy in both residential and commercial buildings.

BuildingGreen-Approved Controls

BuildingGreen approves products that monitor and reduce electricity use for plugged-in electrical devices.

Plug Loads and Energy Conservation... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Downscaled Climate Data: Where to Get It and How to Use It.

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


1.  Define “downscaled climate data” and understand where to find it and how to apply it in modeling to achieve greater environmental sustainability and... Read more

Hi folks,

We've arranged a room where we can gather for an hour and check in during the Thursday afternoon reception time at Living Future. If you'll be there, come join us!

Thursday, May 2 at 5:30, Skykomish Room (#604, 6th floor)

The group will be mostly Sustainable Design Leaders, as that's by far our largest group, but... Read more

We're thrilled to announce that, for the first time, the 2025 Summits for each Peer Network will be hosted within one week and in a single location. You’ll get the deep peer-to-peer time you love from a Summit AND some glorious cross-disciplinary time to experience the power of the Green Commons. It’s all happening at the Kimpton Cottonwood, a... Read more

In the Passive House session at the Winter Summit, I spoke about a Massachusetts DOER report that found that meeting the new energy code in MA (passive house or better in most cases) is cheaper for some building types than traditional construction. Some of you asked to see the report. It was a power point show. On page 34 of this slide deck... Read more

Hi all - I wanted to see if anyone will be in the Chicago area for the upcoming ASHRAE conference (21-23rd) and is interested in an informal meet-up? Or if you aren't going but are already in the Chicago area? Let me know and I'll see if we can organize meet-up!