Some of you are aware of my ongoing saga of off-site renewable energy and a LEED certification we are pursuing. The short version is that there is a new-construction corporate headquarters office building (Building #2 on the attached graphic). This building is pursuing LEED certification. 

The company also just installed a 1 MW... Read more

As promised at the SDL Summer Summet: Hennepin County Energy & Environment's new Project Manager’s Guide to Material Reuse in Commercial Buildings, with specification language, guidance for procurement, and case studies of successful reuse projects around the country. This resource is meant to help owners, architects, and contractors... Read more

Engineered wood efficiently utilizes fast-growing, small-diameter trees.

When sourced from responsibly managed forests, engineered wood can store carbon that would otherwise enter the atmosphere, and can replace high-embodied-carbon concrete and steel in some structural applications.

Engineered wood products can also provide a... Read more

Hello, All,

Does anyone have experience with cove.tool (https://covetool.com/)?  Perhaps for those projects that may not get fully modeled, or as a tool to help set baselines?  It came across our radar recently, and I'm wondering if the subscription might be worth a try.

Thanks! 

Maria

I can see from the threads that there are at least a few Passive House advocates in this group - I'm wondering about the PHIUS training and certification. Can any who have done it offer an opinion? Is it valuable? Residentially focused? Would it apply to someone in a larger commercial practice? It's an investment of time and $, so I really want... Read more

Has anyone heard about batu or cumaru as substitutes for ipe? I am looking for a durable deckling material, and would appreciate your recommendations for sustainable choices!

Since attending the SDL Summer Summit this year, I've continued soul-searching for more actionable firm-wide, walk-the-talk Climate Initiatives to push forward and sheepishly realized that our office operational emission accounting (and potential offsets) has literally fell off the radar. Since 2008.
:(

So my query:
1. Are... Read more

WELL & Fitwel and beyond.

Guiding Questions:

Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.

And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more

Hi everyone! Our sister company, Flatiron, is a heavy civil/infrastructure contractor based out of Broomfield, CO. Their sustainability team is on the hunt for a Circular Economy Manager. Our companies recently announced exciting public ESG and climate commitments, including several related to waste reduction, life cycle assessments, and more... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Ten Strategies for Growth in a Recession.

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


1. Understand the importance of diversifying.
2. Restate the benefits to doing energy-modeling analysis very early in the design process.
3. Discuss how... Read more

Hi All, this is primarily directed at our Sustainable MEP folks, but please anyone with insight feel free to weigh in.

I am increasingly seeing designs and specifications asking for Passive House levels of airtightness as verified by blower door testing, but with traditional ventilation system designs. 

To me, Passive House US has... Read more

Hello - 

I am looking for the recording and the PDF/ slides that were shared 3/6 for the project process share-out/ 5 min presentations. It was super inspiring and I would like to refresh my memory of some of what was shared. Thank you!

–
Alison Nash 
AIA, LEED AP ID+C, CPHC, WELL AP
Associate | Sustainability... Read more

Good Afternoon!

has anyone heard of this?  the program focuses on healthcare construction but i think it would be good for all construction sites to have a certified individual.  And for those of us that report to CDP, this would be a good risk management strategy to include.

https://greenadvantage.org/pcra-certificate-program... Read more

Hello friends,

We are embarking on calculations to quantify avoided embodied carbon from converting an old school building into a multifamily project and I wanted to vet our methodology with you.

Our idea is to first establish a benchmark for a new replacement multifamily building based on published studies. We have found a few... Read more