Are your clients asking you about wellness? You’re not alone. Healthy interiors and wellbeing are the trending buzzwords of sustainable design. Lighting design for circadian rhythm and water filtration methods might be on the... Read more

Discarded tires are an environmental disaster, and finding a beneficial use for them is a high priority.

BuildingGreen does not approve any flooring product that is made with tire-derived rubber, though some products may be appropriate for exterior use.

I am looking at having staff members take a materials course and deciding between Parsons Healthier Materials and AIA Materials Matter certificate programs. Does anyone have feedback on either? Bonus points if you know about both and can provide a direct comparison. Thanks!

We are putting together a free guide for firms who have not yet started to figure out what their internal standards are for healthy, low carbon materials/products. 

As part of this effort, we are looking to gather from all of you who already have standards - examples and precedent.

Also we are collecting standards from clients/... Read more

Hi everyone,

As designers who sometimes work in the field of healthcare, we occasionally like to gather data about both current attitudes and future possibilities. Steffian Bradley Architects would greatly appreciate your participation in our 2018 survey by completing the questionnaire linked below.

All responses are anonymous to... Read more

Would anyone have an example LEED Homes v4 specification they would be willing to share?  We are working on our first LEED Homes project, a midrise low income housing development here in Houston.  We have a LEED Homes provider, but she will not provide the specifications, which seem to be quite different in requirements and submittals from our... Read more

Hi All,

I wanted to pass on a few cool things we have going on at Built Environment Plus (formerly USGBC MA)  I really am conscious of not spamming you often and reserve posts for some of our most exciting happenings.

August 5, Building Tech Forum/MaterialsCAN: Getting to Zero with Embodied Carbon. Featuring 13 5-minute... Read more

The Resilient Outcomes Working Group grew from a session at the 2020 Winter Summit in Gulf Shores AL, and we are still going strong.  We are currently focused on three primary objectives: 1) bringing awareness to resilient design through a presentation at the GreenBuild 2024 Resilience Summit (we'd love to see some peer network friends at our... Read more

I see Kjell Anderson, Mary Ann Lazarus and Daniel Overbey as the Green Gurus on this list - if i missed anybody apologies.

Congrats all around folks!

https://www.usgbc.org/articles/gbci-announces-2018-leed-fellows 

High-performance buildings integrate site-responsive orientation, climate-responsive form, hefty R-values, efficient mechanical systems, healthy... Read more

Since the launch of the Contractor’s Commitment in late 2020, nineteen companies have become signatories and many others are using the guidelines as a roadmap for their firms.   Now that the pilot year of the Contractor’s Commitment is complete, it is important to consider if and how the guidelines should evolve to be the most impactful.  Over... Read more

For a number of years a colleague and I have been teaching a course about sustainability and water in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania's architectural school (PennDesign).  This year we're hoping to bring a few new opinions to the table for at the same time as we broaden the discussion.  Because the class will be virtual again... Read more

We are evaluating Dynamic Glass - and I have always been a bit timid to use. 

Any thoughts / experience on what we should be aware of?

Thanks!

This question came to me via our mutual friend Josh Jacobs, but while interesting it's a bit out of my range of expertise... 

In short, a critical materials assessment specifically focused on airbourne byproducts from a manufacturing process that would be first-of-its-kind in the U.S. 

Hi Folks, anyone in Boston (or willing to move) this could be a super cool opportunity for you! 

https://careers-bpda.icims.com/jobs/1557/senior-resilience-design-reviewer/job?mobile=false&width=805&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-300&jun1offset=-240