Explainer
News Analysis
A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of
Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... Read more
Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... Read more
News Brief
At first glance,
An Environmental Handbook for Florida Contractors looks like it deals only with the environmental regulations that Florida contractors must contend with. And, indeed, the Handbook describes in detail the requirements for complying with regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. But the book goes much further,... Read more
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
Ozone depletion and global warming are two of our most serious environmental problems—and foam insulation materials containing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contribute significantly to both of these problems. The environmentally concerned builder or designer should make it a highest priority to avoid them. Even many of the non-CFC alternatives... Read more
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. In North America, buildings and the building industry account for about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, 35-40% of ozone depletion, 20-30% of municipal solid waste, vast quantities of natural resource consumption, and dramatic loss of open space each... 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
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
Forum topic
I just saw this post from Conor on LinkedIn.
Starting in January 2019, all new Columbia Construction Company projects require LED temp lighting.
Are others doing this too? Frankly, given all the benefits and how quickly the industry is matured, it's hard for me to understand why anyone would use anything other than LEDs on a job.... Read more
Forum topic
I know there are a few of us WELL Performamce Testing Agents / Organizations represented in this group. In the wake of technology talks on this weeks update calls from IWBI, I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a best practices and equipment small group discussion within the safe space of Green Gurus? Let me know!
Forum topic
We have several projects that are small enough that we don't hire consultants to run energy models. I just received permission to do some training so that I can run these models myself. I am looking at doing this training on eQuest:
https://www.udemy.com/course/equest-energy-modelling-detailedtraining/?c...
I am thinking it would... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainable MEP Leaders!
Over the weekend BuildingGreen received an inquiry about connecting with this peer network regarding a project. Please review David Cohan's email below to see if it is something of interest for this group.
We would invite you to reach out directly to David Cohan and let us here at BuildingGreen know... Read more
Forum topic
BITuser Meeting: 5/23/18
Participants: Shane, Andrea, Angela
Notes:
Southface to provide "style tiles" before 6/15
Greg to send to Andrea, couple dozen images for Best Practice pages
Southface will send, in week to 10 days, "full content" for BP03 - Energy Audit
(BP03 "full content" will address... Read more
Forum topic
With the increasing need to support design with techncial expertise, I am curious to hear how others are meeting this challenge. Do you build energy models in-house? Do you have a team of experts whose sole responsibility is to support design teams with tasks such as energy modeling and LCA, or is that expertise distributed throughout the... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All,
The National Architectural Accrediting Board is currently undergoing review and revision of its “Conditions for Accreditation and Procedures for Accreditation.”
I recently attended the 2019 Reynolds Symposium: Education by Design, hosted by the University of Oregon in Portland. At the Symposium, a group of 100... Read more
Forum topic
It’s Earth Day! In celebration, we’re offering full Premium subscriber access to BuildingGreen content, news, and product guides for all Peer Network members for the next six months.
We’re sharing this unbiased, rigorous content with you through the coming summer and fall, with access to our:
Premium content, guides, and... Read more


