Can furniture be hazardous? You bet it can…

From flame retardants in foam cushions to unnecessary stain and dirt repellents on upholstery materials, everyday... Read more

I’m a volunteer member of the ASHRAE 209 ("Energy Simulation Aided Design for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”) Committee.  Are you familiar with ASHRAE 209? It was first published in 2018, and it outlines a process for incorporating energy modeling into the design process. 

From the forward: 

 ASHRAE Standard 209... Read more

The BuildingGreen/GreenStep exam prep materials are... Read more

Just had a contractor call who said they had a university client interested in using natural-gas-fed fuel cells as an alternative to grid power in some applications.  They were interested in an intermediate scale: 300kW.

Anyone with any experience with these devices? 

CEUs are available for reading all the building-envelope product guides and primer. Click here to learn more and take the quiz.

Vapor retarders are meant to protect our building assemblies from getting wet, but they can also slow drying, contributing to mold and structural degradation.

BuildingGreen-Approved Vapor Retarders

Hi SD Leaders: I wanted you to know about a terrific initiative that is part of the Project Drawdown effort called Project Drawdown Ecochallenge. The Project Drawdown EcoChallenge is a fun and social way to learn about and take action on the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. 
Drawdown EcoChallenge provides tools and... Read more

We are in the process of working with our ops people to figure out billability targets for my team. Something that may be useful is the firm survey that BG conducts before each retreat (See attached image). These are great, but it varies depending on which firms attend the retreat. Its also hard to tell (in some cases) which green dot is... Read more

I'm definitely slow on the draw here, but happy to be congratulating you, Allen! What a great recognition of your work as a firm! And I love that the story about it highlights the firm's diversity.

Also worth noting--just 'cause no one here has said it yet--how cool it is that Ed Mazria won the Gold Medal this, and that AIA updated it's... Read more

Hi All,

FSC is working on some exciting new research to help further quantify the carbon impact of forestry management and they are looking for your feedback.  If you are interested in providing your voice or just staying informed of what is happening in this space, please see the details below and register to attend.

FSC Forest... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

This one-hour crash course will review the concepts and key facts within the WELL Building Standard that are covered most extensively on the WELL AP exam. By... Read more

Hi everyone! I saw that BuildingGreen won't be faciliating a meet-up in Atlanta but are there any other peers attending Living Future next week and want to self-organize? If we can find a venue - i wonder if there are any locals on this list with a recommendation? Could do Wednesday 7-8:30 between the two scheduled reception and after-hours... Read more

I am looking for a healthy and safe mold preventative product to use on wood construction to prevent mold growth as this full wood building (truss, framing, exterior sheathing) will be exposed to moisture via the elements until the roof gets put on in earlywinter.

Please share your feedback, thus far we have found what looks like a lot... Read more

What is the status of the roof insulation market regarding non-halogen containing polyiso boards? I know GAF and Atlas still have them. I thought JM had them as well, but seems to have taken them off the menu. Are there performance issues?

Our firm has had some clients that object to the term "Master Plan." We have removed "Master Planning" from our letterhead, where we list our capabilities and have replaced it with "Planning." Although we still find ourselves using it, old habits die hard, especially when we receive an RFP from a client asking for "Master Planning." Once we get... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Rebuilding for Resilience in the Face of Natural Disasters!

IMPORTANT: This quiz covers three related articles within this topic. 

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


For the fourth year in a row, we’re proud to release our sustainability survey findings, based on the real-world knowledge and experience of our clients and partners, to help determine how sustainability, resilience and wellness are perceived by the commercial real estate industry. We’ve compiled these survey results in our 2019 report, which... Read more

We have a project that is looking for plaster/stucco/textured wall products that are sustainable, or “more sustainable.”

I know these products exist, but I haven’t had to spec or work with any, so I’m reaching out.

The project is in MA, so I'm also soliciting recommendations for products and/or companies who are experienced using... Read more