Hey all,

Question for those of you who do in-house daylight analysis about modeling translucent glazing.

We use ClimateStudio for our modeling. It has plenty of material options for clear glazing but nothing for translucent glazing, and we are trying to understand the impacts of a translucent interlayer at some skylights. We can... Read more

I am working on a new community development in St. Paul that is striving to achieve net-zero energy. We are able to get there mathematically by using the extra generation on light industrial rooftops to offset medium-density housing energy use (all buildings are anticipated to have different, private owners). However, this puts us over... Read more

Has anyone here had success in comparing life cycle impacts for different window system options? We have been trying to compare different options but have only been able to source one expired EPD for an actual window (frame + glazing). Is the typical approach to separately compare glass and framing options? Are we missing something or is there... Read more

Our guys have started talking about how the built enviroment can address infection transmission in public spaces - places like lobbies and waiting rooms, particularly in applications where people queue - theaters, airport gates, amusment parks, etc.  In the specific case of Covid-19, we know the microbe can be transmitted three ways:  fomite (... Read more

Hi All,

I’m pulling together a Healthy Building Summit in Boston on August 14th.  Check it out here.  http://usgbcma.org/hbs18/

Nadav is moderating!  It would be great to have some of you great leaders in attendance.  We still have sponsorship opportunities. Let me know if you are interested.

-Meredith

Who else is playing in this year’s #SustainabilityScavengerHunt by BE+!?

Meredith Elbaum and team at Built Environment Plus are launching the second annual hunt this Friday. Teams of up to four people compete over a couple of weeks to complete missions and bring awareness to environmental topics.

It was a lot of fun last year - we... Read more

I'm passing on an alarming (and truly Orwellian!) message from the AIA that some may have received:

The AIA is aware (and has been actively addressing) that there is a draft executive order circulating for consideration by White House officials that would officially designate “classical” architecture as the preferred style for the... Read more

This are opportunities for us to get involved as design and construction allies with the new administration and the US Department of Energy on more efficient building.

The first link below is for low-carbon projects that will provide the case studies and solutions that the industry can follow.  The second is identifying barriers and... Read more

At the request of the SCL group, here's the SCL Salary Survey! 

There is a link at the end of the SurveyMonkey Survey to a Google form where you will be able to register that you completed the survey—that way we’ll know who participated without having any identifying info in the actual survey. Results will be shared with those who... Read more

Embodied carbon in products and existing buildings. What does LCA tell us about renovation vs. new construction and material choices?

Guiding Questions: 

Hi SDL Group - 

Our firm has been presented with a potential opportunity to share with USGBC National Representatives details about a few of our voiced concerns in the context of specific project administration efforts.

For us, these relate to two specific factors:

Welcome to the quiz portion of Fundamentals of High-Performance Building Assemblies.

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


1. Recall how the acronym ENDURE speaks to the unifying aspect of high-performance buildings.
2. Describe how to apply the principles of high-... Read more

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

Water and air that penetrate building assemblies can damage materials, cause energy loss, and lead to mold, mildew, or other problems. The products used to address these may contain materials that are... Read more