This might be going down a rabbit hole, but in moving to California this year I noticed that "zero net energy" (ZNE) is the standard term, whereas "net zero energy" (NZE) was more common back east. The DOE's 2015 definition (below) uses "zero energy building" (ZEB), which to me implies a building uses no energy at all.

Regional... Read more

Though BuildingGreen has long supported the use of electric hand dryers as a more environmentally friendly hand drying option, the majority of evidence appears to support paper towels as a preferred method of controlling the spread of potential pathogens. 

And even the most efficient hand dryers contribute significant CO2 to the... Read more

Columbia already offers access to free EV charging for our field employees. Of the few projects that have have opted in so far, we've had to custom design and intall EV charging setups. It's good that we're doing this, but it won't scale quickly enough and cost effectively.  I think a practical next step is working with trailer companies so... Read more

Hi Green Gurus (esp. Sustainable MEP leaders...)

I'm looking for suggestions of contacts for MEP consultants, especially in the Chicagoland region, ideally with sustainability highly integrated into the work, specialization in geothermal systems, and indoor agriculture. (doesn't necessarily have to be all-in-one)

For context, we... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Mouth, Meet Money: Case Studies of Outcome-Based Design!

Important: This quiz covers all related articles within this topic. Scroll to the bottom of the article page to find links to all the articles covered by this quiz.

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be... Read more

Hi all,

We are about to start a affordable housing passive house project in Boston and in a few presentations I've seen great signs that builders use to try to get the point across to subs as to how important air sealing is. Some are even quite funny! The builder we are working with does not have a sign like this, but is open to ideas.... Read more

Does anyone have an experience on recycling/reusing architectural glazing? We have a sizable glazing replacement project, and I am realizing how difficult it is to find a way to prevent the glazing from going into the landfill. So far, I have reached out to Terrazzo (aggregate) manufacturers, Glass Recycling Coalition, Architectural Glass... Read more

Hi SDLers,

We’re really looking forward to connecting with many of you in a few weeks for the Summer Summit. Those of you who have registered are now actively helping to set the agenda--as always, it will be filled with rich conversations and connections.

For a range of reasons--new patterns due to the pandemic, the economy, your... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Energy Modeling: Early and Often.

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


1. Explain how energy codes and standards are pushing commercial projects beyond what they can do without modeling.
2. Describe the energy and cost-savings benefits... Read more

Quiz body not needed for this auto-confirmation

Hi folks,

Mahesh announced today that he's leaving his position as CEO of USGBC, GBCI, and ArkScoru, effective Nov. 1. An interim CEO will be announced tomorrow.

I think that Mahesh did some great things for the organization(s)--and he had some really loyal team members. He could also be challenging to work with--as I learned... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Practitioners interested in reducing the embodied carbon of buildings are likely now used to considering the impact of different materials, like mass timber or low-carbon concrete. Low-carbon... Read more

Hope you can join the Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders CALL this Thursday, 12/12 @ 1pm Eastern. 

                Join Zoom Meeting
                https://zoom.us/j/629388002

AGENDA

Nadav will lead a conversation about the new(ish) sustainability clauses in AIA’s Code of Ethics

1. Do you think that they... Read more

Fellow Sages,

I was at an interesting lecture last night. Phil Bernstein (formerly of Autodesk, now at Yale) was speaking (in Lawrence, Kansas, at the U of Kansas) about AI and design/AEC ... you may know that he authored the 2022 book, Machine Learning, about AI and the AEC field. 

Phil has a very interesting posture about AI... Read more

Hi All,

As of February 1, I’ll no longer be on this Forum as I don’t fit into any of the roles of SDL (yet) and I respect this space as a haven for those who do.  Helping to form this network with Nellie, Jim and Nadav has been a highlight of my career. Its truly exciting to see SDL networks finally expand to other practice areas.  I am... Read more