Forum topic
Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders –
I find it hard to believe calls for session proposals are already out for next year’s AIA Conference on Architecture. I feel like I just got back!
At my firm, we try to have all principals and associates to submit a proposal each year. I had a couple of take-aways from this year’s... Read more
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Hi! Over the last 10 years, the firm where I work in Boston has predominately designed housing & senior living projects in the the Boston Metro region, with the occassional project in NH, CT, RI, and NY. We have built projects as far south at DC, but never designed anything to my knowledge in California in our 55 years of operation. A... Read more
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Hi - I'm wondering if you have recommendations for a web/mobile app for occupants to self-assess comfort at regular intervals. I've downloaded comfy, but it wants to actually DO something about thermal discomfort by alerting discomfort and connecting, I believe, to the BMS. We just want to collect information at this point. And since I'm a... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Boost Happiness and Save Energy with Adaptive Thermal Comfort!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Define “adaptive thermal comfort” and explain how it can contribute to occupant health and satisfaction.
Compare the adaptive comfort model... Read more
Forum topic
Know any awesome sustainability leaders within GC or CM firms? They can be at mid-sized or large construction companies—any firm in the ENR top 400 qualifies for sure, others might need some vetting. The key is people who have sustainability as the focus of how they spend their time--either formally by title or otherwise.
We want to... Read more
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Hello all,
Many of you have been asking about the CC reporting template for 2023 projects. It is still in-progress, but we can promise a huge upgrade from the past couple of years. In particular, the new template is designed for ongoing project tracking over the course of the year (rather than purely documentaion after the fact). ... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
All members of the WA Building Code Council received an email from Tim Attebery of the Washington State AGC and I'm trying to make sense of the role of the AGC and whether it is representing the consensus option of general contractors in Washington or not. The letter is very much against the energy code advancement, which... Read more
Forum topic
We recently received an email from two high school students in Indianapolis with some great questions about construction waste management. If you're interested in helping these budding SCLers with their research, let me know and I'll send you Gabriela's email address:
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... Read more
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Good morning. If you're worried like I am by today's new IPCC Report and would like some helpful explanation I recommend reading climate scientist Zeke Hausfather's lengthy Twitter feed summarizing key aspects with graphics. It's here https://twitter.com/hausfath/status/1424642708291821569?s=21
of course we need to see this as an even... Read more
Product Guide
Composite windows come in two basic types: fiberglass, and wood/plastic composite.
BuildingGreen-Approved Windows
Fiberglass and other composite window lines have NFRC unit U-factors of 0.20 or lower. Higher U-factors are allowed for products that include significant recycled content.
Manufacturers also must demonstrate... Read more
Forum topic
Mark your calendars! Wednesday March 9th, 3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT) - Sustainability Leaders State of the Regions.
We’ve seen a lot of momentum building around the potential for regional Sustainability Leaders groups, and we want to learn how best to support this activity. On this call, we’ll have a few currently active regional groups share... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Certified Wood Update: Comparing SFI to FSC on Key Forestry and Health Issues.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the purpose of forest management standards and what they measure.
2. Differentiate between FSC and SFI... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks,
We're kicking off a new way for us to collaborate as a network: monthly web-based conference calls. The first one will be on Friday, Nov 15 at 1:00 eastern time. The topic will be "Sustainability and the Small Firm: Practices in Transition" -- which is the name of the proposal James has submitted (and gotten first-round... Read more
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We have an environmentally-minded client who asked us to look into an alternative to the blue adhesive film that is typically used to seal uninstalled ducts for IAQ purposes. From a human health and waste perspective, they were hoping to find something that was both plastic-free and reusable. Has anyone tried out other options? I thought it was... Read more
Forum topic
Hello good people and fabulous troublemakers,
PFAS is in everything. In May, the NY Times published an article about this, along with the governments work to remove it from drinking water. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/climate/six-things-to-know-about-forever-chemicals.html
As you may know, a working group has been gathering... Read more