Championing the
Changemakers

I am looking at having staff members take a materials course and deciding between Parsons Healthier Materials and AIA Materials Matter certificate programs. Does anyone have feedback on either? Bonus points if you know about both and can provide a direct comparison. Thanks!

Opal Mao Mannella-Durante

Welcome to the quiz portion of The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies.

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


1. Define hygrothermal pressure and explain what it requires of water, air, and thermal barriers in high-performance assemblies.
2. Explain... Read more

All,

Beck is making great strides in our AIA 2030 Commitment and we are looking for an experienced energy modeler to join our team, please reach out if you know of anyone that is looking and has energy modeling experience.  the job is posted on our website:  https://beckgroup.applicantpro.com/jobs/1011136.html

Does anyone have an idea when the AIA Materials Pledge Reporting Framework will be available? Or is there a draft of what it looks like? 

BWBR is on a push to refine our approach towards materials. As AIA Material's Pledge signatory, we were hoping to incorporate the reporting framework into our efforts. Trying to get a sense of the... Read more

As I mentioned in my five-minute presentation this morning and then discussed a little more in the break-out on RELi that followed, the full RELi Rating System, in its current form, has now been posted online: http://anyflip.com/zyqc/mdir/

Unfortunately, this is only posted as a flipbook, currently (viewable online only), and isn't... Read more

Hello, 

We are becoming involved with the design/construction of a new k-12 school that is intersted in entertaining geothermal. Does anyone have payback studies on geothermal?

Thanks!

For a number of years a colleague and I have been teaching a course about sustainability and water in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania's architectural school (PennDesign).  This year we're hoping to bring a few new opinions to the table for at the same time as we broaden the discussion.  Because the class will be virtual again... Read more

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

Hi all,

We are growing our sustainability group at Flad -- we have a great opportunity to make significant progress as we approach 2030, and we are currently looking for someone to join us in our Madison office. If you know someone who is looking for an entry-level sustainability position, and would enjoy living in Madison, Wisconsin, my... Read more

I have a colleague (lawyer) who is trying to assemble a list of precedent projects that used penalties or incentives for achieving energy targets. The topic she is addressing is how contracts may be changed to address growing climate change concerns.

At the moment, the only concrete example she has is a project in Washington by the US... Read more

Hi all,

Just like many of you, our firm is dedicated to increasing representation in the professions and through its relationship to the AIA Large Firm Round Table was able to access a National Organization of Minority Architects Fellow this summer. We’re loving our work with Himesh thus far, but it’s unclear whether we have the workload... Read more

BuildingGreen recommends low-emitting acoustic ceilings that do not contain formaldehyde resins or PVC coatings. Look for those that have C2C Silver or Gold certifications, are Declare Red List Free, and are third-party certified for low emissions using CDPH Standard Method. We also prefer wood ceiling products with FSC certification. The... Read more

I received the following email from Naajia at Southface.  I'll be out of town until November 8, but I'll see if there's time for me to address at least the second part before I leave:

A question regarding the BIT-User Forum was brought to my attention by a participant. Apparently when you are posting a question and you pick your location... Read more

Beginning this year, Miller Hull will not only continue to quantify the upfront embodied carbon of every project we finish through construction, but now purchase third-party certified carbon offsets equivalent to one-third of the project’s impact. Great design is no longer enough - we must take responsibility for our architectural impact in the... Read more

Hello everyone,

Here's a reminder that our next monthly call will be taking place next Tuesday, October 8th at 2:00pm EST.

Please feel free to join us!

Join Zoom Meeting - I double-checked this link and it is correct!

https://zoom.us/j/248664490

One tap mobile
+16699006833,,248664490# US (San Jose)... Read more