BuildingGreen Report

Blog Post

May 19, 2011
The IGCC is designed to implement green building on a massive scale--not to replace LEED. There are many challenges with mandating daylighting within an international code framework. This illustrates one of them: geography plays a huge role in daylighting, but established climate zones do not overlap with daylight availability, so separate... Read more

Blog Post

May 18, 2011
How to tell green from greenwash? Our free recorded webinar is available below, and we're also using this space to answer questions from the live webcast. Enjoy!

We just finished our first webinar on Green Building Product Certifications, and I promised people on the call that I'd create a blog post to continue the discussion – so here it is.... Read more

Blog Post

May 18, 2011

What used to be called the "bricks and mortar," or the material building blocks, of our homes are the ingredients we use to assemble a structure which we intend (or should) to be sound, healthy and durable. But what, precisely, do we mean by those descriptors?

[Editor's note: Robert Riversong, a Vermont builder, continues his 10-part... Read more

News Brief

May 18, 2011

by Paula MeltonThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is seeking entries through July 1, 2011 for a Multifamily Midrise Design Competition. The contest centers on a historic New Orleans school building that was damaged in a 2008 fire. Entries must follow the LEED for Homes rating system for multifamily midrise buildings, be designed... Read more

Blog Post

Crowd-sourced commentary enriches proposed rules for building well.

May 14, 2011

I'm not sure if it was the topic or the all-star panel that drew a crowd to a session entitled "Beyond the Red List" at the recent Living Future conference in Vancouver. Along with other great panelists, Tom Lent of the Healthy Building Network teamed up with Robin Guenther from Perkins+Will to share a strong call to action on toxicity in... Read more

Blog Post

May 13, 2011
Thomas Friedman argues that sustainable design is patriotic. Will non-choir members be convinced?

Posted the next day.

As Bourbon Street throbs beneath my hotel room window, it is a little hard to focus on anything else--and in my exhausted state it's all starting to get mixed up with Thomas Friedman's talk this morning.

... Read more

Blog Post

May 12, 2011
With an intense focus on regional design and other green building issues, AIA 2011 looks to the future.

I've just arrived in the press room at the AIA National Convention in New Orleans, and am really looking forward to learning a lot, finding some exciting new products to share with you, and perhaps even meeting some of you in person.... Read more

News Brief

May 11, 2011
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By Emily CatacchioOn May 2, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the second Energy Star National Building Competition, titled... Read more

Blog Post

May 11, 2011

By HB Lozito

Ideas worth spreading have a way of crossing disciplines. At a recent TED event, HB Lozito found links to green building that may surprise you.

Like many other people, I have been lusting after attending a TED talk for the last several years. I tend to eat them up while on my lunch break. Or better still, if I can... Read more

Blog Post

May 10, 2011
Attending Decon '11

Reusing building materials is an increasingly pressing topic as the global recession continues and people begin to notice greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production of new building materials (see “A 2030 Challenge for Building Product Manufacturers,” EBN March 2011). Next week, I will attend the Building Materials... Read more

Blog Post

May 9, 2011
Enerconcepts' Lubi transpired solar air heating system uses perforated polycarbonate glazing to transfer solar energy into the space between a building exterior wall and the panel where it can be used to preheat ventilation air. Conserval's SolarWall was the pioneer in the transpired solar collector market, but innovations abound. How do the... Read more

Blog Post

May 4, 2011

We continue our primer on building responsibly in the post-carbon era: How do we design to honor and support nature's patterns, rather than co-opting them?

[Editor's note: Robert Riversong, a Vermont builder, continues his 10-part series of articles taking design and construction to what he sees as radical or "root" concerns. Enjoy--... Read more

Blog Post

May 3, 2011

Biomass supporters cite it as a "green" fuel like wind and solar. Using it to generate electricity, though, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of public health and efficiency.

"On a scale from 1 to 10, how nice are you?"

My nine-year-old neighbor put that question to me recently. He had been asked the question as part of an... Read more

Blog Post

May 3, 2011

Enter the greenwash-free zone with the webinar that answers your questions on what green labels really mean and which ones to trust.

Wed., May 18 | 3 p.m. ET Register now

What the heck do all these labels mean?

"Green" labels are everywhere today, from your breakfast coffee to every other building product. While there are... Read more

News Analysis

May 3, 2011

The only program of its kind, CBECS gathers a massive amount of hard data on energy use of all kinds within the nation’s commercial building stock. The 2003 survey looked at 5,200 buildings, representing about 72 billion square feet of space. The data is used, among other things, to support energy-efficiency benchmarking in a variety of... Read more

News Analysis

EPA takes another look at spray foam after increasing consumer health complaints. The action plan leaves open questions about how far EPA will go to clamp down on these products, but it's safe to think of this as a shot across the bow from EPA for the SPF industry.

May 3, 2011

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new action plan for chemicals used in spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation. Isocyanates, such as MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), are highly reactive chemicals that can cause skin, eye, and lung irritation, asthma, and chemical sensitization when absorbed through... Read more

Blog Post

April 29, 2011
More than 10,000 Silva Cells were installed in downtown Minneapolis to support tree growth and help manage stormwater runoff. It's spring and time to get outside! GreenSpec looks at landscaping products that use recycled content, save water, reduce stormwater runoff, and even look good.

After a long, cold winter in Vermont (and yes, it even... Read more

Blog Post

April 29, 2011
Lots of big news from the 2011 Living Future event in Vancouver, including the winners of the Living City competition.

The 2011 Living Future "unconference" in Vancouver is a hopping, high-energy event. As usual, CEO, host, and MC Jason McLennan has set a high bar with his passion and willingness to push boundaries. Except Jason, all the... Read more

News Brief

April 29, 2011

EBN Oct. 2010). The Maryland housing department and local governments are allowed to amend IGCC within their own jurisdictions. The bill, developed by the International Code Council and others, establishes a green model code focused on commercial buildings. For more information, visit mlis.state.md.us.