Championing the
Changemakers
BuildingGreen champions the changemakers in sustainable design and building, with trusted insight, unparalleled education, and communities that are transforming the industry.
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News Brief
A new database of commercial cleaning products, Transpare.com, could help cleaning-service contractors and facility managers make more sustainable and healthier choices.
Launched by ISSA, an international trade association of cleaning professionals and... Read more
News Analysis
News Brief
Huddled together in the wooded “islands” of New York City parks, urban white-footed mice have begun to differentiate genetically from... Read more
Product Review
A shocking 40% of food produced in the U.S. never gets eaten, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (PDF). That means we’re casually throwing out a quarter of the fresh water we consume and 4% of the oil... Read more
News Brief
Federal lawsuits against a number of manufacturers and installers of the insulation have been filed throughout the U.S., according to Scott Gibson at the website GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, with homeowners claiming they have been forced out of their homes due to health... Read more
News Brief
A new database developed by researchers at Colorado State University, the Advanced Energy Legislation Tracker (AEL Tracker), serves as a clearinghouse for energy-policy information in all 50 U.S. States. The group’s website also provides... Read more
Op-Ed
The foam insulation industry's united stand against code changes could backfire in the marketplace.
As EBN reported in January 2013 (Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation), a group of environmentally concerned and health-conscious architects, builders, chemists, and others (including BuildingGreen, Inc.) has been working to... Read more
Explainer
POEs tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your buildings. Don't be afraid to ask.
The ribbon is cut, the plaque is mounted, and the design awards have already started piling up. Punch it in!
Meanwhile, some occupants are shivering in multiple sweaters, others are blocking glare with umbrellas, and not even the facility manager can figure out how to turn off the lights in the third-floor men’s room. How will... Read more
News Analysis
Energy savings from on-demand water heating varies wildly depending on usage patterns.
Who wouldn’t want “an endless supply of hot water” that “revolutionizes efficiency and convenience”? Why settle for less than “40% savings on utility costs”? And “a continuous supply of hot water from an energy-efficient and space-saving product” does sound pretty irresistible.
But do these claims, all found on websites advertising... Read more
Product Review
FloLogic detects leaks from plumbing and shuts down the home’s water supply, protecting the building and saving resources.
A couple of years ago, a shower pipe connection came apart on the third floor of our neighbor’s house just after he’d stepped out for a walk. By the time he returned, water had coursed its way down to the first floor, ruining the ceilings, the hardwood floors, and many of his personal belongings.
Problems like this can be avoided using... Read more
Feature
The industry will be in a better place a decade from now if we master these skills.
What should the state of green building be ten years from now?
Whether your vision is for net-zero-energy buildings, communities that are integrated with their natural environments, or healthy living and working environments for everyone, there are some basic skills the industry has to master for that kind of goal to be... Read more
News Analysis
Developed by glazing manufacturers, the Active House program emphasizes daylighting along with energy efficiency
A building standard emphasizing daylighting and natural ventilation promotes net-zero-energy homes peppered with lots of operable windows and skylights—but is it more than a publicity stunt by skylight manufacturers?
The Active House standard was developed by an alliance of mostly European manufacturers, designers, and nonprofits led by... Read more
Blog Post
I’ve long... Read more
Blog Post
The Bullitt Center in Seattle is showing that a six-story, 52,000 square-foot building can meet the net-zero-energy, net-zero-water Living Building Challenge
The Living... Read more
Blog Post
Readers of this Energy Solutions blog may be aware that I’ve... Read more
Blog Post
We’ve been keeping an eye on the sweeping Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (PDF), introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D–NH) and Rob Portman (R–Ohio).
The common-sense bill, likely to come... Read more
Blog Post
Turning waste into a unique architectural product, Coldspring and Jason F. McLennan have teamed up on a new dimensional stone product.
As the founder and CEO of the International Living Future Institute and its influential Living Building Challenge, Declare product database, and Living Future unConference, Jason F. McLennan has been busy... Read more
Blog Post
Wait a second. Spring has barely sprung, and you’re saying we need to start thinking about energy audits already? What’s up with that... Read more
Blog Post
It’s been a long and confusing year for people who track federal green building policies.
Between the military’s LEED... Read more
Case Study
Highest Common Denominator: A center for nurturing bio-entrepreneurship in New Orleans is a prototype for nimble sustainability.
The New Orleans Bioinnovation Center (NOBIC) was a long time coming. From the moment the project began the planning phase in 2002, it was plagued by rising construction costs and fund-raising complexities. The owners had reclaimed a brownfield site in the burgeoning biotechnology district across from Tulane University Medical School on historic... Read more
