Championing the
Changemakers

Data from 35,000 buildings in which EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager was used to benchmark energy performance from 2008 to 2011 show average savings of 2.4% per year, for total average savings of 7% over three years. According to a survey in Building Operating Management, 70% of facility managers who use Portfolio Manager report using it to... Read more

Based on data from 735 California cities, the authors of “Public Procurement and the Private Supply of Green Buildings” estimate that cities... Read more

Hosey challenges Le Corbusier’s dedication to pure mathematical... Read more

Geophysical Research Letters. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey studied permafrost soils vulnerable to thawing and subsequent decomposition in a warming climate; they estimate the soils could release... Read more

BuildingGreen, publisher of

EBN, has announced its Top-10 Green Building Products for 2013. The eleventh annual awards, announced at the Greenbuild conference in San Francisco, are our editors’ picks of the most innovative green building products, drawn... Read more

The guidelines focus on maintenance; moisture and mold issues; pests and pesticides; ventilation; and contaminants that include PCBs, radon, and diesel exhaust. Along with recommendations on assessing existing resources among state agencies, the guidelines offer case studies and technical advice, including regular HVAC inspection, selection of... Read more

We’ve been hearing more and more lately about wood framing for midsize (and even some high-rise) commercial buildings, and this year... Read more

As natural barriers fell and infrastructure flooded in the path of Superstorm Sandy, some analysts suggested the need for a $10 billion seawall for New York City. While that particular proposal is likely to be an ecological disaster (reestablishing natural wetlands would make more sense) the idea of making investments now to forestall future... Read more

It’s mist! It’s smoke! It’s a low-lying cloud!

In fact, the eerie fog pouring from under the soffits of a newly built elementary school on a U.S. military base was just the disappointing result of an air-barrier test. Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has required performance testing of air barriers in all its... Read more

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) is launching an education program to engage K–12 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, collectively known as “STEM.” The program specifically focuses on building design, construction, and operations and maintenance, and includes developing age-appropriate content within... Read more

Submissions are open for the latest, expanded round of annual Top Ten awards from the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE).

The 2013 Top Ten Green Projects Awards see the addition of the AIA/COTE Top Ten Plus Award, to be granted to a previous Top Ten recipient. Projects submitted for Top Ten Plus... Read more

I attended the Greenbuild Conference and related meetings in San... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched a massive online database of buildings called the Green Building Information Gateway, or GBIG. Many of the buildings with the most robust data in GBIG are LEED-certified, but despite its USGBC pedigree the database is not limited to LEED. The tool allows users to:

• find green... Read more

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the C2C material screening process was proprietary. It is, however, available on the group's website.The long-anticipated third version of the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) green product standard will add a new certification level and make energy and water requirements more stringent—at the... Read more

Certain flame retardants pose serious health and environmental risks without significantly increasing fire safety, according to a consensus statement being circulated this week at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild convention in San Francisco. The resolution gathers fire safety experts, chemists, architects, and environmentalists... Read more

Last year's BuildingGreen Top-10 product awards were the first to emphasize resilient design. This year, in the wake of more droughts, wildfires, and the last straw—SuperStorm Sandy—our need to focus on resilience is ever more urgent. Hand... Read more

LEED-certified buildings have better energy performance than 89% of buildings in the U.S., according to the results of a two-year study released today by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creator of the LEED rating systems. Overall, the 195 commercial and retail buildings in the sample were using 47% less energy than average buildings... Read more