Setting Goals
When clients express vague goals like wanting their new building to be “green” or “healthy,” the team is often left with little idea of what they actually mean.
The stories and tools discussed here will help you:
-
engage the client to tease out more specific goals
-
provide educational materials to help clients make decisions
- suggest ways to measure success
Setting Goals
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
-
Why Schools Are Embracing Net-Zero Energy
Feature Article
Schools are leading the way in net-zero energy, but some designers question whether these goals create the best learning environments.
-
Embracing the Economy as a Design Challenge
Feature Article
How architects, community developers, and others are experimenting with new models to support progressive design.
-
Mouth, Meet Money: Case Studies of Outcome-Based Design
Feature Article
Performance-based incentives are a growing (and positive) trend. They’re not as risky as they sound, but there are some steps you should be taking to prepare.
-
How to Make Integrated Project Delivery Work for Your Project
Feature Article
Early successes with IPD are now legendary but also fostered misconceptions. We deconstruct those and provide tips to ensure collaboration translates to results.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
-
Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
-
Who's Invited to the Green Building Table?
Infographic
Design-bid-build, design-build, and integrated project delivery explained.
-
Owner’s Project Requirements: What It Is, What It Could Be
Primer
Clients, designers, and commissioning agents don’t always get what they need out of the OPR. Some teams are trying to change that.
-
Weighting Environmental Impact Categories
Primer
Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) score products or design options across a series of environmental impact categories. To compare two products with different impact profiles, it becomes necessary to weight those categories, a difficult process.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
-
Top Ten Toolkit Helps All Projects Boost Performance
News Brief
AIA Committee on the Environment have launched the Top Ten Toolkit, a best-practice design guide based on the criteria for the COTE Top Ten awards.
-
Sustainability Goals Really Do Lead to High Performance, Say Feds
News Brief
The GSA says energy, water, and waste were all lower in high-performance buildings.
-
Washington, D.C. First to Achieve LEED at Citywide Scale
News Analysis
The city is first to earn a Platinum LEED for Cities certification, leveraging information technology to track progress toward a range of sustainability goals.
-
Workbook Provides Hands-On Exercises to Cultivate Integrative Design
News Brief
A new book offers practical guidance on how to foster a culture of meaningful collaboration.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
-
Why Schools Are Embracing Net-Zero Energy
Feature Article
Schools are leading the way in net-zero energy, but some designers question whether these goals create the best learning environments.
-
Mouth, Meet Money: Case Studies of Outcome-Based Design
Feature Article
Performance-based incentives are a growing (and positive) trend. They’re not as risky as they sound, but there are some steps you should be taking to prepare.
-
How to Make Integrated Project Delivery Work for Your Project
Feature Article
Early successes with IPD are now legendary but also fostered misconceptions. We deconstruct those and provide tips to ensure collaboration translates to results.
-
How to Succeed with the Living Building Challenge: 12 Teams Share Tips
Feature Article
The bar is high—that’s obvious—but watch out for some surprising pitfalls. Here’s how dedicated teams have tackled Living Building challenges.
