Site Assessment & Design

Photo: Bindersbee (public domain)

Whether or not a design team has a say in siting a project, carefully assessing the site should be on every project’s to-do list. A site assessment early in design can reduce costs, allay potential risks, support the health and well-being of occupants and native habitat, and promote other unique site features.
And site design goes hand in hand with building design, as the building interacts with the site when it comes to daylight, rainwater management, views and biophilia, and other building features.

Site Assessment & Design

Deep Dives

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  • Are Cool Roofs Green? The Answer’s Not Black and White

    Feature Article

    Roofing choices are complicated by heating tradeoffs, climate effects, and condensation, but proponents say reflective roofs still make sense in most climates.

  • Growing Food Locally: Integrating Agriculture Into the Built Environment

    Feature Article

    With a little ingenuity, the flat roofs and vacant lots of urban centers can be used effectively for food production. Numerous models can bring building-integrated food production to your project, while making our food supply chain more sustainable.

  • Alternative Water Sources: Supply-Side Solutions for Green Buildings

    Feature Article

    Water efficiency should be a top priority for our buildings. At the same time, finding alternative sources of water is also important for sustainability and passive survivability. Several sources of water can be harvested at the building level as well as through municipal-scale wastewater treatment and desalination.

Quick Takes

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  • Porous Paving

    Primer

    Pavement that allows infiltration of stormwater comes in a variety of types, and offers many environmental and even cost benefits.

Product Guidance

Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.


In The News

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Perspective

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Learning Resources

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  • Native Landscaping for Biodiversity

    Spotlight Report

    It may take hundreds or thousands of years to return to pre-industrial-age levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, but the loss of animal and plant species that is occurring today is, practically speaking, irreversible.

Just For Fun

Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...


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