Now that we have a global agreement in place on climate change, which more definitively sets greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and timelines, all eyes are set on the question as to how each country, including the US, will achieve its commitments. For the US, legislation and executive agency action are two important pieces to... Continue Reading →
In May, the Biden Administration issued its Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk to establish a policy framework for maintaining the integrity of the US financial system as it relates to climate change. The Order was aimed at prioritizing climate change from an economic standpoint and raising the flag for the continued risks of physical... Continue Reading →
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) added to its current sustainable project exhibits by releasing its newest document, C204-2020, Sustainability Consultant Scope of Services. In addition, the AIA published an updated version of D503-2020, Guide for Sustainable Projects, which is available as a free download.The new C204 is for use by a sustainability consultant (architect... Continue Reading →
A recent article from David Roberts on Vox resurfaces the benefits of using mass timber (aka, “cross- laminated timber” (CLT)). Over the last century, the design and construction industry has leaned away from wood, especially for non-residential construction, and moved toward more manufactured materials, such as steel, concrete, and iron, in the name of safety.... Continue Reading →
Introduced recently in the U.S. Senate was a bipartisan bill: the Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2017. What this legislation would do is expand the definition of “energy property” in the tax code to include “equipment which receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including hydrolysis),... Continue Reading →
In January of 2015, the Obama Administration issued Executive Order 13690. The order was aimed at improving resilience to current and future flood risks and modified the 1977 Executive order 119888, which addressed flood plain development. Among other actions, the new order directed FEMA to develop a proposed amendment to 44 CFR part 9, “Floodplain... Continue Reading →
Contrary to previous studies that have indicated that worker productivity, health, and overall well-being increase in green offices, a new study by Stefano Schiavon of UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment and Sergio Altomonte of the University of Nottingham’s Environmental Physics and Design Research Group concludes that most office workers do not experience a... Continue Reading →
One of the issues faced increasingly by design firms is whether they have a right to rely on the information provided by manufacturers of products, materials, and systems. While the standard of care basically states that if the reliance of the design firm on a manufacturer’s information or representations is reasonable at the time of... Continue Reading →
Firms that provide LEED-based sustainability certification services hold themselves out as having a special expertise. But destroying credibility with a client can be as easy as contracting with the client to have the project reviewed by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). That name has been around since the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) limited... Continue Reading →
An article in this month’s Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences (on page 36) discusses its National Performance Based Design Guide for Buildings (NPBDG). The NPBDG was created to help owners make choices to achieve better-performing buildings and aid them in communicating their goals to the designers and builders of the projects. Traditionally,... Continue Reading →
