Building-Integrated PV: New Opportunities for a Bright Future
by
BIPV has yet to reach its full potential in the U.S., but a couple companies are giving it a shot.
Soltecture's Corium thin-film CIGS BIPV is installed on the company's headquarters in Berlin.Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)--photovoltaic (PV) modules integrated into functional building elements, such as roofs, glazings, and building façades--are fairly common in Europe and Asia. Yet finding commercial BIPV façade products in the U.S. is nearly impossible. Why is that?
Why We Care About Product Transparency
by
What's in it? Where was it made? Is the manufacturer socially responsible? These questions about green building products are getting easier to answer.
This is Part 1 in our series on transparency.
Part 2: Why We Need "Nutrition Labels" for Building Products
Part 3: The End of Greenwashing?
Why We Need "Nutrition Labels" for Building Products (Video)
by
Nutrition labels allow shoppers to compare two bags of chips. The transparency movement seeks that level of transparency for building materials.
This is Part 2 in our series on transparency.
Part 1: Why We Care About Product Transparency
Part 3: The End of Greenwashing? Five Myths about Product Transparency
LEED Certification Project Submittal Tips from GBCI
by
A lot of you have asked over the last couple years: What information are LEED reviewers looking at when they're reviewing our LEED documentation, and can't that information be made available to everyone?
In what seems to be a nod in that direction, GBCI has posted a set of LEED Project Submittal Tips for the five major commercial LEED rating systems, including both the current 2009 versions, and the previous 2008 or v2 versions.
Resilient Design: Dramatically Better Building Envelopes
by
A resilient home is a highly energy-efficient home that will maintain livable conditions even during power outages or interruptions in heating fuel.
A superinsulated "Passive House" being built by Dan Whitmore in Seattle. These wall trusses provide about a foot of insulation. Photo: Dan Whitmore. Click on image to enlarge.When most people think about resilience--resilience to storms or terrorism, for example--they think only about resilience during the event.
USGBC Recognizes Ten Leaders in Green Education
by
USGBC's Center for Green Schools lauds ten groups for taking the lead on green building education.
This student services center, designed by Hill & Wilkinson for the University of Texas–Dallas, is the first building in the UT system to achieve LEED Platinum. Automated terra cotta louvers, seen on the right, help keep the building cool in the extreme Texas heat.The 10 Biggest Green Building Stories of 2011
by
Windows, carpet chemicals, spray-foam, and LEED lawsuits: these are a few of your favorite things.
It's been a big year for green building. People are tightening up their buildings even as they tighten their belts. The retrofit market and multifamily housing have taken off in a big way in this new financial landscape.