What could possibly go wrong?

A program at the Philadelphia AIA Design on the Delaware annual conference last week, discussed the legal aspects of green building. The panelists used an outlandish hypothetical case to explore where the design pitfalls may lie. Issues ignored by the..

I just completed review of a new document that the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) will be publishing soon: The CSI Sustainable Design and Construction Practice Guide, one of a series of practice guides. The guide references the CSI flagship..

I attended a presentation on an office building designed to meet the Living Building Challenge. One of the design concepts was to achieve net zero energy (metered) for the completed design. This means that the metered power sent to the utility grid from..

How can you make sure you get that "like new" look for the completed masonry? Detergent washing is only removing the surface dirt - not the right result. Chemical masonry cleaning is a necessary evil in new construction. It's not as bad as you might..

Can we please stop calling solar, wind, and other LEED and government promoted energy sources "renewable?"

Wood's natural decay resistance is dependent on species selection and the part of the tree that is used. Tropical rainforest species are not required for durable wood in exterior applications. Learn what US native species are sustainable alternatives and..

Brick selection is usually based on aesthetic factors, first, such as size, color, and texture. These aesthetic factors can dramatically affect the perception of a completed building. For designers making the aesthetic selections, there is usually little..