Kaiser Borsari Hall will draw 100% of its electricity from a rooftop solar panel array. Photo courtesy Perkins&Will

Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions

Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.

MFPRO+ New Projects

Two San Francisco multifamily high rises install onsite water recycling systems

Two high-rise apartment buildings in San Francisco have installed onsite water recycling systems that will reuse a total of 3.9 million gallons of wastewater annually. The recycled water will be used for toilet flushing, cooling towers, and landscape irrigation to significantly reduce water usage in both buildings.

Mass Timber

3 mass timber architecture innovations

As mass timber construction evolves from the first decade of projects, we're finding an increasing variety of mass timber solutions. Here are three primary examples.

Adaptive Reuse

Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility

The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.

Photo: M.O. Stevens via Wikimedia Commons

Nov 2, 2014

Top 10 LEED lessons learned from a green building veteran

M+W Group's David Gibney offers his top lessons learned from coordinating dozens of large LEED projects during the past 13 years.

CannonDesign | Oct 30, 2014

CannonDesign releases guide for specifying flooring in healthcare settings

The new report, "Flooring Applications in Healthcare Settings," compares and contrasts different flooring types in the context of parameters such as health and safety impact, design and operational issues, environmental considerations, economics, and product options.

One Bryant Park, New York. Photo: Ryan Browne, Cook+Fox Architects via Wikipedia

Oct 29, 2014

Better guidance for appraising green buildings is steadily emerging

The Appraisal Foundation is striving to improve appraisers’ understanding of green valuation.

Starbucks stores are profiled in the report, as the company has opened 500-LEED

Oct 27, 2014

Report estimates 1.2 million people experience LEED-certified retail centers daily

The "LEED In Motion: Retail" report includes USGBC’s conceptualization of the future of retail, emphasizing the economic and social benefit of green building for retailers of all sizes and types.

Oct 27, 2014

Top 10 green building products for 2015

Among the breakthrough products to make BuildingGreen's annual Top-10 Green Building Products list are halogen-free polyiso insulation and a high-flow-rate biofiltration system.

The 44,640-sf Iowa Utilities Board/Office of the Consumer Advocate Building in D

Oct 21, 2014

Inside LEED v4: The view from the MEP engineering seats

Much of the spirited discussion around LEED v4 has been centered on the Materials & Resources Credit. At least one voice in the wilderness is shouting for greater attention to another huge change in LEED: the shift to ASHRAE 90.1-2010 as the new reference standard for Energy & Atmosphere prerequisites and credits.

The research can help designers identify which products should be subjected to e

Oct 16, 2014

Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials

The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.

Photo courtesy Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities

Oct 15, 2014

Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities

The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”

Oct 14, 2014

USGBC awards individuals, firms for leading the way in sustainable construction

This year’s Leadership Award recipients include Christine Ervin, David Orr, Jim DeCesare, Lloyd Alter, Tom Paladino, The Near Westside Initiative, and Mars, Inc.

Sep 29, 2014

Report finds links between office design, health and productivity

A new report from the World Green Building Council finds “overwhelming evidence” to support office design as a significant influencer of the health, wellbeing and productivity of staff.