High-R or super-insulated walls are a common component of high performance housing.

For many teams, it is an almost impossible challenge to simultaneously deliver high performance and cost efficient buildings while maintaining high customer satisfaction and profitability.

 Why do we need to pay attention to behavior in buildings?

Significantly reducing energy use in commercial buildings is a challenge. Doing so in cold climates even more so. Getting to Net Zero Energy use in these climates, now that’s what we call a tough... Full Description

Why do we need to ventilate homes? How much air do we need to do it? Once we’ve figured that out, what systems should we install?

You think trombe walls are a relic of the 70s, right? Using extensive data from multiple case studies throughout Maine, New Hampshire & Massachusetts, including a high school, a fire station... Full Description

Resiliency has become about how many inches or feet of sea rise we will experience before 2100. It's currently a data driven goal, but it should not be. What about past 2100?

The role of a building's structure, and of the structural engineer, in achieving sustainability goals is frequently marginalized.

As architects, engineers, and municipal planners, how can we rethink the built environment to install more urban food production and distribution in the city?

At BuildingGreen, I spend about one-fifth of my time doing building investigations, mostly residential. In this session, I will present the building assessment information for a series of... Full Description

Americans say energy efficiency and renewables are important, and that they’re worried about their ability to pay for energy in the future, our dependence on foreign countries and depleting... Full Description

Over 150 villages in Germany produce all of the electricity and most of the heat they consume.  In these so-called "bioenergy villages," renewable energy systems are driving economic growth.  ... Full Description

Fairfax Gardens was a 150 unit dilapidated public housing development in Taunton, MA.

For all the Non Net Zero Homes out there, how can energy tracking at the community level help achieve 2030 goals? Four diverse building pros share lessons learned from their experience tracking... Full Description

Never get the R-15 wool insulation pulled over your eyes again! Separating green from greenwash is getting harder as standards proliferate.

If LEDs are the next best thing, why do so many building professionals still feel “in the dark” about the technology? Welcome to modern lighting where counter-intuitive chaotic tension is the... Full Description

Paul, Chris, Andy, Tom and Heather went to Scandinavia to learn about what the Swedes and Danes are doing about climate change.

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge invites today’s practitioners to answer his call "to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation,... Full Description

Low-load homes struggle with summertime humidity more than conventional homes, and the Northeast isn’t getting any less tropical.  Let’s get ready.  We will consider how latent and sensible loads... Full Description

It is said that homebuilding can look back at 300 years of history unimpeded by progress. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the energy-sucking, defect prone truth is unacceptable.

This session provides an overview of the interactions between the building façade and HVAC systems. By distilling this subject into macro and micro level themes, we hope to broaden the... Full Description

Session two will dig deeper into two solutions – both fresher paths forward than the expensive model of centralized-systems solutions.

“Is Foam Evil?”—that’s how this session was originally titled. Saner heads prevailed: foam is so highly insulating, so airtight, so slick on the jobsite, how could we ask such a question? Wait—it’... Full Description

Central ventilation systems in multifamily buildings are a vital building system that often compromises overall building performance (ie they don’t perform to code almost 100% of the time).