The Biden-Harris Administration released Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector, a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.

While the resilience benefits of building codes are already staggering, the discussion is expanding beyond traditional definitions of benefit.

Owens Corning announced the full conversion of its extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation production to FOAMULAR^® NGX^® (Next Generation Extruded) in all US and Canadian plants.

The U.S. General Services Administration recently awarded over $10 million to select windows made of low embodied carbon glass to be featured in an existing renovation project at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. U.S. Courthouse and Annex buildings in Richmond, Virginia.

Post-construction metrics are imperative to continue improving operations as new technology emerges. With each innovation, you can lower a building’s carbon footprint and support the environment.

Statewide energy codes are important for several reasons—not the least of which are reduced energy consumption, mitigated greenhouse gas emissions, minimized building operational costs, and improved climate resilience. Yet, at the time of this writing, ten states do not have a statewide commercial energy code.

A new study revealed that U.S. emissions from the built environment have increased by 3 percent in the last decade - a trend that looks set to continue. Research by 3Keel and Kingspan found that reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings are reversing in the U.S.

Enclosure materials influence embodied carbon goals. This means that selecting and designing for low-carbon enclosure materials is important for reducing the overall embodied carbon impact of the building. It is important to note that using heavier enclosure assemblies may require additional structural support, increasing the embodied carbon associated with the building structure.

Huntsman Building Solutions has worked closely with the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission, Utah Home Builders Association, Representative Cal Musselman, and Senator Curt Bramble to drive significant changes to Utah's energy efficiency requirements.

Driven by rising energy costs, government mandates, long-term cost savings, and simply doing the right thing for future generations, schools are increasingly turning to engineers and architects to move towards net zero energy consumption.