To provide architects with the assurance and documentation they need to meet and verify their sustainability goals, glass manufacturers can electively participate in a range of programs and initiatives that certify their products are a sustainable choice.

More refrigerants means more carbon. We need to better prioritize refrigerants in the building sector carbon conversation.

Now more than ever, it’s critical that we’re committed to embodied carbon reduction. To do this, AEC professionals need to focus on reducing the embodied carbon of materials and construction processes, which is often overlooked but crucial for overall carbon reduction

With the USGBC's release of LEED v5 for public comment earlier this year, architects and contractors are already strategizing on the best practices for earning LEED credits. So, how can the coil and extrusion coatings specified for metal roofs and walls contribute to LEED credits?

REI Co-op announced its newest distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee earned the prestigious LEED v4 Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This achievement marks the first certified facility of its kind in Tennessee and the largest LEED Platinum industrial building in the Southeast. REI joins an elite group of only 10 warehouse facilities in the country to achieve this rating.

Emerald Elementary School in Broomfield, Colorado is a net-zero-ready, public school serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Designed and constructed to meet the highest green building standards, the new school supports the district’s aggressive sustainability and energy efficiency goals.

Building Enclosure was recently joined by Daniel Overbey. Dan is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Ball State University and the Director of Sustainability for Browning Day in Indianapolis. He joined us to chat about some trends in sustainability and how this ties into LEED v5.

In many cases, building envelope design is mostly a matter of aesthetics and costs. As attention to environmental issues grows, however, sustainability and energy-related concerns play an increasing role in these decisions. The push to reduce urban heat island effects is one of the most prominent of these concerns.

Our Summer issue is packed with sustainability topics, including the importance of adaptive reuse and the impact on the building enclosure.