GREEN TECHNOLOGY IN CONSTRUCTION

Get insight into the latest green technologies and innovations that are making buildings more sustainable. Earn valuable continuing education credits and learn more about green-building performance, energy modeling, BIM, LEED, green-building materials, and more.

	Keep It Clean To protect its watershed, Philadelphia rolls out infrastructure on a city-wide scale. Photo by Darren Braun
	Up, Up and Away Designers of recent tall, supertall, or megatall buildings are delivering more than iconic forms. Innovative strategies boost the use of natural forces, reduce total energy use, and conserve water. Illustration by Holly Lindem
	Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You Nationwide initiatives seek to better integrate public-health priorities with planning, design and development processes. Illustration by Chris Dent
	Data Driven How owners can make more accurate assessments of their high-performance buildings. Illustration by Chad Hagen
	Wood's New Wave Advances in computer software and computer technology make wood more viable as a structural component. Photo © Nic Lehoux
	Bracing for Climate Change As the symptoms of a warming planet become more obvious, design professionals look for ways to adapt buildings to a changing environment. Illustration by Yuko Shimizu
	California Greenin' San Francisco takes the most stringent building code in the country to the next level. Illustration by Richard Perez
	The New Cool Data Centers The information technology industry is working on all fronts to better manage its intense consumption of energy. Photo © Jonnu Singleton Photography
	Site Specific A New Sustainable Rating System Aims to Protect and Regenerate the Ecological Capacity of Landscapes. Photo © SWT Design
	The Little Engines That Can The predominant method of generating electricity in the United States—by burning fossil fuels at central power plants—is extraordinarily inefficient. Illustration by Ryan Boyl
	Off the Map Geographic information systems put data in the hands of designers, relief agencies, and policy-makers, helping them plot recovery efforts, anticipate the effects of climate change, and create more livable urban environments. Illustration by Paul Farrington
	Core Values Once considered supporting players, structural engineers reinforce their role on the green design team. Illustration: Thom Sevalrud
	Retrofitting Suburbia America takes back the bleak suburbs of yesterday and repurposes them into vibrant, interconnected, mixed-use communities. Illustration by Paul Wearing
	The Living Lab The new generation of living laboratories fosters research and product development while providing educational tools for green building. Illustration by Adriean Koleric
	Code Green Cities, states, and national organizations are working to establish minimum, enforceable sustainable construction requirements to complement-not replace-highly popular above-code incentive programs. Illustration by Mark Allen Miller
	Best Green Projects: Case Studies in Sustainable Design Success  COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR Topics: material and technology choices; energy-saving strategies; balancing aesthetics with performance; meeting and managing client expectations; attaining an eco-friendly building within schedule and budget, outcomes from utilizing BIM, and post-occupancy lessons learned. Click for complete details »
	Spreadsheet Sustainability We explore the methodology and limitations of multi-platform information modeling software. Photo courtesy Transbay Joint Powers Authority
	The Comfort Zone We explore the various factors that play into the “unconventional” theory of adaptive thermal comfort and how to best implement strategies while reducing fossil fuel consumption. Illustration by Headcase
	Solar Revival With falling costs, improved efficiency, and fresh designs, the old stalwart photovoltaics are again poised to ascend. Photo © Rolf Disch Solar Architektur
	The Rise of Retrofit Chicago shows what's next and what's needed to meet the city's ambitious performance goals. Illustration by Viktor Koen and Jonathan Michael Johnson
	Targeting Net-Zero Several projects demonstrate vastly different strategies to achieving net-zero energy. Illustration by Simon Page
	Some Like It Radiant Three case studies demonstrate the benefits of radiant heating and cooling, a long-overlooked technology.  Illustration by Peter Grundy
	Asphalt Garden Landscape architects, green designers, and nonprofit organizations are conceiving fresh ideas for growing edibles in the city. Photograph by Darren Braun
	Chill Factor Utilizing ice-based thermal energy storage to cool buildings makes both environmental and economic sense. Photo © Gunther Intelmann Photography
	Lumber by the Numbers By examining historical trends and modern data, we explore the future of the U.S. lumber industry in relation to buildings. Illustration: Bryan Christie Design
	Is Brown the New Green? Transforming urban brownfield sites into research facilities with additional mixed-use spaces represents a new trend in sustainable projects. Photo © Bruce Martin
	From the Ground Up Geothermal heating and cooling has matured into a common, eco-friendly method for cutting energy use, but good design is critical to its overall efficiency. Photo © Tudor Van Hampton
	Yes, In My Backyard Renewable district energy offers a homegrown opportunity to avoid inefficient energy grids with local ingenuity. Read on. Photo courtesy Jason Hawkes
	Building Information Modeling We examine how BIM software is changing the way architects, engineers, and contractors work together, increasing efficiency while opening the door to innovative green design solutions. Read on. Illustration by Bryan Christie Design
	Courting Nature in Design The love of nature can be nurtured through architecture that Conserves energy and creates healthy interiors Read on. Photo © Barry Halkin
	Prefabrication’s Green Promise Mass production offers unique opportunities for customized green construction. Read on. Photo courtesy PowerHouse Enterprises
	LEED for Existing Buildings While the U.S. Green Building Council’s other rating systems may be better known, LEED EB is picking up speed as designers take it boldly into the country’s five million pre-existing commercial buildings. Read on. Photo © Timothy Hursley
	Verdant Surfaces September’s technology section looks at several types of green roofs and walls, examining the challenges and benefits of “greening” dense urban locations. Photo © Roland Halbe
	Toward Wiser Water Strategies To lessen the burden on increasingly constrained fresh-water supplies, designers and building owners turn to alternative sources. Photo courtesy Jeff Goldberg/Esto, Pelli Clarke Pelli
	Energy Modeling For Sustainability  Evolving software for modeling energy dynamics makes it easier for architects and engineers to design green buildings. Read on. Photo © Rumsey Engineers
	The Case For Commissioning  Long considered a requirement of high-performance building, two recent projects present new angles on commissioning. Photo © Roland Halbe
	Building Even Better Concrete  Manufacturers, scientists, and designers strive to reduce a vital material's environmental footprint while exploiting its many beneficial qualities. Photo © Portland Cement Association