Sustainable Building

A sustainable building, or green building is an outcome of a design philosophy which focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal[*]. AECinfo.com offers you a wealth of impartial information and advice on sustainable development, sustainable building and using eco friendly construction techniques. Please find some of the newest additions to the site below.

Featured Materials
Preview	Description	Company
	Sustainable Compressed Agricultural Fiber (CAF) Panel Systems Free Online Continuing Education Course; 1 hour program. Provides an overview of the features, manufacturing process, and economical and environmental benefits of Compressed Agricultural Fiber (CAF) panel systems.	Agriboard Industries
	Classic Series Sustainability Minimal materials used per square foot of ceiling area with increased durability and improved acoustical performance. One of the main objectives when developing Techstyle® Acoustical Ceilings was to minimize consumption and depletion of materials/natural resources per square foot while achieving a product with maximum performance. Techstyle ceilings weigh 0.25lbs/sqft – four to five times lighter than the standard mineral fiber tiles (weighing 1.0lbs/sqft to 1.25lbs/sqft). If we then consider the lifecycle impact of the materials on the environment – i.e. assuming that ONLY the non-recycled materials end up in the landfill.	Hunter Douglas Contract - Ceilings
	Continuing Education course: "A Green Alternative for Surface Finishing: Powder Coatings" Provides an overview of powder coating technology for surface finishing including its environmental, economical and mechanical properties which make it an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional liquid coatings. The manufacturing and application processes are also discussed. AIA approved course. This course qualifies for 1.0 HSW/SD/LU hours.	TIGER Drylac U.S.A., Inc. Powder Coatings
	Traditional Series Sustainability Sustainable Design / Green Building Standard: 1. Minimal materials used per square foot of ceiling area with increased durability and improved acoustical performance. One of the main objectives when developing Techstyle® Acoustical Ceilings was to minimize consumption and depletion of materials/natural resources per square foot while achieving a product with maximum performance. Techstyle ceilings weigh 0.25lbs/sqft – four to five times lighter than the standard mineral fiber tiles (weighing 1.0lbs/sqft to 1.25lbs/sqft). If we then consider the lifecycle impact of the materials on the environment – i.e. assuming that ONLY the non-recycled materials end up in the landfill.	Hunter Douglas Contract - Ceilings
	Green Friendly What Makes Fiberglass Windows “Green” (Green/Environmentally Friendly)?	Fibertec Window & Door Mfg.

Sustainable Building Announcements
Preview	Summary	Company	Date
	Kalwall teaches school lessons in sustainability Increasingly today, independent schools are embracing sustainability as part of their educational mission. Good stewardship of the environment is becoming as fundamental to the learning experience as are teamwork, respect for others, athletics, and the...	Kalwall Corporation	Oct 30, 2009
	Luxalon® Metal and Techstyle® E Ceilings receive GREENGUARD Children and SchoolsSM Certification Hunter Douglas Meets the Highest Industry Standard for Indoor Air Quality.	Hunter Douglas Contract - Ceilings	Sep 2, 2009
	USGBC Tackles Building Performance Head On New initiative for comprehensive data collection and analysis methodology development will be shared with LEED building owners and project teams to help close performance prediction gaps.	U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)	Aug 26, 2009
	NSC Links Green Building Certification Programs And Natural Stone The Natural Stone Council (NSC) has announced the availability of its first case study in a series of research-based documents highlighting the environmental advantages of natural stone.	Mystic Granite & Marble	Mar 25, 2009
	Document Locator® listed on construction specification institute's GreenFormat™ The enterprise document management system’s paperless approach offers green benefits for architecture, engineering, and construction firms.	ColumbiaSoft	Feb 2, 2009
	New Generation mineral wool products from Knauf Insulation Knauf Insulation has launched a revolutionary new mineral wool, which reduces the product's embodied energy and delivers superior environmental sustainability using patented ECOSE™ Technology.	Knauf Insulation	Dec 9, 2008
	With StoTherm® NExT, Energy Efficiency is the Key to Sustainable Construction Sto Corp. Provides Cost-Effective System that Helps Achieve Carbon-Neutral Design Goals	Sto Corp.	Aug 16, 2008
	ISO establishes sustainability principles for building construction sector worldwide Building constructionThe new ISO 15392:2008 standard establishes internationally recognized principles for sustainability in building construction.	International Organization for Standardization (ISO)	Jun 4, 2008
	Open for Public Comment: The U.S. Green Building Council’s Proposed Improvements to the LEED Green Building Rating System LEED 2009 focuses on energy and carbon performance of buildings, transparent "weightings" and regional LEED credits.	U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)	May 19, 2008
	AIA Launches 'Walk the Walk' - a New Sustainability Campaign for Green Building Design The program includes new advertising campaign and an aggressive roadmap for making public buildings carbon neutral and reducing overall fossil fuel consumption.	AIA (American Institute of Architects)	Jan 17, 2008
	Reclaimed Sustainability in Ancient Beauty East Teak proudly offers eco-friendly, "green" recycled and reclaimed prime-grade teak and rosewood: 100 percent recycled and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified to guarantee that they are genuinely reclaimed and salvaged in a responsible manner...	East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. (West Coast)	Dec 3, 2007
	Draper Announces New GreenGuard Children and Schools™ Certifications The FIRST and ONLY GreenGuard Children and Schools™ certifications for a manufacturer of projection screens and gym equipment.	Draper, Inc.	Nov 2, 2007
	PVC-Free Green Window Shade Fabrics Draper shades made with PVC-free fabrics save energy, control natural light to the best advantage and contain recycled materials. They are thinner and lighter than PVC fabrics.	Draper, Inc.	Oct 1, 2007
	East Teak Brings ”Green” to its Hardwood Offerings New Reclaimed Teak and Rosewood Varieties Offer Eco-friendly Solutions	East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. (West Coast)	Jan 16, 2007
	CertainTeed Insulation Now Greenguard Certified CertainTeed Corporation, one of North America's leading building products manufacturers, continues its commitment to high-quality standards by meeting the stringent Greenguard Product Emission Standard for Children and Schools™.	CertainTeed Corp.	May 23, 2006
	AEC DAILY Launches New Continuing Ed Course: Introduction to Sustainability and Responsible Interior Wall Finishes Provides an overview of the principles of sustainable design, and its relationship to interior wall finishes and wall protection. Includes a discussion about the US Green Building Council, its LEED rating program and the use of PVC in building material...	AEC Daily	Sep 26, 2005
	AEC DAILY Launches New Continuing Ed Course: Building Green Exteriors Using Fiber Cement Products Provides an overview of how to build green exteriors using fiber cement, including characteristics and advantages of various types of fiber cement products and key specification issues related to building with fiber cement.	AEC Daily	Jul 26, 2005
	AEC DAILY Launches New Continuing Ed Course: Cool Thermoplastic Roofing Systems for Sustainable Buildings Provides an overview of cool thermoplastic roofing systems, including a discussion of types of single-ply membranes, solar interactions, urban heat islands, potential energy savings, LEED certification, and key selection criteria.	AEC Daily	Jul 26, 2005
	AEC DAILY Launches New Continuing Ed Course: LEED Certification and Sustainable Steel Building Systems Provides an overview of how the use of steel building systems can contribute to LEED certification, including a discussion of the characteristics of green building products, LEED requirements, and features of steel building systems.	AEC Daily	Jul 26, 2005
	AEC DAILY Launches New Continuing Ed Course: LEED™ Certification: Fenestration's Contribution to a Greener Future Provides an overview of the U.S. Green Building Council and it's LEED-NC Green Building Rating System, and discusses the ways in which fenestration can positively contribute to a building's LEED™ certification.	TRACO	Jul 26, 2005

[*] Frej, Anne B., editor. Green Office Buildings: A Practical Guide to Development. Washington, D.C.: ULI--The Urban Land Institute, 2005, Pp 4–8

Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Link to AECinfo
AECinfo is a member of Docu Group, the world's largest building products information network.

Back to normal layout