Wood products are widely considered to be inherently “carbon neutral.” The current surge of interest in mass timber was spurred by this belief.

But could scaling up our demand for wood actually make climate change worse?

It’s a huge risk. Our forests are a massive carbon bank and a critical climate buffer,... Read more

By Nadav Malin and Paula Melton

It’s here. So what’s new?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released LEED v5 for its first public comment period on April 3, 2024, giving us our first detailed look at the next generation of the program that has defined green building in North America and around the world for more than... Read more

You’ve probably heard that wood products are carbon neutral. You might also have heard that timber harvesting causes immense carbon emissions.

Which is it?

Could it be both?

This on-demand webcast investigates these questions and others, using a scientific lens to examine wood’s carbon... Read more

Join Brent Ehrlich, BuildingGreen’s products & materials specialist, as he unveils ten innovative technologies he believes are solving the building industry’s biggest challenges.

For 2024, we’ve showcased products that nix toxic chemicals, advance efficient electrification, cut embodied carbon, promote... Read more

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers us a once-in-a-generation chance to equitably decarbonize the built environment and prepare communities to weather future climate threats. 

LEEDUser guest author Dave Hubka is sustainability practice leader at architecture firm EUA and has been working with sustainable design and LEED for 20+ years. 

Hunting for documents when compiling a LEED application can be quite the adventure. The task requires a seasoned LEED explorer ready to battle the elements while... Read more

ESG is the hottest acronym in green building right now. But let’s face it: most people are flying by the seat of their pants.

Most—but not all.

Four experts representing design, construction, and consulting firms will come together during this virtual roundtable to share their field notes and... Read more

Please note: LEEDuser’s informal 45-minute coffee talks are not approved for continuing education units.

This lively conversation features:

This is the fourth post in a series on LEED v5; it focuses on new construction. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems. Part Two discusses what’s new in the already drafted O+M rating system. Part Three looks at operational energy and carbon in design and construction.

... Read more

Want to optimize your product selections for health and sustainability while also earning LEED certification? This webinar is designed for you. 

Products meeting the requirements of LEED v4 BD+C and ID+C were barely available a decade ago. But since then, market forces and the introduction of LEED v4.1 in... Read more

This is the second post in a series on LEED v5. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems. Part Three looks at energy and operational carbon in BD+C and ID+C. Part Four is about the proposed building design and construction EQ approach.

This is the third post in a series on LEED v5; it focuses on new construction. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems. Part Two provides an overview of the O+M draft.​ Part Three looks at energy and operational carbon in BD+C and ID+C. Part Four is about the proposed building... Read more

This is the first post in a series on LEED v5. Part Two provides an overview of the O+M draft. A later series will dive deeper on O+M. Part Three looks at energy and operational carbon in BD+C and ID+C. Part Four is about the proposed EQ approach.

LEED v5 could change everything. But will it?

The U.S. Green Building Council (... Read more

Conventional stormwater management treats rain as the enemy—a dangerous and destructive force that must be deflected away from building sites as quickly as possible.

But as we pave more and more of paradise, this conventional approach actually compounds rainwater’s danger and destructiveness. The resulting runoff can... Read more

Everyone wants a window.

But the design strategies for ensuring everyone gets one—particularly in a shared open office—are far from straightforward. Plus, that extra glazing is hardly worth it if people see nothing but a brick wall or an acre of parked cars. Human beings who find themselves stuck in buildings all day long typically want... Read more

What a pleasure it was hosting Sarah Talkington (LEED Steering Committee chair) and Keith Amann (past chair of the LEED Advisory Committee, past member of the LEED Steering Committee) for our recent LEEDuser coffee talk, What’s up with LEED v5?

Even better: Sarah and Keith generously agreed to answer some lingering questions we didn’t... Read more

Concrete is one of the construction industry’s largest carbon emitters, responsible for about 5% to 8% of the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is also one of the most important building materials. 

There are well-proven ways to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint, such as replacing... Read more

Buildings produce about 40% of annual CO2 emissions globally, according to an Architecture 2030 analysis of International Energy Agency data. With awareness of this fact growing in both the real estate industry and the general public, developers are becoming increasingly attracted to the idea of “going green” because they can tackle carbon... Read more

Climate change is searing us with localized heat waves, and the planet recently reached its highest-ever average temperature—a record that was immediately broken and is sure to be broken again and again in the near future.

As Earth heats up, passive strategies like cool roofs are increasingly urgent—especially since the most vulnerable... Read more

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (O+M) is designed to make pretty good buildings even better. But O+M has never really gone after low-performing buildings.

The 2009 version, for example, required a minimum Energy Star score of 69 (indicating the 69th percentile, or the top 31%) for most building types. In v4, the... Read more