As promised earlier this year, the International WELL Building Institute has released the world’s first standard aimed at improving the fitness of building occupants through better-tuned indoor environments.The performance-based WELL Building Standard Version 1.0 is a system for measuring, certifying and monitoring commercial and institutional building features that have an impact on human health and well-being. Beyond the features targeted, which include air, water, nourishment, light, fitness and comfort, the standard even addresses the human mind, according to IWBI.“The public release of the WELL Building Standard v1.0 marks a momentous step forward in our efforts to bring health and wellness
Phtoto Courtesy of Lend Lease Studies show daylighting and high indoor air quality boost productivity. Related Links: Singapore Evolves into Sustainability Superpower of Asia WGBC Report on Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices A report released by the World Green Building Council (WGBC) aims to establish a quantifiable monetary link between sustainable office buildings and occupant wellness and productivity. The report also offers a tool kit for building owners to realize financial benefits in their sustainability efforts."There can be no doubt that buildings have an impact on human health, well-being and productivity in the workplace," says Jane Henley, WGBC chief
Photo Courtesy of Hafencity by Eichental CC BY-ND 2.0 Hafencity master plan in Hamburg, Germany, is a successful example of how to accommodate chronic flooding while creating or redeveloping a new neighborhood. Photo by Mark G. Benz for Burnham Hall Burnham Hall in Lincoln, Vt., is an example of an historic building that keeps floodwater out using removable window and door panels. Related Links: Designing with Water Preparing for the Rising Tide Boston is taking preemptive action against chronic, widespread flooding that is expected by the end of the century. On Oct. 29, as part of climate-change preparations, 100 designers
Photo courtesy of BCA John Keung, CEO of Singapore's Building and Construction Authority, outlined the plan to certify 80% of the country's buildings in Green Mark by 2030. Photo courtesy of BCA Representitives from universities and labs, including Stephen Selkowitz (2nd from left) and Nilesh Jadhav (far right,) discuss Singapore's Flexlab and other industry partnerships. Related Links: Building and Construction Authority's 3rd Green Building Masterplan John Keung Steers Singapore to Lead Role in Sustainability Growing its crop of certified green buildings from just 17 in 2005 to over 2,100 this year, Singapore announced a multi-pronged approach to extend its ambitious green
Related Links: Further Information on Standard 189.1 The International Code Council's Green Model Code Five building industry groups have agreed to collaborate on the development of green building codes, standards and rating systems.Officials say the proliferation of different green building tools has caused unnecessary fragmentation and some confusion in the industry. To address that problem, the groups have agreed to consolidate some of the myriad tools into one document.The organizations that signed the agreement are ASHRAE, the International Code Council (ICC), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Green Building
Related Links: Niche Products Emerge to Help Reduce Bird Deaths Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society has lost its battle for a bird-friendly envelope enclosing the state-owned Minneapolis stadium, just starting construction for the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings. But the defeat, though deflating, has a silver lining, says Audubon. The group went public with its 14-month campaign against a transparent facade after the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority refused to switch to bird-friendly fritted glass for the $975-million facility."While, ideally, we hoped to find a solution through collaboration, the decision of the Minnesota Sports Facilities
+ Image Courtesy of the Institute for Market Transformation The Institute for Market Transformation soon will update its map of building benchmarking and disclosure policies to reflect a change from commercial policy interest to the commercial policy adopted by the city of Cambridge, Mass. The number of U.S. jurisdictions with building energy-use and disclosure laws has gone up for the second time this year. Thanks to a unanimous vote on July 28 by the Cambridge City Council, the Massachusetts city of 105,000 residents joins its larger neighbor, Boston, and 11 other jurisdictions that require disclosure of energy consumption by owners
+ Image Click Image to Enlarge + Image Click Image to Enlarge Related Links: Architecture 2030 NCARB AIA Contract Documents McGraw Hill Construction Market Research Architecture 2030—a group bent on catalyzing the buildings sector to phase out carbon emissions related to the built environment—is picking up steam. Last month, the group issued its "challenge" to building product manufacturers to produce environmentally benign building products by 2030.In 2006, Architecture 2030 unveiled a strategy to dramatically reduce global energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions through "low carbon" design. More recently, it released a road map to "zero emissions" for buildings—new construction and existing
Related Links: International Living Future Institute WELL Building Standard Buoyed by the progress of its performance-based Living Building Challenge green-building certification program, the International Living Future Institute is casting a net beyond the LBC. ILFI, through the umbrella Living Future Challenge announced recently, says it is developing even more ways to rethink "the way humanity designs its systems, products, buildings and communities.""It's the Living Future Institute, not the Living Building Institute, because it's not just about buildings," said Jason McLennan, ILFI's CEO. "The Living Future Challenge is a framework for remaking everything."Toward that goal, ILFI introduced the third version of
Related Links: California Energy Commission AOE Winner Selkowitz Drives Nation Toward Better Performing Buildings Berkeley Lab's Demand Response Research Center Revisions to California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards take effect on July 1 and contain new rules for building controls and commissioning.Changed for the first time since 2008, the 2013 standard requires the design team to complete a commissioning plan before building begins. This mandate is meant to support the development of holistic, performance-based approaches to energy-efficient design, says Eric Soladay, managing principal for Integral Group.A focus on performance-based design means more widespread use of energy modeling. "For instance, lighting and
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