EQUITY
Association for Energy Affordability
Association for Energy Affordability offers more than 50 courses for building performance professionals, energy efficiency and technical and program staff, installers, weatherization workers, and job seekers in green industries. http://aea.us.org/training/
Build It Green (BIG)
BIG a non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient building practices in California. BIG provides green building training, tools, technical expertise, and partnership opportunities for key stakeholders including public agencies, builders, developers, architects, contractors, affordable housing advocates, real estate professionals, suppliers, and homeowners. www.builditgreen.org
Design for Equitable Communities: AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence
Design for Equitable Communities: AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence is a self-paced course that includes perspectives from planners and architects on how to create more equitable places through design processes and strategies.
Environmental Justice Screen (EJSCRREN)
Environmental Justice Screen (EJSCRREN) is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool.
EPA Smart Growth and Equitable Development
EPA Smart Growth and Equitable Development focuses on the intersection of smart growth, environmental justice, and equitable development.
Social Explorer
Social Explorer is a suite of online tools and data that allows users to visually explore hundreds of thousands of data indicators across demography, economy, health, religion, crime, and more.
The Kelsey
The Kelsey Learn Center provides a platform for resources and topics intending to share tools, ideas and strategies for making communities more inclusive in an open-sourced, transparent and free-of-charge.
Twenty First Century Development Matrix
21st Century Development Matrix is a visualization of five degrees of performance across seven performance areas.
ECOSYSTEMS
International Dark-Sky Association
International Dark-Sky Association is the go-to source for appropriate outdoor lighting levels, dark sky–approved lighting fixtures, design strategies, research, and educational materials.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Although located in central Texas, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a great resource for looking up native species in any region.
LEED v4 Pilot Credit 55 – Bird Collision Deterrence
LEED v4 Pilot Credit 55 – Bird Collision Deterrence provides an easy-to-use indexing system to evaluate threat factors when developing bird-friendly building design strategies.
Pathfinder tool
Climate Positive Design recently launched a Pathfinder tool for assessing carbon in-site design.
Seven Principles of Xeriscaping
Originally conceived by Denver Water, the Seven Principles of Xeriscaping have since expanded into simple and applicable concepts to creating landscapes that use less water.
The Bird-Friendly Building Design
The Bird-Friendly Building Design guide from the American Bird Conservancy outlines many strategies to protect and support birds in urban environments.
WATER
BuildingGreen: Net-Zero Water and More: Moving Beyond
The “BuildingGreen: Net-Zero Water and More: Moving Beyond “Low Flow” water strategies are finding momentum and filling the need to address efficiency and resilience on multiple scales.
EPA Water Efficiency Management Guide: Mechanical Systems
Focusing on best practices for boilers, chillers, and cooling towers, the “EPA Water Efficiency Management Guide: Mechanical Systems” was developed to help commercial property owners and managers improve their water management and reduce property water use.
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. Living Architecture is the result of the integration of organic and nonorganic systems in, on, and around buildings, such as green roofs, walls, and many other forms of green infrastructure. Living Architecture is revolutionizing the way we think about buildings and landscapes by blurring the distinctions between the built, and natural, environments.
Green Water Infrastructure Academy
Green Water Infrastructure Academy (GWI Academy). The mission of the GWI Academy is to enhance human health and quality of life in global urban environments by promoting green water-infrastructure research, education, and outreach programs.
Greywater Action
Greywater Action is a collaborative of educators who teach residents and tradespeople about affordable and simple household water systems that dramatically reduce water use and foster sustainable cultures of water. Through hands-on workshops and presentations, we’ve led thousands of people through greywater system design and construction and work with policymakers and water districts to develop codes and incentives for greywater, rainwater harvesting, and composting toilets. We believe that decentralized conservation measures can play a critical role in drought resilience, climate adaptation, and the return of healthy stream ecosystems. greywateraction.org
ILFI defines Net Zero Water Building
ILFI defines Net Zero Water Building (NZWB) as follows: “One hundred percent of the project’s water needs must be supplied by captured precipitation or other natural closed-loop water systems, and/or by recycling used project water, and must be purified as needed without the use of chemicals. All stormwater and water discharge, including grey and black water, must be treated on-site and managed either through reuse, a closed loop system, or infiltration. Excess stormwater can be released onto adjacent sites under certain conditions.”
LEED v4 Indoor Water Use Reduction Calculator
Use the LEED v4 Indoor Water Use Reduction Calculator to benchmark indoor water use for a design project and to calculate the reduction that can be achieved.
Living Architecture Performance Tool
In addition to the USGBC’s SITES tool, the Green Infrastructure Foundation has developed a tool/rating system for green roofs and walls called the Living Architecture Performance Tool. It is a comprehensive listing of all the functions and values living surfaces can provide, including water balance, and is meant to support/supplement LEED and other green building/site tools.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Blower blowdown or chiller makeup water are both necessary to prevent the buildup of sediments in the system; however, these maintenance strategies use excess water in the process. See “Water Efficiency Management Guide: Mechanical Systems” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for strategies.
Water Reuse Practice Guide
The “Water Reuse Practice Guide” presents “empowering information, real-world examples, and step-by-step design, construction, and technical information needed for water use systems of all types and sizes at the building and district scale.”
WaterSense
WaterSense is an EPA-created label that identifies low-flow fixtures and a database for finding products. The popular Energy Star program from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the EPA certifies appliances that conserve water as well as energy. Use this list of products for specifying commercial kitchen and laundry equipment.
ECONOMY
AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice
AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle Assessment in Practice can help answer numerous questions that arise during the design and construction of a green building. An LCA can reinforce the decisions taken by architects by providing scientific justification.
Buildings as Material Banks
Buildings as Material Banks is a European initiative to forward a circular economy of building materials, the site has extensive resources.
BuildingGreen: “How to Build Green At No Added Cost”
Avoiding cost premiums on green projects is not only possible, but also a good idea. “BuildingGreen: “How to Build Green At No Added Cost” focuses on simple, effective designs that can deliver savings for years to come.
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency includes a comprehensive list of programs to support funding high-performance aspects of your project. “How to Calculate and Present Deep Retrofit Value” is an easy-to-follow guide to facilitate translation of high-performance buildings into economic value for investors and clients. Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performances and Productivity by Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber. Makes the case for healthy buildings and offers strategies for building them.
“Ellen MacArthur Foundation Report “What Is the Circular Economy?
“Ellen MacArthur Foundation Report “What Is the Circular Economy?” provides a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. Its “Circular Economy in the Built Environment“ publication with Arup provides more details. “Building a Circular Future” by the Danish architects GXN is a comprehensive resource on designing for disassembly, material passports, and the circular economy.
ROI: The economic case for resilient design
Read the ROI: The economic case for resilient design to learn key talking points to convey to clients, civic leaders, vendors, and other architects the importance of integrating resilient and climate-adaptive design to protect social welfare, increase value, and contribute to the built environment’s sustainability and resilience.
Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP)
Sponsored by a coalition of public interest nonprofit groups, government agencies, and other organizations in the energy efficiency field, is designed to give consumers and businesses information they need to make use of the federal income tax incentives for energy efficient products and technologies passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. www.energytaxincentives.org
ENERGY
2030 Challenge
2030 Challenge issued by Architecture 2030, a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization, was established in response to the global-warming crisis by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the US and global Building Sector from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. Their goal is straightforward: to achieve a dramatic reduction in the global-warming-causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Building Sector by changing the way buildings and developments are planned, designed and constructed. www.architecture2030.org/2030_challenge
AIA Architect’s Guide to Building Performance
The AIA Architect’s Guide to Building Performance provides a comprehensive approach to integrating building performance simulations into the design process.
AIA-CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit
The AIA-CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Architects serves to provide architects with an overview and the necessary steps to be taken to reduce embodied carbon in their projects.
Energy Code Ace (CA only)
The Energy Code Ace Web site is developed and provided by the California Statewide Codes & Standards Program, which offers free energy code training, tools and resources for those who need to understand and meet the requirements of Title 24, Part 6 and Title 20. https://energycodeace.com/
WELL-BEING
2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria
2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria is a green building program designed explicitly for affordable housing, including a checklist section focused solely on healthy living environments.
Fitwel Standard
The Fitwel Standard is a commercial building rating system focused on occupant health and well-being that provides guidelines on how to design and operate healthier buildings. Created in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the various measures link to scientific references and studies for each topic.
International Green Construction Code (IgCC
International Green Construction Code (IgCC) section 801.3.3 Acoustical Control Terrapin Bright Green’s “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design” articulates the relationships between nature, human biology, and the design of the built environment so that we may experience the human benefits of biophilia in our design applications.
Making Healthy Places
Making Healthy Places provides overviews of research literature on a breadth of topics that address designing to improve occupant health outcomes.
Safe and Healthy School Environments
Safe and Healthy School Environments examines the environments of schools employing methods and techniques from environmental science. Several chapters specifically focus on topics of interest to education architects: physical environment, air quality, nutrition, and physical activity.
SMACNA [Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association] IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction
SMACNA [Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association] IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction provides guidance to contractors on actions to take to keep indoor air healthy during construction and minimize impacts from construction activities post-occupancy.
Syncing with the Sky: Daylight-Driven Circadian Lighting Design
“Syncing with the Sky: Daylight-Driven Circadian Lighting Design” reports research examining architectural parameters that affect daylight-driven circadian lighting, with simultaneous consideration given to photopic lighting availability and visual comfort.
ULI Building Healthy Places Toolkit
The ULI Building Healthy Places Toolkit outlines opportunities to enhance health through changing approaches to buildings and projects. Opportunities are divided into three categories: Physical Activity, Food & Water, Environment.
WELL Building Standard
The WELL Building Standard provides a health and well-being framework for buildings across 10 concept categories, including air, water, light, nourishment, thermal comfort, and more. The framework can be accessed for free, and links directly to the scientific research behind each recommendation.
RESOURCES
BIM Modelers
Tally, Athena, One Click LCA, and BHoM tool are LCA software available for use with BIM models.
Building Decarbonization Coalition
Unites building industry stakeholders with energy providers, environmental organizations and local governments to help electrify California’s homes and workspaces with clean energy.
Through research, policy development, and consumer inspiration, the BDC is pursuing fast, fair action to accelerate the development of zero-emission homes and buildings that will help California cut one of its largest sources of climate pollution, while creating safe, healthy and affordable communities. www.buildingdecarb.org
Building Reuse: A Proven Climate and Economic Strategy
Co-released by AIA and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Building Reuse: A Proven Climate and Economic Strategy is a brief resource that overviews the importance of building reuse to reduce total carbon emissions and create new jobs through historic rehabilitation.
Cal-Adapt
Provides a view of how climate change might affect California. Find tools, data, and resources to conduct research, develop adaptation plans and build applications. Cal-adapt.org
Carbon Leadership Forum
The Carbon Leadership Forum has introductions to Embodied Carbon Policy, a Life-Cycle.
Carbon Smart Materials Palette
Carbon Smart Materials Palette contains an attribute-based approach to embodied carbon reductions in the built environment. It identifies key attributes that contribute to a material’s embodied carbon impact, and offers guidelines and options for emissions reductions, low/no carbon material selections, and specifications.
Center for Neighborhood Technology Maps (esp Housing + Transportation Index)
CNT delivers innovative analysis and solutions that support community-based organizations and local governments to create neighborhoods that are equitable, sustainable, and resilient. https://cnt.org/transportation-and-community-development
Climate Positive Design
An effort to help landscape architects design and build projects that can become climate positive. Results are simplified by using Pathfinder, a new carbon calculator and design tool designed specifically for landscape architects. climatepositivedesign.com
Cool Climate Carbon Footprint Map (CA only)
This study quantifies the potential of local policies and programs to meet aggressive GHG reduction targets using a consumption-based, high geospatial resolution planning model for the state of California. These data and companion online tools can help cities better understand priorities to reduce GHGs from a comprehensive, consumption-based perspective, with potential application to the full United States and internationally. https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/scenarios, https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/maps
Design Data Exchange (DDx)
Design Data Exchange (DDx) now has input options to track embodied carbon along with operational carbon emissions.
DSIRE
Comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. https://programs.dsireusa.org
Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3)
Use the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) to focus on the upfront (Stage A1–A3) supply chain emissions of construction materials and find and optimize products.
Green Home Guide
Guide for green residential construction including useful links https://greenhomeguide.com/.
GreenPoint Rated (GPR)
Green Building Guidelines & Rating System for New Home Construction, Home Remodeling, Affordable and Multifamily Construction. The Guidelines’ recommended measures were specifically developed to address climate and market conditions in California, are endorsed by credible third-party sources, and are backed by sound building science. www.builditgreen.org/greenpoint-rated
GreenTrip (traffic and climate calculator for housing)
Connect helps you instantly calculate how smart location, affordable homes and traffic reduction strategies can reduce driving and greenhouse gas emissions from residential development. It also calculates how much money and space can be saved from right-sized parking.
ILFI Red List
This ILFI Red List of chemicals of concern provides a variety of frameworks for keeping dangerous chemicals out of the built environment.
mindfulMATERIALS (mM) and UL SPOT
mindfulMATERIALS (mM) and UL SPOT are extensive searchable databases for sustainable project materials. Search for products with HPDs, EPDs, declare labels, etc.
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities offers guidance and resources for local governments. www.nlc.org/program-initiative/sustainability
Parsons’ Healthy Material Lab
Parsons’ Healthy Material Lab materials collections, products, spec guidance, and educational resources.
PGE Pacific Energy Center
Provides free tips, resources, classes for design and building construction professionals. www.pge.com/en_US/small-medium-business/business-resource-center/training-and-education
REGREEN
Best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential remodeling projects. www.regreencorp.com
Renovate, Retrofit, Reuse: AIA
AIA has guides on Renovate, Retrofit, Reuse to help architects design for deconstruction or reuse an existing structure, as well as design for adaptability in a new construction project.
Six Classes webinars
You can use Six Classes webinars as a reference to choose a class of chemicals that are most appropriate to avoid for the occupants of your building.
The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building
BuildingGreen’s The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building shows what to specify and what to avoid.
Zero Waste Design Guidelines: AIA
AIA New York’s Zero Waste Design Guidelines addresses how to design a building for zero waste operations and circular building materials.
CHANGE
AIA Resilient Project Process Guide
The https://live-aia-web.pantheonsite.io/resource-center/aia-resilient-project-process-guide is a key resource for taking action. Organized by project phase, this guide identifies the points in which resilience and climate adaptation goals can be layered into specific design solutions.
ARUP City Resilience Index
ARUP City Resilience Index international framework can help cities understand and measure their capacity to endure, adapt, and transform.
Climate Framework
The Climate Framework Initiative was founded by The Cross-Industry Action Group, which comprises a group of volunteers representing various professional institutes, member organizations + academic institutions around the world. The Group’s mission is to cross-pollinate experiences and expertise across the industry, embracing all disciplines, and creating a common curriculum framework, as well as a platform for holistic climate knowledge.
In this united and coordinated effort, the aim is to break down silos, and establish a common ground, define a common language + identify the holistic knowledge and skills every built environment actor must equip themselves with, in order to deliver truly sustainable built environments today and in the future. https://www.climateframework.com/about
Disaster Assistance Handbook
AIA’s Disaster Assistance Handbook provides a guide for “Citizen Architects” to assist their communities through service on boards and commissions before and after a disaster to plan for hazardous events, ensure building codes are updated, and advise on responsible land use that will allow businesses and communities to assume operations more quickly after a disaster.
FEMA
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has developed hundreds of guidelines specific to resilient architecture and design strategies. To get you started, we recommend checking out the Building Science publications available through FEMA.
FLASH
FLASH, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, and AIA teamed up to create a comprehensive graphic guide comparing ordinary construction, high wind construction, and resilient construction. While the techniques are more specific to single family homes, the lessons offered in this guide can be applied to any project. The FLASH Resilient Design Guide is available as a free pdf download online.
There are many resources online that feature the latest maps for high wind and flooding. FEMA has a very comprehensive wind zone map featuring maps for tornados and hurricanes. FEMA also has a flood map resource available online where you can enter a specific address for your site to see available flood maps. If you want more information on maps, FEMA’s GeoPlatform, which includes maps for all sorts of data related to emergency management, is also available online. The EPA Climate Projections Map is also a fascinating resource that can be helpful with predicting how a site will be affected by climate change in the future. NOAA’s Sea Level Rise map is also good for the analysis of coastal areas.
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple is a New Orleans firm that was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and then spent the better part of a decade helping the city recover from the storm’s devastation. Its tool, A Framework for Resilient Design, shows how resilience is an element of good design, and shares strategies and case studies that can be incorporated into all projects.
Global Green USA
Works with governments, industry, and individuals to create a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. A non profit focused on innovative research, cutting-edge community based projects and targeted advocacy. www.globalgreen.org
Key Regional Climate Issues: A Guide for Architects to Drive Change
Explore our resource, Key Regional Climate Issues: A Guide for Architects to Drive Change, which leverages the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) to identify key climate resources and issues for 10 regions.
NIBS
NIBS (National Institute of Building Sciences) is a nonprofit government organization that brings together stakeholders from all sides of the table, from policymakers to architects to community members, to develop and distribute the latest information in building science. A whole section of its website is dedicated to Building Resilience Resources. This includes links to other, similar sites such as the Whole Building Design Guide which is a NIBS program specifically developed for designers.
Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) Resource Library
Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) Resource Library includes tools, reports, fact sheets, and case studies developed by SCI grantees, HUD, and its Capacity Building partners
Stopwaste Partnership
StopWaste can help your company reduce operating costs and increase efficiencies. Plus, you can eliminate waste before it’s created and learn to recycle materials that now go into your garbage. www.stopwaste.org
Terner Center: Climate Benefits of Infill Housing Understanding the Role of New Housing in Reducing Climate Pollution
The only organization in housing with both a world class academic research capacity and expertise in policy formulation, program implementation, and development practice. We are uniquely positioned to identify, propose and advance practical, actionable innovation in both the public and private sector. https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/research-and-policy/role-of-new-housing-in-reducing-climate-pollution/
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a key resource for people to access available federal government information about resilience in one easy-to-use location. The effort to build the site is led by NOAA and NASA, and provides information for citizens, policy makers, and designers alike. It is great for architects to use and share with clients and developers.
DISCOVERY
AIA 2030 Commitment By the Numbers: Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)
The AIA 2030 Commitment By the Numbers: Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE)s allow architects to access performance data and assess and address any problems. When POE reveals that a project is consuming more energy than expected, these lessons learned can be invaluable for future projects.
AIA Aronoff Center
AIA Aronoff Center provides a case study of a post-occupancy evaluation: POEs are the last of the six “loops” in the overall design perspective of a project, which starts at the project’s inception and travels through design, building, and final occupancy.
AIA Best Practice Chapter 10.10
AIA Best Practice Chapter 10.10 includes learning from experience with green building POEs post-occupancy evaluations: The University of British Columbia conducted a POE and uncovered findings that will help the university improve energy efficiency and develop future designs.
Enterprise Green Communities
Enterprise Green Communities, the standard for sustainable futures, is the nation’s only national green building program designed explicitly for green affordable housing construction. www.enterprisecommunity.org/solutions-and-innovation/green-communities
Emerge by AIAU
Emerge by AIAU: The Building is Never Done, Improving Your Practice Using Post Occupancy Evaluation: Learn from experts in the field about the value of conducting POEs.
Impact of High-Performance Buildings Report
The Impact of High-Performance Buildings report explains the importance of collecting energy usage, water usage, building operating expenses, solid waste (generation and diversion), and tenant satisfaction data to ensure building performance. Their yearly tenant satisfaction survey is based on UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality Survey.
Living Building Challenge
The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (Cascadia) is issuing a challenge to all building owners, architects, engineers, and design professionals to build in a way that will provide all of us and our children with a sustainable future. The Living Building Challenge is attempting to raise the bar and define a true measure of sustainability in the built environment, at least as far as what is currently possible and given the best knowledge available to-date. Projects that achieve this level of performance can claim to be the most sustainable in North America and not merely less bad. www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc
Project Drawdown
A nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “Drawdown”— the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. https://www.drawdown.org/
Resources Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics
Resources Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics: Carnegie Mellon University conducts research, demonstrations, and teaching to advance the sustainability and performance of buildings and communities.
UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment
UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment is where prominent industry leaders and internationally recognized researchers cooperate to produce substantial, holistic, and far-sighted research on buildings.
University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab
University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab utilizes evidence-based design practices to evaluate high performance and healthy building research to improve the quality of the built environment.
Whole Building Design Guide
Whole Building Design Guide on POEs reinforces that every lesson learned about the built environment bends the curve towards higher performing buildings.
INTEGRATION
21st Century Development
21st Century Development has several resources that describe a continuum of strategies for sustainable development across each principle and includes international case studies.
Building Green
Whether you call it a charrette, a workshop, or simply a meeting, these suggestions from experts found in BuildingGreen’s How To Run a Great Workshop: 37 Tips and Ideas will make your next event more fun and productive.
The thoroughly researched, up-to-date Integration at Its Finest guide for the U.S. General Services Administration takes a deep dive into three different COTE award recipients. It includes a comparative analysis across several categories found in high-performance buildings.
COTE
More than two decades of COTE® Top Ten award recipients and their case studies can be accessed online. Use these projects for inspiration of what sustainable design can be and how teams use big ideas to bring together excellence across principles.
And Lessons From The Leading Edge report from COTE analyzes trends among 20 years of projects that received a COTE® Top Ten Award.