Where building materials originate, the natural resources they consume, the path they follow to reach their destination as a construction component, and their durability and destiny after a useful life are at the heart of sustainability and the built environment. The importance of these characteristics is emphasized by the central role they play in the leading green building rating point systems, and the many certification programs evaluating them. Whether dealing with limited or renewable resources, chain-of-custody documentation, amounts and types of recycled content, or recycling potential these attributes will only become more important as time goes on and resources diminish. This area of study will examine the impact sustainable materials and resources will have on the future of the construction industry and project trends and innovations in supplying future demand for construction products.
Declare is a new labeling platform for materials transparency that encourages communication among project teams.
The Red List provides a quantifiable metric for sustainable materials, but also fosters communication that is critical for meeting future targets.
Flame retardants are just one of the many hazardous chemicals that may never be banned in the U.S.
Health Product Declarations address the health side of building products and materials.
A recent statement of consensus offers an alternative means for disclosure tools in the upcoming update to the LEED rating system.
Even though you may be specifying energy-efficient polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and polyurethane insulation for your builds, flammability codes still require the use of flame retardant (FR) chemicals.
Even certified lumber can be illegal. New enforcement crackdown puts emphasis on verifying lumber sources.
Nadav Malin, President, BuildingGreen
Nadav Malin’s influential contributions to environmental building include BuildingGreen’s Environmental Building News, GreenSpec, and McGraw-Hill’s GreenSource magazine. He has chaired the USGBC’s Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group, and led the team that created the U.S. Department of Energy’s High Performance Buildings Database.