Wellness in Buildings
Wellness in buildings requires a focus on occupants’ health and well-being through good design. Material health is one sliver of the pie but not the whole circle: building professionals also need to focus on moisture issues, ample ventilation, water quality and access, active design, and lighting that supports health.
Wellness in Buildings
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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What’s an HPD? Health Product Declaration FAQs
Feature Short
We answer frequently asked questions on HPDs, which allow manufacturers to disclose product ingredients and hazards.
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How Google Uses HPDs to Choose Building Products
Feature Short
The Portico program turns chemical disclosure into a powerful decision-making tool.
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Five Ways Project Teams Are Using HPDs
Feature Short
An architect, a specifier, and a building owner walk into a bar. Then they talk about how ingredient transparency informs their work.
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In Search of High-Quality Hazard Data: HPDs Have Promise, but Most Aren’t Helpful Yet
Feature Short
HPD version 1.0’s promise of greater material transparency didn’t always deliver, but version 2.0 should provide accurate reporting.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Brominated Flame Retardants
Explainer
Keeping furnishings, appliances, and building materials from catching fire and burning up is important, but many flame retardants aren't good for us or the environment.
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Building Products and Health: A Look at Risk vs. Hazard
Explainer
Use of "hazard avoidance" versus "risk assessment" for understanding toxicity of building materials is hotly debated. Why, and is there a common-sense answer?
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Biophilic Design: Indulging Our Love of Life
Explainer
New biophilia metrics pin down what it means to engage the love of nature through design.
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Beyond Accessible: Universal Design for Green Buildings
Explainer
By planning ahead for all ages and abilities, designers reduce the need for renovations and may extend building service life.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Hand Dryers
Product Guide
These high-performance electric hand dryers are energy-efficient, fast, and convenient.
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Self-Cleaning Buildings, Brought to You by Smog-Eating Technology
Product Review
New architectural panels and roof tiles break down smog, but the real reason to install them is that they stay clean.
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BuildingGreen Announces Top-10 Products for 2015
Product Review
Transformative products eliminate toxic chemicals and fossil fuels, and improve building and site performance.
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LEDs Finally Hitting Stride in Supporting Health, Productivity
Product Review
By allowing tunability of color and intensity, USAI’s Color Select LED technology can match the natural daylight cycle and needs of end users.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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California Builders Pay for Degrading Air Quality
News Analysis
California's Central Valley, contender for the nation's worst air quality, will require builders to reduce the smog and particulate matter their projects cause, or pay into offsite air-quality improvement programs.
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Greenguard Launches Mold Protection Program
News Analysis
The Greenguard Environmental Institute has launched the nation's first program to certify the design, construction, and operation of buildings for protection against mold.
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Flexible Noryl Resin Could Offer New Wire-Coating Option
News Analysis
GE's Flexible Noryl Resin could rival halogenated materials for plenum-rated electrical and data cable insulating and sheathing.
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Lead-Chloramine Connection Strengthened
News Analysis
New research suggests a stronger connection between chloramine as a municipal water treatment and elevated lead levels.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Polystyrene's Track Record
Op-Ed
Steve Russell, of the American Chemistry Council, suggests that the hazards associated with polystyrene are being overblown.
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Watch for Other Toxics
Op-Ed
Two architects argue that some of the alternatives to polystyrene, such as polyurethane, come with their own hazards.
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HBCD Isn't the Only Problem
Op-Ed
Tom Lent argues that we should be looking beyond HBCD when thinking about toxic chemicals.
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Polystyrene Chemicals Widespread
Op-Ed
Polystyrene chemicals may be more widespread than most people think.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Spotlight Report
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Build More or Build Green? Affordable Housing’s False Choice
Spotlight Report
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Affordable Housing or Green Housing? We Can Say Yes to Both
Webcast
Yes, available funding for building and rehabilitating affordable housing is inadequate—but that’s all the more reason to get this right when we get the chance.
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Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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WELL Building Auditor Will Drink Your Milkshake
April Fools
The WELL standard for healthy spaces and lifestyles is backed by onsite auditing, but some occupants would prefer to slowly kill themselves in peace.
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New Standard Emphasizes American Well-Being
April Fools
The LOFE2 health standard comes from the creators of Green Globes.
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With GOOP, Green Building Explores New Depths
April Fools
Gwyneth Paltrow’s offering to the sustainability world rewards projects for venerating the “cradle of civilization.”
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“The Helix” Is Just the Tip of Amazon’s Arlington Iceberg
April Fools
A subterranean portion of the new Amazon Helix structure will host thousands of workers.
