Green Building News

Despite the current volatilities in the building industry, the construction sector is poised for serious growth thanks to the newly passed infrastructure package, which will drive significant increases in project volume, particularly for green construction and energy-efficient buildings. In addition, the largely underutilized 179D tax deduction rewards building designs and enhancements that will be widespread in environmentally-sound infrastructure projects.

Read more at Construction Dive

With efforts to find new ways to lock up carbon, developers, architects, and net zero committed companies are asking, “Is wood the new concrete?” New technology in what’s called “mass timber” production offers a carbon-cutting alternative to concrete and steel in the building sector.

Read more at Green Biz

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forged a partnership with the University of Maryland (UMD) Center for Technology and Systems Management and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to accelerate the development of climate-smart engineering codes and standards. This partnership is being established to help the nation account for climate change in future infrastructure design and construction.

Read more at NOAA

This week the Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced the approval of ANSI/GBI 01-2021: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Design, New Construction, and Major Renovations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on September 3, 2021. On September 27, 2021, GBI’s Board of Directors approved and published the standard, also known as “Green Globes for News Construction 2021.”

Read more at EIN Newswire

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that builds upon the existing collaborative relationship between the SLB and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the MOU and effective immediately, the SLB and USDA expand a public-private partnership that seeks to grow demand for wood products as natural climate solutions.

Read more at LBM Journal

The insulating glass window market size was $12 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach 17.2 billion by 2026. The global market is witnessing high-growth with increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings. Growing demand for green buildings is expected to drive this segment during the forecast period.

Read more at Yahoo! Finance

Hemp offers several uses in construction. In addition to its uses in insulation, hempcrete, and hemp adobe, it can also be extruded in much the same way as MDF lumber to make plywood, boards, wood planks and other lumber replacement products. Hemp hardness is similar to oak and renews in only 90 days.

Read More at  Think Realty

For waterfront properties in particular, one material that is providing significant benefits from an environmental and cost standpoint is sustainable marine lumber. Builders constructing properties in waterfront settings should consider this material, which marine contractors working in sectors ranging from oceanfront communities to bridges, marinas, ports and harbors are increasingly opting for.

Read More at Green Builder

Scientists are closing in on a way to turn a home’s wooden frame into a power source. Scientists at Swiss research institutes ETS Zurich and Empa have biologically modified balsa wood and made it more compressible, turning it into a mini-generator.

Read More at Green Builder 

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has joined a new public-private alliance called the Partnership for Advanced Windows Solutions (PAWS) to speed up the mass adoption of energy-efficient windows and attachments. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the organization leading this initiative, convened a meeting with potential partners to discuss strategies to make windows essential to the drive for more energy-efficient homes and buildings in the U.S.

Read More at DWM