The term ‘building science’ is used quite often now in sustainable building circles, but much of what we understand of it can be traced back to the work of Dr. Joe Lstiburek, founder of Building Science Corporation. He is anything but your typical engineer or scientist who spends time crunching numbers or hiding away in a lab. Lstiburek has spent most of his career out in the field, testing and examining what works and what doesn’t. Many of the building standards today — from building codes to ASHRE to testing methodology — have his finger prints all over them, and his tough love criticism of building design is undercut with his wry humor and, of course, an encyclopedic knowledge of building construction.

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SAGE recently attended the sixth annual Living Future 2012, billed as an “unConference,” where the green building industry’s best minds and practitioners gather to share their expertise and passionate desires to help us move forward as a society.

It was an inspiring event. What struck me most was that the attendees were genuinely passionate about “Living Future” … not just the conference itself, but what the words actually mean. It’s all about fostering better sustainable lifestyles, making the world a better place for the children and equal rights for all. Attendees were driven by the idea that transforming the built environment towards sustainability can help us reach these goals.

The theme of this year’s unConference was Women Reshaping the World. The program and speakers focused on women who are providing proven, practical and visionary strategies that address whole earth impacts. It acknowledged women give and nurture life and that their impact is significant in the role of sustainable living.

As well, it further bridged the gender gap in what has historically been a predominantly male-directed building industry. It was impressive that more than 50% of attendees this year were women. This was different from the previous building trade conferences I’ve attended.

SAGE was the only glass vendor to exhibit. This was surprising as windows play such a critical role in sustainable architecture. The way we design buildings and communities to maintain a connection to the outdoors is critical to physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of people.

Living Future 2012 was worth the investment; the quality of attendees, shared ideas and relationships forged. We’re already making plans for next year’s unConference.

A building may be monumental, but a place must be human-scale.  An individual building may be designed to speed up human activity (or, rather, productivity) but a successful place slows down the pace so we can connect with others and with our surroundings.  Architects must sort out the spatial contradictions.  They have little room for error because their creations will frame our behavior for decades.

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The drive to make buildings greener has been spearheaded by some unusual sources, including the Department of Defense, which is applying new technology to its 300,000 buildings worldwide, and Google, which is focused on transforming its offices to improve employee health and productivity. On the first day of VERGE DC Wednesday, Rob Watson, CEO of EcoTech International and founder of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, moderated a panel discussion about green-building strategy with Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense in charge of installations and environment at the DOD, and Anthony Ravitz, Google’s real estate and workplace services green team lead.

The Greenbiz.com blog has the story here.

Cities from Austin to Toronto are demonstrating that a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient green economy is a major opportunity for the countries and communities of North America. The UK’s The Guardian takes a look at how many cities in the US and Canada are seizing the opportunity to channel resourcefulness and creativity into making buildings more sustainable.

Read the story here.

Buildings potentially offer the low-hanging fruit for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and job creation across the globe. In Europe, buildings burn up 40% of all the energy consumed, and the potential of refurbishing existing buildings to create savings and jobs is considerable and largely untapped. It has been estimated that, annually, 1.1 million new net jobs in the building industry could be created by 2050 through deep buildings renovation.

UK’s The Guardian tells has the story here on Europe’s efforts to fight climate change through energy efficient buildings.

On January 19, 2012, the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its 2011 list of the top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita. Winner: District of Columbia.

From the Helbling & Associates blog: