Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for building products are critical when selecting the most sustainable product. This course will describe critical components that help assure transparent and fair comparisons when conducting an LCA. We will explain the benefits of creating a LCA and the purpose for creating an EPD. The course will discuss how LEED v4 will utilize EPDs in the Materials & Resources category.

This course will familiarize participants with the development, scope, intent and application of the administrative provisions contained in Chapter One of the International Green Construction Code, also known as the IgCC. Participants will gain an understanding of how the IgCC fits within the context of other green building rating systems and standards.

Building owners are often faced with a difficult decision when given the chance to pursue certification for their new or existing buildings. Even once the decision is made to certify, it can be overwhelming to evaluate all the different types of rating systems to determine which one is most appropriate given the cost limitations, expertise of the project team, and owner’s motivation to pursue sustainability in the first place. Join us in this one-hour course to explore many of the most popular rating systems, including LEED, Green Globes, WELL and others.

In this one-hour course, we will explore how accordion doors, hardwood rolling counter doors, and space saving doors can help design professionals create a secure and elegant space. We discuss design strategies, ADA compliance, LEED v4 credits, and how these doors can benefit building occupants and owners. Finally, we review case studies, design challenges, and how to achieve successful outcomes using these effective doors.

In this 1-hour course we will explore the role of subcontractors and suppliers within the LEED process. We will review documentation submitted for LEED v4 projects such as Health Product Declarations (HPDs). Our team will discuss project team responsibilities and conclude with proven strategies to help you with your LEED v4 projects.

LCA is fast becoming the new benchmark for sustainable design philosophy. It presents as the ultimate tool for ensuring genuinely positive design results and it has/is being integrated into most progressive green building standards globally. Where it has typically been employed to optimise individual products or concepts, it is now rapidly being deployed in the building industry. The learning outcomes of this presentation will ensure attendees will have a good understanding of what LCA is and how it can be utilized to improve the design outcomes of their next project.

This course is written to educate design professionals on the amendments of LEEDv4 in comparison to its earlier editions, and will allow them to understand the core reasons behind these changes. The course delves into LEED EQ Credit: Quality Views in an in depth and comprehensive manner to instruct the professional on the true definition of the credit requirements as well as its intent. The course will also provide strategies for the design professional to successfully incorporate quality views into their designs when applicable to the project.

In this 1-hour, self-paced course, the design professional will establish or reinforce their understanding of the LEED certification process, from designation of the LEED Project Administrator to acceptance of final certification review. The various LEED project team members will be described, including their role on the LEED project and key responsibilities. Project team integration is described, along with the new LEED credit that recognizes the importance of the integrative process.

The average American spends the vast majority of their time indoors. However, most people are not unaware of the numerous chemicals and materials they are exposed to on a daily basis, nor do they understand the hazards associated with these substances. As such, the need for a standardized way of reporting the health impacts of building materials is desperately needed. In this one-hour course, the design professional will become familiar with the Health Product DeclarationTM (HPD), a material ingredient reporting standard developed under the guidance of the HPD CollaborativeTM.

The world is in grave danger. Climate destabilization, rampant industrialization, environmental destruction, pollution, and species extinction are problems significantly impacting our natural world. The environmental movement was launched to protect our natural world, reduce pollution, and to protect animal and plant diversity. This documentary will focus on neglected pioneers in the environmental movement as well as a few well known figures.

In this one-hour course, the participant will discover how to reduce building water use by increasing efficiency and reducing potable water consumption for LEED BD+C projects. We address water consumed by fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and processes including cooling towers. We also perform water use calculations, and apply these strategies to achieve points for LEED BD+C projects.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have been gaining fast recognition as the gold standard of product disclosures. We explore the inherent limitations of these tools, and discuss potential strategies for project teams to use EPDs for product specification.

In this one-hour course, the design professional will explore the impacts of light pollution, including harm done both to people, and to the environment. Strategies used by LEED projects to achieve SS Credit: Light Pollution Reduction are considered for all LEED BD+C v4 compliance options, including calculation methods and the B.U.G. prescriptive methods to assess compliance for light trespass and sky glow. We conclude with a reference list of lighting terminology.

Stormwater runoff in urban areas is one of the leading sources of water pollution in the United States. As the runoff flows over the land, paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, it accumulates chemicals, sediment or other pollutants that can adversely affect water quality if the runoff is discharged untreated. Through a series of video interviews with specialists from the City of Portland, we explore green infrastructure (GI) and low-impact development (LID) rainwater management strategies.

Our planet is facing significant environmental challenges. There are over 7 billion people on our planet vying for limited resources. Our oceans are overfished, polluted with toxic chemicals, plastic, and sewage. Our forests have been clearcut for timber, mining, and livestock purposes. We are living in the 6th mass extinction, with a large number of plants and animals being annihilated every year. The good news is that there are strategies to solve these challenges and ensure a future for our children. This presentation focuses on selecting a sustainable site for building a LEED project.

A new Music and Science complex was added to the Hood River Middle School in 2010, earning LEED Platinum certification. Through a series of interviews with the school faculty and the design team, we explore the creation of a net-zero-energy building that complements the children’s studies of the balance of nature. Learn how the school’s existing permaculture curriculum drove the sustainable design of the building and resulted in achieving the ‘School as a Teaching Tool’ credit with one of the most robust sustainable curriculums in the world.

In this one-hour course, the participant will explore design strategies that encourage beneficial occupant behavior. Consider the impacts occupant behavior changes can have on a building over its lifetime, dispel myths that key occupant behaviors cannot be directed by designers, and learn how these strategies can help achieve LEED certification.

In this one-hour course, the participant will discover the importance of high quality indoor air, factors that contribute to quality, and strategies to support the health of construction workers and occupants. Consider the heavy emphasis placed on indoor air quality in LEED credit allocations, and learn how to design and implement indoor air quality management, best practices, and assessments that can help achieve LEED credits.