GREEN BUILDING NEWS

We reported previously on the intention of the White House to define a zero-emissions building, and a standard definition is sorely needed. The articles below provide a summary of the recent proposal, though the window for submitting comments has closed. ~Tina

National definition for a zero emissions building

USGBC / GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE

Following up on an announcement initially made at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have released a draft national definition for a zero-emissions building. The initial definition consists of three principles that characterize a zero operating emissions building: highly energy-efficient; free of on-site emissions from energy use; and powered solely from clean energy. Be aware there have been substantive changes from what was first publicly discussed to what is now proposed. Read more here and here.

State of Decarbonization: ​​Progress in U.S. Commercial Buildings 2023

USGBC

Recently, USGBC and Arup released the report "State of Decarbonization: Progress in U.S. Commercial Buildings 2023," surveying three decades of data to identify targeted opportunities for future improvement. Addressing organizational commitments, levers of transformation, opportunities in retrofit and renovation, and decarbonization technologies, the report covers a lot of ground. The section "Commercial Typology Trends" examines how progress toward climate goals varies among different commercial building types.

CODES and STANDARDS NEWS

The impact of minimum energy performance standards for buildings

BUILDING ENCLOSURE ONLINE

The latest 2030 By the Numbers report from the AIA details the aggregate impacts of 23,276 projects, including a 48 percent overall reduction in predicted (modeled) energy use intensity (pEUI) and 41.8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided relative to baseline-equivalent buildings. Read more.

High strength reinforcement to make masonry more sustainable

THE MASONRY SOCIETY JOURNAL (tiered pricing)

The paper, “High-Strength Reinforcing Bars and TMS 402,” in the recent TMS Journal shows that high strength rebars enable sustainable masonry design by reducing the amount of reinforcement required by as much as 33%. High strength rebars also enable lighter masonry buildings, smaller bar diameters, greater rebar spacings, and reduced cell grouting – all of which can reduce the carbon footprint of a building.

Significant structural changes coming to 2024 International Building Code

STRUCTURE MAGAZINE

Structure Magazine published a multi-part series about the code changes to different concrete and masonry structures within the recently released 2024 International Building Code (IBC). Included are excerpts from the IBC that reference the updated The Masonry Society Standard 402. Read more. 

GREEN PRODUCT NEWS

Usually we feature news about 'green' masonry or cementitious products, but this time we are including an article about wood. A recent study has questioned some of the assumptions about mass timber. ~Tina

Just how climate-friendly are timber buildings? It's complicated

TECH XPLORE

More and more companies are embracing mass timber as a way to cut their carbon footprints and promote their green bona fides, including Walmart Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. But establishing just how much carbon is saved by building with timber isn't straightforward. There are still big unanswered questions: Is mass timber good for the climate irrespective of its source? Here, the no-brainer-ness of timber begins to splinter. Read more.

EPDs: Helping you meet masonry sustainability goals

MASONRY MAGAZINE

As many manufacturers adopt sustainability goals in the evolution toward net zero, more buildings today are featuring sustainable design, and that includes masonry. But how do industry professionals know and trust what is real and what is simply green marketing? One tool that masons, designers, and builders can rely on is Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Read more about EPDs in this article from Masonry Magazine.

Understanding environmental and health product labels for natural stone

BUILDING STONE MAGAZINE

A deep dive into common sustainability product labels used for building materials such as natural stone and a look at how natural stone compares to manmade materials.

EDUCATIONAL NEWS

2024 Masonry Educators' Workshop Scheduled - Save the Date!

THE MASONRY SOCIETY

The Masonry Society is planning a 2024 Masonry Educators' Workshop (MEW) at the University at Buffalo, NY on June 5-7. The MEW is a forum for faculty who are teaching masonry, or who are interested in adding masonry to their curriculum, learn about the design, specification, construction, and evaluation of masonry. Effective and innovative ways to teach this information to their students are discussed.