BRE and IWBI Release Guidance to Streamline Joint Certification of BREEAM and WELL

Tue, 01/31/2017 - 18:05

BRE and the International WELL Building Institute™ pbc (IWBI™) have today published a briefing paper which outlines how Certified BREEAM credits may be used to demonstrate compliance with the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) post-occupation.

Smart Cities Need Smart Master Planning Processes

Tue, 05/02/2017 - 10:00

As governments consider where to spend their smart city funding, they may initially center on the critical building blocks of a smart city but often become subject to short-term budget priorities. To this point, responses to the 2017 Strategic Directions: Smart City/ Smart Utility Report survey suggest a vexing conundrum: What comes first, the budget or the plan?

Quality of LifeHacks for Keeping Your Energy Costs Low in the Workplace

Tue, 01/31/2017 - 16:40

Winter brings long nights, cold temperatures—and high energy bills. All of that artificial heat and light uses up energy resources and costs a lot. While we’re often focused on not running up our heating bills at home, it’s just as important to be aware of skyrocketing costs at the office. Here are a few areas to focus on when cutting costs.

Can Green Leases Help Fast-track a Sustainable Built Environment?

Tue, 01/31/2017 - 09:25

In recent years there has been a huge push for sustainable real estate with the realisation that buildings contribute to 40% of energy consumption in developed countries. One way in which sustainable real estate is being implemented is through green leases; leases that go above and beyond to incorporate sustainability requirements.

Desert Rain House in Oregon Earns First-ever Residential Living Building Certification

Thu, 01/26/2017 - 13:00

The Desert Rain House located in Bend, Oregon, has become the first residential compound to earn Living Building certification, the most ambitious and optimistic international standard of sustainability in the world. Developed by the International Living Future Institute, the Living Building Challenge certification requires actual, rather than modeled or anticipated, performance across environmental, social and community impact.

If The Dutch Ruled The World

Wed, 01/25/2017 - 09:00

RBS Recognised in the 2017 Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index

Mon, 01/30/2017 - 15:35

RBS is one of 52 firms recognised in the 2017 Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index (BFGEI).
The index provides investors and organisations with standardised aggregate data across company gender statistics; employee policies; gender-conscious product offerings; and external community support and engagement.

Black & Veatch: Rise of Data Propels Growing Adoption of Smart City Solutions

Tue, 01/24/2017 - 03:00

Cities and utilities are increasingly relying on data analytics tools to advance their smart systems, even as municipal leaders grapple with how to pay for these upgrades. Fulfilling the smart city promise will require integrating communication technology and increasing stakeholder engagement. This combination will help transform cities and infrastructure, according to Black & Veatch’s just-released 2017 Strategic Directions: Smart City/Smart Utility Report.

Paya Lebar Quarter Office Buildings First in Singapore to Register for New Global Building Standard Focused on Occupant Well-being and Productivity

Mon, 01/23/2017 - 09:00

Paya Lebar Quarter by Lendlease, a $3.2 billion mixed-use development, is the first in Singapore to register for the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL Core and Shell Certification for nearly one million square feet of Grade A workspaces across its three office towers. The commitment to pursue WELL Certification in Singapore is a testament to Lendlease’s leadership in sustainability and the development’s vision to create an Active, Green and Engaged precinct that can enhance the well-being and productivity of the people who will come to work in these spaces every day.

Building Affordable Homes to Empower Communities

Fri, 01/27/2017 - 08:10

Affordable home builder and Business Call to Action (BctA) member ¡Échale! a Tu Casa has made an ambitious new pledge to provide 12,500 new low-income clients with access to sustainable housing solutions and financing in Mexico by 2022.