Over the summer of 2020, industry experts presented an overview of a specific COVID-19 mitigation topic, through a sustainability lens. The conversations with attendees that followed addressed issues like what building owners are asking for, which solutions are proving most effective, and how these strategies measure up against various sustainability imperatives.

To close the conversation series, we launched a hub that summarizes the information shared and serves as a resource for members of the green building industry who wish to become more informed about the current strategies, while also balancing sustainability priorities. Visit the website to read white papers for each conversation series session below:

Most people spend up to 90 percent of their time in buildings – while the health of the building is highly critical, it is a component that was often overlooked. Now with the advent of COVID-19, our perspective on this component has changed: building designers and operators must re-examine how we navigate offices, restaurants, stores, schools, and residential common areas. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put out new guidelines for the health and safety of the indoor space. Fortunately, the WELL Building Standard® provides the knowledge necessary to make the health and well-being of building residents an even greater priority.

This course covers the financial, societal, and environmental benefits of WELL certification. This course will explain the seven concepts of the WELL Building standard, strategies to achieve them, the health impacts they address, and summarize the certification process of the WELL Building Standard. The overlap between the WELL Standard and COVID-19 mitigation strategies for buildings will also be discussed.

The Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) Embodied Carbon 101 series is in full swing, taking place Mondays this summer, June through August. National leaders on embodied carbon will help you define the issue, understand the key concepts and players, and empower you to take action. The next session is on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, which are critical to operational energy but often overlooked in the embodied carbon conversation. Don’t miss this multi-part program series designed to give AEC professionals the knowledge they need to incorporate embodied carbon considerations immediately into their work. Sit in on one that piques your interest, choose a handful that are most relevant to your worklife, or attend as many as you can!