Many of us take good acoustics for granted. But it's common for acoustic efforts to be the first thing cut from commercial projects—or not included in the design phase at all, according to Graham Waks, founder of Music City Acoustics. The post Room Acoustics – Are They the Missing Piece in the Occupant Experience? appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Commercial kitchens are one of the most challenging spaces to electrify, but we need to take on this challenge in order to decarbonize restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, and other buildings with commercial kitchens. Is another green certification program the answer? The post Do We Need a Green Certification Program Just for Commercial Kitchens? (Hint… Yes) appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
Remember when gas stoves became a political issue last year? While all that public debate was happening, there were chefs around the world embracing the concept of all-electric kitchens and getting past the learning curve to induction cooking. The post It’s Getting Hot in Here! – Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Electric Kitchens appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
Accessibility consultants work at the intersection of architecture and social justice. It’s much more than checking the boxes on accessibility requirements of laws and codes; it takes precision, dedication, and creativity to solve problems and remove physical barriers to access that have historically marginalized people with disabilities. The post Career Diaries – What’s It Like Working As an Accessibility Consultant? appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
Listen as host Robb Aldrich poses the same 10 questions from the original episode, and a few new ones, to Lois and Dylan Martello—who both work on first-of-their-kind, largescale Passive House projects at Steven Winter Associates. The post Your Top 10 Passive House Questions, Answered – The Long-Awaited Part 2 appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or "model code" establishes the minimum requirements for building energy efficiency. The code is updated every three years, and for 2024, a new consensus-driven development process brought together diverse stakeholders to determine those requirements. The post 2024 IECC – What Happened? appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
Though electrification is important to reduce carbon emissions, electrifying buildings is not straightforward. Factors like cost, existing infrastructure, compliance needs (and we'll say it again: cost!) can keep building owners from going all-electric. The post Choosing Electrification or Efficiency (When Both Aren’t Possible) appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
In this episode, Ellen Honigstock, Senior Director of Education at Urban Green Council, sits down with Kelly Westby, Managing Director of the Building Operations, Decarbonization, and Efficiency (BODE) team at Steven Winter Associates. They chat about what it takes to effectively educate the workforce to ensure occupant comfort, energy and carbon reductions, sustainability, and the overall performance of a building. The post Mind the Gap – Addressing the Skills Gap in the Sustainable Building In...
Jonsara Ruth from the Healthy Materials Lab is on the Buildings + Beyond podcast to discuss how to phase out toxic ingredients and select materials that are healthy and affordable. The post Healthy Materials 101 – A Realistic Approach to Creating Healthier Buildings with Jonsara Ruth appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Over the lifespan of a building, operations and maintenance staff arguably have the biggest impact on system performance and energy efficiency. With the right training, staff can keep a building running as it was designed to run and "create the change" to reduce energy usage, reduce repairs, and upgrade vs. replace equipment. The post The Real Secret to Energy-Efficient Buildings? Operations & Maintenance Training appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. ....
If jurisdictions cannot ban gas, how can we put electrification in the energy code? How should embodied carbon accounting be incorporated into energy codes? The post Answering the Tough Questions About Energy Codes appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Our guests on the Buildings + Beyond podcast discuss how to design and operate cost-efficient, high-performance, and comfortable buildings. The post Cost vs. Conservation vs. Comfort – Roundtable, Part 2 appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Our podcast guests take on the topic of gender equity and discuss microaggressions, authenticity, mentorship and sponsorship, implicit bias, and more. The post Take Action: How Everyone Can Help Advance Gender Equity in the Building Industry – Roundtable, Part 1 appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
In this episode, hear from two members of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch about what to expect from the ENERGY STAR NextGen program. The post ENERGY STAR NextGen: 5 Requirements for Climate-Friendly Homes appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
On this episode, the group chats about what it’ll take to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of existing single-family homes. The post How Can We Convince More Homeowners to Make Energy-Efficiency Upgrades? appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
What design strategies will advance equity in the built environment? And how do we make equity part of building performance? The post Designing for Equity in the Built Environment with Victoria Lanteigne appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Dylan gears his questions toward young professionals who may want to pursue a career as a construction inspector or verifier. The post Construction Diaries Part 2: Tips for Young Professionals appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
This engaging discussion, featuring three of SWA's inspection & verification professionals, is a reminder of how valuable a third-party inspector can be. The post Construction Diaries: Lessons Learned From SWA’s Inspection & Verification Experts appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Robb assembled a group of sustainability professionals and asked them to share some best practices for living a more sustainable lifestyle. The post Practicing What We Preach: Everyday Solutions for Living a Sustainable Lifestyle appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
The group discusses why buildings don't perform as expected, the importance of benchmarking and normalizing, and the impact of dynamic energy pricing. The post Charlotte’s Web of Building Electrification Strategies …with Charlotte Matthews appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
'All-Access' with Peter Stratton is the perfect episode for those interested in learning more about accessibility compliance in buildings. The post (ENCORE) ‘All-Access’ with Peter Stratton appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Kelly chats with two engineers who represent two very important sides of the building operations spectrum - maintenance and training. The post Building Operations and Training with Jonathan Rodnite and Adam Romano appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Christina provides an insightful look into the energy market, sharing the trends, incentives, and opportunities that have stemmed from recent carbon laws. The post The Economics of Developing Sustainable Buildings with Christina McPike appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
With a mix of backgrounds and expertise, each of us came to the table with a different topic and shared our thoughts, findings, and did some venting... The post Venting About Ventilation, Heat Pumps, and Net Zero with the Buildings+Beyond Team appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
To learn more about what a degree in sustainability should look like, we looked to Stockton University's Patrick Hossay, PhD. The post What Should a Degree in Sustainability Look Like? with Patrick Hossay appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
On this episode, Kelly chats with Andrew from Peel Passive House Consulting to discuss one of his favorite (and most challenging) projects to date. The post Designing the World’s First Passive House Car Dealership with Andrew Peel appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
John shares some important factors to consider when evaluating heat pumps, such as construction type, geographic location, project financing, and more. The post The Role of Heat Pumps in Low-Moderate Income Homes with Jon Harrod appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
On this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kathryn Wright from USDN. Kathryn explains the critical connection between equity and buildings. The post A Framework for Equity and Buildings with Kathryn Wright appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Dr. Iain Walker discusses strategies for controlling byproducts associated with cooking by focusing on kitchen ventilation The post (ENCORE) Why is Kitchen Ventilation So Important? With Dr. Iain Walker from LBNL appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
Peter describes the top five accessibility oversights in both design and construction that typically lead to noncompliance with accessibility requirements. The post The Devil’s in the Details: Common Accessibility Oversights with Peter Stratton appeared first on Steven Winter Associates, Inc. .
