In the aftermath of natural disasters, displaced communities require temporary accommodation. A new study has examined how the built environment of these temporary communities influences their recovery and resilience, using accommodation set up after Hurricane Katrina as a case study. It highlights the importance of developing transitional built environments that consider the social and mental health needs of a community.

A recent study in Finland suggests new building regulations will lead to a substantial reduction in the total energy demand and CO2 emissions in new apartment buildings. This could have an impact on the source of energy used for new buildings. In particular, the demand for space heating will fall, which could have an impact on the source of energy used for new buildings.

Long-term urban planning is needed to adapt the urban environment and make it more resilient to climate change, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report that aims to support urban policy development and decision making.

A free online system for assessing the sustainability of buildings is due to be launched across Europe in July this year. The tool captures scientific complexity whilst being accessible and easy-to-use, its developers say.

New ecosystem-based solutions which provide flexible resilience to coastal flooding, rather than rigid defences, are needed in the face of global environmental change. A recent study examines a new coastal protection scheme in the Netherlands which reduces ecosystem damage whilst offering resilient defence against flooding. Using this case study, the researchers present a framework for evaluating climate change adaptation measures called ‘Building with Nature’.

Denmark aims to develop an energy system based only on renewable energy sources by 2050. Energy saving buildings are an essential part of this plan, according to new research, which investigates how excess heat production from net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) can benefit district heating systems and reduce reliance on combustible fuels.

Implementing energy efficiency measures in existing housing stock could save 10% of current heating consumption by 2020 and 20% by 2030, according to a recent study of nine European countries. Planning authorities can play a major role by providing support and unbiased information to all stakeholders involved in the renovations.

Over half of a low-energy building’s environmental impact occurred before it was even occupied, a new case study from Italy calculates. The researchers recommend expanding the environmental assessment of buildings from just the operational stage of a building’s life, when it is in use, to include production and transport of materials, construction activities and building maintenance. A wide range of environmental impacts should also be considered, they argue, and not just energy use.

Green walls, designed so they are covered in vegetation, could help cut the amount of noise that enters buildings, a new study has found. In lab. tests, researchers found that a modular green wall system reduced sound levels by 15 decibels (dB). This leads them to believe that it is a promising sound reduction device that could improve quality-of-life for city residents.

Which types of buildings will require the least energy for heating and cooling under climate change? A study in Vienna, Austria, looked at the balance between heating and cooling demand in four different types of buildings. The research provides a method that could be useful for other European cities trying to adapt to climate change.

A new review examines the potential uses and scientific, technical and manufacturing problems facing ‘van der Waals heterostructures’ - an emerging science which uses building block-like nanomaterials. Van der Waals heterostructures are nanomaterials built by layering different materials, each one atom thick, on top of each other, to create materials with unique properties and uses.

Researchers in Lithuania have assessed and ranked the sustainability of buildings on a wide range of criteria, from pollution caused by the building materials to the running costs of the building. An overall sustainability index based on these criteria allows the comparison of different buildings and, using this index, the study estimated that a wood-based building is 7.5% more sustainable than a house made of bricks.

As buildings become increasingly energy-efficient in terms of heating and operation, researchers are highlighting the importance of reducing the energy needed to construct the buildings. However, there is a lack of accurate, consistent data, or a standard methodology to properly assess energy requirements at this stage, a new study has found.

Pioneering methods used in the Netherlands combine remediation of brownfield sites with the use of groundwater for heat cold storage (HCS, or ATES: Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage) to achieve both low-cost remediation and sustainable use of energy.

Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) are a viable means to reduce global energy demand, a new study suggests. However, in response to the drop in energy costs for the household due to better energy efficiency, people may begin to consume more energy than they otherwise would. These so-called ‘rebound effects’ can undermine emissions reductions, the study says, and it proposes approaches that could lessen these impacts.

Weathering and abrasion are reported to cause titanium dioxide nanoparticles to escape from a self-cleaning coating for buildings. These particles may be toxic to humans and wildlife. The researchers have developed three indicators from the test results to help predict levels of nanoparticle release from these coatings.

European buildings built in the 1950s, 60s and 70s may contribute towards levels of toxins in the body, a new study suggests. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found at elevated levels in children that lived in houses and studied in schools built during this period, before PCBs were more thoroughly regulated in the construction industry. Although food is generally a more concentrated source of these toxins, the authors say exposure through these environments should be minimised wherever possible.

A new study aimed at increasing knowledge of indoor air quality (IAQ) in recently built or refurbished office buildings has found that levels of pollutants are mostly within World Health Organization (WHO) air-quality guidelines, however they vary between seasons. In addition, some levels of particulate matter were found to exceed WHO guideline values. The OFFICAIR project was funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme.

SUFFOLK – VDOT Hampton Roads employees celebrated a major address change today with a ribbon-cutting at their new north Suffolk headquarters. The...

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BRISTOL – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will hold a design public hearing tomorrow to show plans for the widening of a half-mile section of Business Route 23 in the Town of Wise.

With a focus on solar, schools and citizen entrepreneurs, Global Green USA formally announces its plan to help devastated-by-Sandy communities in New York and N

Photographer Blake Burton chronicles the extensive work of restoring a historic Sears, Roebuck & Co. building.

Team at Seattle university is creating largest 3-D reconstruction that anyone has ever attempted, rebuilding the world one pixel at a time.

In conjunction with Greenbuild 2012, prefab firm Blu Homes announces the acquisition of Modern Cabana, a family-run company specializing in stylish accessory dw

Garrison Architects creates a series of green modular structures to grace NYC's Sandy-ravaged beaches by Memorial Day.

In a marriage of modular building and adaptive reuse, one Spanish developer has taken to the rooftops.

Eco-Sense, described as North America's first code-approved, seismically engineered load-bearing insulated cob residence, is one of the first projects to gain s

Now 50% complete, the Great American Rail-Trail spans an epic 4,000 epic miles.

A new system created by a French energy firm heats about 6 million square feet of office space, creating no emissions in the process.

Take a tour of Box Office, the first commercial office building in the U.S. built from retired shipping containers.

We can't just build better; we have to change the way we live.

The Eagle Ridge Institute is searching for a green building specialist as part of the AmeriCorps VISTA YouthBuild USA program.

The WELL standard picks up where LEED and other standards fear to tread.

Moisture-resistant building products are the first line of defense against rotting and mold, problems that can devalue our homes and cause serious health issues

Located on the Mississippi Flyway, Chicago is one of the deadliest American cities for migrating birds. But the Windy City is trying to change that statistic.

A USGBC report highlights green building advancements made in all 50 states.

The BuildingGreen Top 10 Green Building Products were announced at Greenbuild 2011.

Go green or get left behind. That's the message many hotel owners are hearing as they watch their competitors slash operating costs, gain respect in the communi

Recession proof green jobs, $7 million in energy efficiency savings and more.

Application deadline for the 2012 Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program is Aug. 10, 2012.

Bryan Cranston — the actor behind "Breaking Bad," television's favorite chemistry teacher-turned-meth manufacturer — appears at Dwell on Design to discuss

'Green Buildings for Great Communities' is the theme for World Green Building Week 2012.

Speaking at a sustainability and design conference in Atlanta, LEED pioneer Rob Watson explains that 'there are good buildings, and there are bad buildings.'

Why not design our homes so that we can get at the things that need to be changed? That's the idea behind "Open Building".

A tour of the Bullitt Center in Seattle confirms that it's as green as it can be.

Michael Green, champion of lanky, carbon-neutral buildings, sets his sights on the City of Light.

University of Cincinnati students score big in the 2015 perFORM Building Design Competition.

From Apple's Spaceship HQ to GE's Boston campus, these solar-integrated designs are raising the bar.

Situated next to the High Line, Solar Carve Tower is specifically designed not to bogart air and natural light from its neighbors.