Top 10 green building products for 2015

Last week, during the Greenbuild show in New Orleans, BuildingGreen Inc. released its annual Top-10 Green Building Products list. Now in its 13th year, the program acknowledges products that "make radical alterations to 'business as usual' in the design and construction industry."

This year's breakthrough products range from biobased-plastic chairs to a high-flow-rate biofiltration system to halogen-free polyiso insulation.

Here's a recap of the Top-10 Green Building Products for 2015 (read BuildingGreen's full report):

1. Johns Manville ENRGY 3.E Halogen-Free Polyiso Insulation

Johns Manville is the first manufacturer to sell a polyisocyanurate roofing insulation not containing TCPP, or Tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, the halogenated flame retardant used in polyiso and spray foam.

2. Organic Furnishings from Ekla Home

These furnishings are made from natural latex and do not require chemical flame retardants.

3. KI Chair with AirCarbon Plastic

The materials that go into the KI Chair come from agriculturally-sourced methane rather than petroleum, which makes the chair carbon-negative.

4. FocalPoint Bioretention System

This filtration systems provides the performance of natural storm water filtration on a very small footprint.

5. Multistack Magnetic Levitation Chillers with Danfoss Compressors

These chillers cool offices, schools, and large commercial buildings; they are energy-efficient and eliminate the need for mechanical seals, gears, pumps, and many other conventional components.

6. Fluid-Applied Cat 5 Air Barrier System from Prosoco

The parts that make up these air barriers are based on the high-performance "hybrid" polymer chemistry, which lacks solvents and isocyanates; in addition, the removal of phthalate plasticizers makes them eligible for use in Living Building Challenge Products.

7. Clean Energy Collective

The collective develops locally-sited photovoltaic facilities across the U.S. and engages with local utilities so that local people can purchase and own PV panels within a shared array.

8. Cascadia Clip Thermal Spacers

The Cascadia Clip offers support for cladding over insulation, and it decreases thermal bridging more effectively than conventional methods.

9. Marvin Windows with U.S. Passive House Certification

Marvin Windows is the first major American window manufacturer to issue a Passive House Institute U.S.-certified window. These windows are available with FSC-certified wood.

10. USAI Lighting Color Select Tunable Lighting

This product blends the efficacy of LEDs with the ability to provide users complete control over the color and intensity of their interior lighting.

Read BuildingGreen's full report here.

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows.

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