Definition and scope
This guide provides a general introduction to locating information about sustainable or green building and design. It focuses specifically on resources devoted to enhancing energy efficiency and reducing negative environmental impact through conscientious design practice.
When keyword searching for information, it is important to employ synonyms, related concepts, and variations on terminology to retrieve more robust and focused results. If you were searching for information about energy-efficient windows, for instance, you might try including or interchanging related terms such as daylighting, fenestration, and glazing in your searches. Common synonyms for sustainable include environmental, green, ecological, and so forth.
Use a subject search for a more refined list of results. Potentially relevant Library of Congress subject headings include:
- Adaptive reuse
- Architecture - environmental aspects
- Architecture-technological innovations
- Architecture and energy conservation
- Architecture and solar radiation
- Building - environmental aspects
- Building materials, alternative
- Building materials -environmental aspects
- Building materials – recycling
- Buildings -environmental engineering
- Buildings - health aspects
- Buildings - salvaging
- Environmental health
- Green products
- Green roofs
- Indoor air pollution
- Industrial buildings - remodeling for other use
- Sick building syndrome
- Sustainable architecture
Databases
- Buildng Green Suite
- Includes online versions of GreenSpec, Environmental Building News, and a database of more than 160 high-performance building case studies. This information is searchable and cross-referenced by CSI MasterFormat division, LEED credit, or green building topic. Use the search limits to narrow search results to article, GreenSpec products, projects/case studies, bibliography items, or BuildingGreen.com LIVE posts.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals from CSA
- You can use the browse feature to view a list of subjects/descriptors and have them added to your search. Green building, sustainability and sustainable design are all examples of subjects in this index.
- Engineering Village
- Engineering Village allows for searching the three component databases (Compendex, INSPECT and NTIS) together. However, if you want to search subjects (or what these databases call controlled terms through the thesaurus, you will need to search them individually. Compendex and INSPECT do not share the same set of controlled terms. Enter a search term on the Thesaurus tab, such as sustainability to search or browse the list. Related terms will be listed; for instance, searching sustainability leads to the controlled term Sustainable development with a checkbox to add this term to the search list. You can add one or more controlled terms, then search for documents and citations. Click on the linked term to see a definition and usage.
- CSA: Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
- You can search multiple CSA databases simultaneously. Recommended databases include Engineered Materials Abstracts, Environment Abstracts, and Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management, but many others could be selected based on your research topic.
- Emporis Research
- This database contains information on actual buildings and building projects, so either search for sample sustainable buildings or browse to known projects.
Websites
- American Solar Energy Society (ASES)
- ASES is the United States Section of the International Solar Energy Society.
- Energy Design Resources
- Although designed under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission, Energy Design Resources has frequent general news updates and a number of valuable resources on integrated energy design, lighting technology, building types, links to standards and case studies, and training opportunities.
- Green Business Guide
- This government website provides resources for energy-efficient design and construction.
- Healthy Building Network
- Includes frequently updated information on life cycle analysis, products, and economic and political movements that impact green building and design
- NACo Green Government Database
- The National Association of Counties Initiative launched this searchable database of county green programs, policies, and plans. Includes reports on green building activities in more than 200 counties in the U.S.
- Oikos : Green Building News
- Oikos offers information on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible building construction. The site includes frequently updated green building news items and a directory of energy efficient products.
- Sustainable Architecture Case Studies
- Created by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, this site features many national examples of sustainable architecture and design, and provides links to additional case study sites.
- U.S. EPA Energy Star
- Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, and provides the national standard for energy efficiency rankings. View case studies, product information, and general overviews on sustainable product design.
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - ERE sponsors various initiatives to build awareness about energy efficiency and renewable energy topics, including sustainable building and design.
- U.S. DOE High Performance Buildings
- Includes links to net-zero energy case studies, a buildings database, market publications, and links to additional websites on sustainable commercial architecture.
- U.S. Green Building Council
- Non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction. Developers of the LEED building rating system. An important resource for LEED certification information, register for workshops, webinars, and online courses. Also contains project case studies.
- Whole Building Design Guide
- The WBDG provides project management resources and design guidance organized by building use types. For each general Building Type there is a discussion of the attributes and requirements of the type as well as links to information on more specific uses. Each of the specific building types is then linked to a series of Resource Pages explaining standards, technologies and emerging issues relevant to that specific use topic.
- World Green Building Council
- In 2002 eight nations formed the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the built environment towards sustainability. Collectively, these nations represent 50% of global construction activity, and their councils touch more than ten thousand companies and organizations. Site resources include case studies, bibliography, e-newsletter, and statistical reports.
