Greenbuild is USGBC’s annual sustainable design conference. This year, the conference focused on transparency, human health, and LEED v4, topics that are all important for interior designers.
Qpractice member Ariane attended Greenbuild as a speaker, and provided a wonderful summary of some of her key takeaways:
Transparency
Transparency through third-party verified systems allows designers to compare products based on their environmental impact. Throughout the expo hall, manufacturers showed their commitment to transparency by using tools such as Cradle to Cradle and Health Product Declarations.
Human Health
Beginning with the Materials & Human Health Summit on Tuesday, the theme of human health was woven throughout the week. As interior designers, we pledge to protect the health, safety and welfare of building occupants. Sustainable buildings have the ability to improve the health of occupants, both physically and mentally. Expect to see more from USGBC on this topic as they prepare to launch the Center for Green Building and Human Health.
LEED v4
LEED version 4 gives the LEED system an overhaul, focusing on transparency and holistic sustainability. New Materials and Resources credits will encourage manufacturers to disclose the chemicals included in their products with tools such as the new Health Product Declaration (HPD), an ingredient-reporting format.
Senior vice president of USGBC, Scot Horst, said
LEED v4 is the LEED of the future, where we challenge the marketplace to go further, to make the next great leap toward better, cleaner, healthier buildings where people live and work.
While we cannot speak for exactly how CIDQ will incorporate sustainability into the exam, awareness of the most current issues regarding sustainable design will take your preparation for the NCIDQ Exam to the next level.
Want to learn more about Sustainability?
We cover it in our Qpractice NCIDQ Study Plan, and you can also check out these resources:
I own my one design company and I need to know EVERYTHING from programming to closing in order to make it. Today I am a designer who can answer important questions of the client or the landlord about fire-safety, exit widths/positions, materials etc. I know the right questions to ask the manufacturer when I call about vinyl plank flooring and I know what answers to give when I call the fire marshal about the material I am putting up in the restaurant ceiling.
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