Green Design Links
The Brick Industry Association (BIA)
BIA is the national trade association representing distributors and manufacturers of clay brick and suppliers of related products and services. The Association is involved in a broad range of technical, research, marketing, government relations and communications activities. BIA supports the industry by rendering technical assistance to architects and designers. The Technical Notes on Brick Construction are the most popular pages on the website delivering design, detailing, and construction information based on the latest technical developments in brick masonry. Technical Note 48 Sustainability and Brick and Builder Notes (Issue 5) "Brick: Green Building Design and Sustainability" are recommended for additional information on brick and sustainable design.
Clay Brick Association of Canada
The members of the Clay Brick Association of Canada participate in the Brick Industry Association and recommend their series of Technotes for reference. The Clay Brick Association of Canada has prepared information of particular interest for the Canadian market, including documents related to clay brick and sustainability.
United States Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings accessible to everyone. The USGBC developed the LEED building rating system. Its web site is the place to:
- Certify your green building
- Join USGBC as an organization
- Join a chapter as an individual
- Sign up for courses and workshops
- Purchase LEED Reference Guides
- Sign up for e-newsletters
- Become a LEED AP
- Learn about green building
Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC)
The Canadian Green Building Council is the Canadian equivalent of the USGBC and has the same mandate.
National Home Builders Association's National Green Building Program
Through the National Green Building Program, the National Association of Home Builders is helping its members move the practice of green building into the mainstream. The National Green Building Program offers several resources and tools to help builders, remodelers, home building associations, and homeowners learn how to build green, and its benefits. The National Green Building Program was developed to link dozens of successful state and local voluntary green building programs with a national online scoring tool for builders and verifiers.
A Web-based green building performance tool from Canada, Green Globes, has been introduced to the U.S. market as an alternative to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED(R) Rating System. Released in Canada in January 2002, Green Globes consists of a series of questionnaires, customized by project phase and the role of the user in the design team (for example, architect, mechanical engineer, or landscape architect). A total of eight design phases are supported.