GAB Report library
Products
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Mass Timber Shaft Walls Replace Concrete Cores in Multi-Story Buildings
Structural guidelines and building code provisions now clarify how cross-laminated timber and light-frame wall assemblies can meet fire-resistance ratings for multi-story elevator and stair shafts. By eliminating concrete and masonry cores, project teams cut construction schedules, resolve differential wood shrinkage, and reduce structural weight.
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ILFI Holds Red List Steady as Polymer Scrutiny Expands
The International Living Future Institute has kept its enforceable Living Building Challenge Red List unchanged until March 2027. Concurrently, an expanded Watch List signals rigorous future scrutiny for whole polymer families, occupational silica hazards, and common HVAC refrigerants.
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New Carbon Accounting Rules Open Public Bids to Salvaged Materials
Public procurement rules increasingly require certified environmental product declarations, yet lack of standards has locked salvaged materials out of major bids. New guidance from the Carbon Leadership Forum establishes life cycle modeling rules, allowing reclaimed steel, lumber, and brick to earn third-party verification and compete directly against virgin products.
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Panelized Wood Roof Systems Speed Commercial Framing and Cut Carbon
As developers seek rapid decarbonization in large-footprint logistics and light-industrial facilities, panelized wood roof systems offer a proven structural alternative to traditional steel bar joists and metal decking, combining ground-level pre-assembly safety with installation rates that can exceed 100,000 square feet per week.
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ILFI Opens Timber Specifications to Indigenous and Community Forests
A practice guide from the International Living Future Institute broadens wood procurement under the Living Building Challenge beyond conventional third-party labels. The framework establishes verifiable ecological benchmarks that let design teams specify timber from Tribal nations and community forests without sacrificing chain-of-custody rigor or facing compliance penalties.
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Single Fixture Features Natural and LED Light
Supporting its continued commitment to delivering innovative, energy-efficient products, Solatube® International Inc., the worldwide leading manufacturer and marketer of Tubular Daylighting Devices (TDDs), introduced its latest product innovation to its commercial product line, the Integrated LED Light Kit. The new Integrated LED Light Kit allows the integration of natural light and traditional electric light from a…
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Breakthrough Coating Regulates Temperature Without Consuming Energy
Scientists have developed an all-season smart-roof coating that keeps homes warm during the winter and cool during the summer without consuming natural gas or electricity. Research findings reported in the journal Science point to a groundbreaking technology that outperforms commercial cool-roof systems in energy savings. “Our all-season roof coating automatically switches from keeping you cool…
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AEC Hackathon 6.1 Inspires Creative Solutions
Editor’s Note: Each award-winning team contributed to this article by providing a description of its product. Last month, fifty plus people gathered to geek out for two days to attend the AEC Hackathon 6.1 Silicon Valley, the fortieth hackathon that has taken place since 2013. The AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) Hackathon was created to give…
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Reinventing the Toilet
Since 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has sponsored the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, providing grants and investment to researchers around the world. Last week, the Foundation along with global innovators, development banks, corporate partners, sanitation utilities and governments hosted the first Reinvented Toilet Expo in Beijing. The Reinvent the Toilet Challenge challenges innovators to…
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Making Water From Air
Architects are often trained as generalists who think about problems globally. Leave it up to an architect and his team to come up with a smart solution to address a critical global water crisis – the severe lack of accessible and clean potable water throughout the world. Congratulations to architect David Hertz and inventor Rich Groden…