Projects / Products / Research / Policy
The GAB Report Library
Projects, products, research, policy, and practical intelligence from across the sustainable built environment.
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Tauranga Deploys Hybrid Mass Timber to Anchor NZ$306M Civic Precinct
Tauranga City Council is reshaping its central business district through Te Manawataki o Te Papa, a NZ$306.3 million civic precinct featuring hybrid mass-timber construction, certified 6-Star Green Star performance, and co-governance with mana whenua to restore cultural identity and long-term climate resilience.
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Willohaus Scales Passivhaus Classic for 100 Salford Affordable Homes
Salix Homes and the English Cities Fund have handed over Willohaus, a 100-unit, fully affordable residential scheme in Salford built to certified Passivhaus Classic standards. The all-electric development uses a compact form factor, structural framing infill, and continuous heat recovery ventilation to suppress operational energy demand and protect tenants against fuel poverty.
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VUB Opens Modular Living Lab to Test Zero-Waste Demountable Systems
Vrije Universiteit Brussel has opened a two-storey, 60-square-metre demonstration building in Zellik, Belgium. Designed under the Horizon Europe RECONSTRUCT consortium, the modular structure tests alkali-activated concrete, bio-composite envelopes, and dry mechanical connections to validate zero-demolition-waste building practices before planned component swaps and full deconstruction.
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Obama Presidential Center Cuts Fossil Fuels with Deep Geothermal Network
Opening on Chicago’s South Side, the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center demonstrates how demanding, museum-grade institutional buildings can completely eliminate on-site combustion in cold climates using a 160-borehole ground heat exchanger, advanced envelope modeling, and extensive stormwater capture.
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Prairie Roof Anchors Roosevelt Library in North Dakota
Opening in Medora, North Dakota, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library combines mass timber, rammed earth, and a 121,000-square-foot living prairie roof. Designed by Snøhetta, the project integrates passive thermal massing with an all-electric infrastructure while entering a twelve-month performance audit to verify its rigorous net-zero environmental targets.
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Operational Data From Four Living Buildings Reshapes MEP Practice
Operational performance records from the Bullitt Center, RMI Innovation Center, Kendeda Building, and PAE Living Building demonstrate how engineering assumptions have shifted over two decades, turning once controversial regenerative MEP strategies into reliable building systems.
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Mass Timber Cuts Embodied Carbon in High Seismic Middle School Study
A whole building life cycle assessment published by WoodWorks compares the mass timber replacement facility for The Bush School in Seattle against a composite steel baseline, demonstrating how structural timber and exposed surfaces lower upfront embodied carbon within high seismic zones.
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Washington High School Proves All-Electric Net-Zero Design at Scale
Washington, D.C. achieved LEED v4 Platinum certification for the new Benjamin Banneker Academic High School by combining an airtight building envelope, a 950-kilowatt solar array, and deep geothermal wells. The 175,000-square-foot facility now operates at an EUI below 20 kBTU per square foot.
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Upper Concrete Decks Solve Wind Sway in Mass Timber High-Rise
Norway’s 85.4-meter Mjøstårnet demonstrates how mass timber scales to high-rise heights by resolving structural dynamics and fire safety through deliberate material trade-offs. By combining regional glulam frames with heavy concrete upper floors, the design tames wind-induced acceleration while maintaining rigorous passive burnout protection under European building standards.
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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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Engineers Unify Power and Cooling Rules to Absorb Surging AI Computing Loads
ASHRAE, NEMA, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released the AI Data Center Energy Performance Framework. Developed with more than 50 industrial partners, the living reference synchronizes HVAC thermal envelopes, electrical equipment standards, and grid-interactive controls to manage rising rack densities and ease severe power constraints.