Building Materials

Sustainability Leadership and ESG Commitments

Lendlease’s new head of sustainability in the Americas, Sara Neff, describes the advantages of the Australian company’s global integrated business model and leadership in sustainable buildings.

November 3, 2021 - The Planning Report

Cross-Laminated Timber

The Best Green Building and Development Materials in 2019

Green building practices are advancing quickly. Here is a sample of best practices in choosing the most sustainable materials for the job.

August 11, 2019 - Kayla Matthews

Globe Life Park in Arlington

Texas Preempts Local Rules on Building Materials

Local governments didn't want the Texas State Legislature to approved HB 2439, but now the bill is officially law. Some communities worry that they can no longer control the aesthetics of new development.

June 20, 2019 - NBC DFW

Cross-Laminated Timber

'Tall Timber' May Be the Future of Building

Mass timber is a major structural element of an increasing number of skyscrapers, according to a CTBUH survey; now, the fire codes just have to follow.

January 8, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

California from Space

Can We Know Which Homes in California Will Burn?

As the state's worst wildfire season ever refuses to end, an analyst from UCLA considers how land use and building codes determine the location and extent of the damage.

December 11, 2017 - The Conversation

Hong Kong Towers

The Pros and Cons of Concrete

A versatile building material with a long pedigree, concrete also has associations with ugliness and totalitarianism. Its reinforced variety, widely used today, can conceal a costly flaw.

September 9, 2017 - CityLab

Construction

The Hidden Costs of Building Green

New green buildings may be de riguer, but preservation does less harm.

October 26, 2015 - Boston Society of Architects

Ordinary Materials, Fantastic Opportunities

Michael Demkowicz says that steel, aluminum, and concrete are among materials we understand least, but all have big possibilities for engineers.

July 23, 2014 - MIT Spectrum

Making Better Places: Nine Lessons From Iceland

Using a set of mid-February photographs from Iceland, Chuck Wolfe describes scaled expressions of urban settlement and transport in Iceland and derives principles for building better places.

February 25, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

House of Garbage

A Welsh company is using ground-up plastic remnants to create a building material sturdy enough for housing.

March 21, 2010 - Treehugger

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.