USGBC AWARDS $3 MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS

publication date: Sep 12, 2008

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the recipients of more than $3 million in grants for proposed research projects. The 2008 Green Building Research Fund was created to encourage projects that advance sustainable building technology and increase the market for sustainable building. The USGBC funded $2 million for grants and the Reseach Fund included an additional $1 million.

Rick Fedrizzi, president and founder of the USGBC, said the grants will facilitate research to understand what is working, what is not and to ultimately further the green building industry as a whole.

Thirteen final research proposals were chosen based on the quality of topic, methodology and expected environmental impact. Grants ranged from $90,000 to $250,000. A fourth of the money was devoted to research the occupant impact of K-12 schools.

Gail Brager, chair of the USGBC's research committee, said many different research projects were chosen with diverse approaches and a large geographic range across the country.

Some of the projects awarded include a green roof energy calculator, an open source searchable database to assess the impact of environmental strategies on outcomes in healthcare facilities, HVAC control algorithms for mixed-mode buildings, and a design for reuse primer. A full list of grant winners is available at www.usgbc.org.