Buildings are all around us every day, impacting us in many different ways.

Follow the money!
Workers typically cost companies far more than rent, energy, and facility operations and maintenance combined. Even a slight increase in productivity can significantly improve a company's profitability.

Cost benefits of integrated design
Building owners will reap the greatest savings if high performance design is incorporated early in the design phase rather than later in the construction process.

Banner photo: William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, CA. The Hewlett Foundation's building was designed to save energy and increase the comfort of occupants through individually controlled systems such as operable windows, localized manual floor diffusers, and natural light control throughout the workspace.
Photo credit: Wm. & Flora Hewlett Foundation

Achieve High Performance

Explore our collection of resources for technical guidance.

sourcebooks/guides brochures profiles programs

Most of our publications are available for download and/or purchase. Details are included in the sidebars of individual product pages.

The Advanced Buildings Benchmark is out of date. Advanced Buildings Core Performance is ready. Please see www.advancedbuildings.net for details.

Advanced Buildings Benchmark is no longer eligible for LEED points in projects registered after June 26, 2007.
Advanced Buildings Core Performance is eligible for 2-5 NC2.2 EAc1 points.
For details on the revised NC2.2 EAc1 section, please see www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3198

Sourcebooks and Guides

These publications undergo expert peer review by the national Criteria Review Committee and three regional Review Panels of commercial building industry professionals.

Benchmark (WHAT to do)
Provides whole building, system, and component performance guidelines that, used as a whole, provide guaranteed performance improvement.
Accompanied by a variety of supplemental materials.
Benefits Guide (WHY to do it)
The economic benefits and rationale on why building a building that performs beyond code makes financial sense.
LEED Guide (HOW to do it)
Download this view-only guide to learn the steps that should be followed to meet the requirements of the LEED-NC system.
Reference Guide (HOW to do it)
Includes specific technical information, system specifications, and information resources on the design process, envelope, lighting and daylighting, HVAC and power.

Brochures

Find out how these high performance approaches can improve your bottom line.

High performance lighting: The results are illuminating!
Indoor environmental quality: A key to high performance workplaces
Profiting from High Performance (Specifically for building owners)
Thermal comfort: What you don't see can make a big difference

Profiles

These one-page overviews present photographs, statistics, and sustainable design characteristics for a variety of buildings in Wisconsin.