Editor’s note: This post originally appeared under the headline “Breaking the Thermal Bridge With Tstuds” in Kiley Jacques’ Houses by Design blog over at  Finehomebuilding.com. Considering all of the discussion this new product has generated here on GBA, we thought it was worth sharing Kiley’s post which offers a few more expert opinions. “I believe in the idea of the thermally broken stud, as well as a future where the focus is on improving the performance of the first 6 in. of walls rather than simply making them thicker.”—Brad Stokes Brian Iverson, inventor of the Tstud, has stirred the pot.…

Legislation to lower greenhouse gas emissions from New York City's largest buildings could cost their owners as much as $24 billion over the next decade, according to a new analysis. Photo: Daniel Mennerick / CC BY-NC-ND / Flickr New York City’s plan to slash carbon emissions from large buildings over the next decade won’t be cheap. John Mandyck, board chairman of the Urban Green Council, said in a post on the nonprofit’s website that retrofitting nearly 50,000 buildings will cost building owners between $16.6 billion and $24.3 billion. But the effort also will bring new opportunities and thousands of new…

Bans on single-use plastic bags can have unintended consequences. Redesigned carryout bags or bag fees might be more successful at reducing plastic use. Photo: Peteruetz / Wikimedia Governments are increasingly banning the use of plastic products, such as carryout bags, straws, utensils, and microbeads. The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills and waterways. And the logic is that banning something should make it less abundant. However, this logic falls short if people actually reuse those items instead of buying new ones. For example, so-called “single-use” plastic carryout bags can have a multitude of unseen second…

For as long as I have worked with Fine Homebuilding magazine, GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, and KeepCraftAlive.org, we have wanted to hold an event that brings leading industry experts—a mix of architects, builders, engineers, and building scientists—together with our readers and members, who are often just as knowledgeable and experienced. That means this event is more than 15 years in the making, and I’m sure the idea was around before my time at The Taunton Press. This October, FHB, GBA, and KCA will be holding the first ever Fine Homebuilding Summit in Southbridge, Mass. The Presenters The list of presenters is full of…