case studies

To support Northeastern University’s emphasis on sustainability and green design, the library subscribes to BuildingGreen Suite, a collection of authoritative media and information resources relating to these topics. The three main features of its collection are:

• Articles from Environmental Building News

• A searchable directory of green products

• Case studies on individual buildings from their High Performance Buildings database.

The Environmental Building News articles include longer feature articles that deal with topics in depth, product reviews, and shorter topic overviews called “BackPage Primers.” These can be very helpful if you’re not that familiar with subject matter required for your project or assignment. For example, you could brush up on induction lighting, OLEDs, and other lighting technologies, or on acoustics and managing sound and noise within a building. The green products directory allows you to search by the name of a specific product, or by categories of products such as Plumbing, Concrete, or Wood and Plastics. You can find out details about what a product is made of or contains, when it might be used, and why it might not be right to use in certain situations. The case studies allow you to search for a specific building, or by location of the project or the type of building. For example, you can search for K-12 schools, or retail stores. Or you can look for projects in Massachusetts. The buildings featured in this section “may be certified green projects, or simply projects that have one or more notable environmental features.” Be sure to check out BuildingGreen Suite if you are working on any project with a focus on green design or sustainable building practices!