In this webinar, building experts share wide-ranging perspectives from a diverse set of circumstances—from areas of expertise to business models and philosophies to regions/climate zones. They answer the overarching question: How can we efficiently and effectively choose the right materials to ensure building performance across categories that include sustainability, durability, cost, building-science best practices, and occupant health?

We learn about Vali Homes’s Five Factors of Good Building—a holistic model for specifying materials, and the value of their “Do Not Use” list. There’s discussion around benchmarks for choosing materials; the challenges of working in rural areas with fewer resources; getting clients onboard with trying new products and systems; changes in the green building industry that have led to more data and a broader knowledge base—and the impacts on products and their use.

As an MD with a Master’s in Architecture, Dr. Stephanie Taylor brings to the conversation her research on hospital buildings, sharing surprising findings around water vapor levels and human health. She explains reasons for choosing materials with “micro channels,” i.e., porous surfaces that absorb water vapor and help modulate a room’s humidity level; and how mid-range humidity levels protect against other air pollutants in the house, improving indoor air quality.

Additional talking points include finding vetted information to source the right materials; procurement logistics and specification strategies; how building science can help inform a product’s appropriate use; the ways in which moisture management systems influence materials selections; buildings as a “high-performance ecosystem,” and recommended resources: 40to60rh, Building4Health, Ecomedes, Kitchen Cabinets Manufacturers Association, BEAM Estimator, LBC Red List, to name a few.

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Kiley Jacques is senior editor at Green Building Advisor.