On the cutting edge: Tsoi/Kobus & Associates

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Our chapter is comprised of many of the best leaders in the sustainability field and we are always excited to see what new strides they have made in their work. Their ingenuity and tireless commitment to sustainability are what make our chapter such a wonderful community of professionals. Now in its 30th year, Cambridge-based Tsoi/Kobus & Associates is one of the nation’s leading architecture, planning, and interior design firms for life sciences, college and university, healthcare, and commercial real estate projects. The firm is known for creating environments that advance the discovery of new knowledge and for award-winning designs that combine cutting-edge technology with compassion and creativity.

Their mission is to play an active role as sustainability leaders within the A/E/C community through outreach, research, knowledge and sharing. Their core market sectors each have missions fundamentally aligned with the goals of sustainability. Whether to promote rest and wellbeing (healthcare), facilitate learning (higher education), or establish efficiency and best practices (laboratory environments), their focus is on adding value for clients and creating memorable experiences. Delivery of these goals demands a high level of expertise and rigor that is essential to their success and viability as a practice.

Blake Jackson, Sustainability Practice Leader at TK&A is one associate that truly embodies this mission. Versed in all things sustainable, Blake provides multidisciplinary guidance for integrated project teams. He carefully articulates their approach toward sustainable design and is a passionate team player who is able to coordinate green practices within multiple large-scale projects. Blake’s international experience and certifications add to his status as a leader within the firm and design community.

Take a look at some of their cutting edge work:

Stokes Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Center for Life Science, Boston


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loeb Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the cutting edge: emersion DESIGN

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

By  on October 8, 2013 in AdministrativeGovernmentNon-profitWorkplace

The Massachusetts Chapter would like to thank Chad Edwards and Shawn Hesse for visiting our office last week to present on the their Net-Zero Police Station in Cincinatti. The project is a great example of how net zero was a great decision for Cincinatti but came with it's hurdles.

Cincinnati Police
District 3 Headquarters

The City of Cincinnati has commissioned emersion DESIGN as part of a design-build team to design and construct the District 3 Police Station Headquarters. This new 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility is located on the City’s west side and will allow 200 of Cincinnati’s finest to better respond to citizens’ needs in the 14 western neighborhoods encompassed by District 3.

The building program includes a public lobby, administrative spaces, investigations offices and work areas, patrol functions, file and records storage, property and evidence handling areas, support areas for the police staff, and mechanic’s bays.

Additionally, this headquarters has the potential to become the first Net-Zero-Energy police station east of the Rocky Mountains. Working with the police staff, neighborhood committees, and city planners, aggressive goals have been set to reduce life-cycle cost of the building while maintaining function for police activities, security for occupants, and an aesthetically appealing design within the community. The project will act as a catalyst for appropriate means to integrate both environmental and community sustainability.

Paying particular attention to notable existing buildings in the 14 District 3 neighborhoods, features from each were transformed to create a city building that meshes into the fabric of the existing community. Community engagement, through the neighborhood committees, will factor into the design process as well as public art within the building and on the surrounding site.

emersion DESIGN is a collaborative architecture, interiors, ecoconsulting, planning and engineering practice located in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are driven by a passion for exceptional designs that advance clients, nature and society. ‘emersion’ signifies immersion and emergence. They dive into each client’s needs and aspirations to ascend with solutions that are both strategic instruments and inspiring spaces. Portfolio

Join us for Greenbuild 2015!

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


In just two months Greenbuild 2015 will be held in Washington D.C. This conference and expo is the premier event for sustainable building. The three days will include speakers, networking opportunities, showcases, LEED workshops, and tours of green buildings in Washington, DC. A number of the speakers are also members of our USGBC Massachusetts Chapter, including Robert Andrews.

Bob is the Partner Managing Director in the Cambridge office for A|H|A Consulting Engineers. He has been involved with LEED projects and LEED related consulting for more than 14 years, and was one of the original LEED AP's in 2001. Bob has been personally involved with more than 80 LEED certified projects. He has a BSME from UMASS Amherst, and has been an HVAC Engineer and Project Manager for more than 29 years.

The Massachusetts Chapter is planning transportation down to the event and discounted group accomodations, email here for more information. For more details about the conference check out their website here.

On the cutting edge: Gilbane Building Company

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Our chapter is comprised of many of the best leaders in the sustainability field and we are always excited to see what new strides they have made in their work. Their ingenuity and tireless commitment to sustainability are what make our chapter such a wonderful community of professionals. One such company is Gilbane Building Company.

Gilbane understands the impact the life-cycle of a building has on the environment, from material acquisition to transportation, construction, use, and eventual disuse. As part of their Gilbane Cares program, they’ve established their Sustainability Council and Green Teams who go beyond the basic issues of going green. Their corporate Sustainability Council is a central clearinghouse for providing project support and the most up-to-date information to our employees and their Green Teams assist their offices worldwide with collecting and disseminating the latest technologies, policies and actions relating to LEED, Green Globes, and other rating systems.

Check out some of the amazing work Gilbane has been doing locally and nationally:

Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems – Boston, MA


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul W. Crowley East Bay Metropolitan Career and Technical Center (MET) – Newport, RI


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design – Kent, OH


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events: Link to recent email

By Grey Lee

You can read our most recent Events Note here. This links to articles about all of our upcoming events.

Greetings,
We want your project to shine at the Showcase! Register your green building to show off at this event on 10/1/15 at Harvard. You could win an award! The “early bird registration” ends tomorrow:  Sign up for the event at this link. This is our biggest event of the year and always an incredible mix of professions, all passionate about building performance. 

We are excited for the participation of our Showcase Sponsors: Harvard University Green Building Services, National Grid, Suffolk Construction, Skanska, View Glass, SemaConnect, Touloukian Touloukian, The Green Engineer, Chapman Construction, Tsoi/Kobus, Prellwitz Chilinski, Arrowstreet, RDK Engineering. (And how about your firm?)

Consider entering your awesome project in our Green Building Awards: for Innovation in Green Design and Exemplary Building Performance.

Starting later this month is our series of school-based service projects in theGreen Apple Day of Service. Thank you to our generous mini-grant sponsors: National Grid, Eversource, Boston Properties, NORESCO, Triumph Modular, TOTO, Re-Stream, ICF & HMFH! You can find a project and sign up to volunteer at the My Green Apple website – enter your zip code to search. 

Please explore our events and gatherings opportunities below. These will help grow your professional network and are always time well spent.
As we transform the real estate market for improved environmental performance, we help bring our communities closer to sustainability.

Thank you,
Grey

Meet our Members: Mark Pignatelli

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Over the last two years Mark has been active with the USGBC MA Chapter. He is currently the Co-chair of the Residential Green Building Committee. They promote the benefits of residential high performance construction and renovation projects with a goal to increase LEED certifications. The USGBC provides a great platform for educational sessions, connecting with community organizations, partnering with stakeholders, and developing a wide network of industry allies. People involved with the USGBC bring passion, innovation, and foresight as they work collectively towards greening our built environment and ensuring future infrastructure incorporates green building, energy efficiency, and resiliency.

He currently works as a Senior Associate at ICF International in support of the Mass Save Residential New Construction Program. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, playing basketball, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

On the cutting edge: Boston Properties

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Yesterday, Boston Properties announced that they will commit to the “Waterkeeper's Pledge”, a 2% reduction in water usage every year going forward. Boston Properties has a longstanding reputation of sustainability with their LEED building portfolio and 2% energy reduction goals. 

The real estate leader announced the water usage goal at their “Boston Properties University” celebration. At the USGBC MA Chapter we are support all that Boston Properties is doing to lead the way and to set the standard for the property management sector. 


If you missed the event and would like to see more, click below:




 

2015 BPU Speakers:

Roy Hirshland – CEO, Co-Founder, T3 Advisors

Hasier Larrea – Project Manager, Architectural Robotics, MIT Media Lab

Dr. Joseph Coughlin – Director of MIT’s AgeLab

Marc Yaggi – Executive Director, Waterkeepers Alliance

2015 BPU Award Winners:

 

Innovation in Design, Game Changer Award

Presented to: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts  


Innovation in Design, Space Hack Award

 

Presented to: Bit9 + Carbon Black

Innovation in Design, People’s Choice Award

Presented to: Care.com

 

 

Here is some of what they are doing for water efficiency, from their website:

 

 

 



Water Conservation

Boston Properties continues to find innovative ways to minimize its environmental footprint through reducing water use in its buildings and operations. For example, advanced landscaping irrigation systems are being piloted at several properties that incorporate rain gauges to measure water levels, communicate information and adjust the amount of water used to maintain the plantings on a daily basis.  These systems result in the use of approximately 50% less water. In addition, all of our regions have water conservation programs in place that range from water efficient devices installed on toilets and sinks to managing the frequency of exterior window washing programs.

We use ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager to monitor and benchmark water usage in buildings where we have access to water meter data. In 2013 the portfolio had an average water use of 13.5 gallons per square foot.  This compares to the 2012 average of 15.4 gallons per square foot, representing a 14% reduction in gallons per square foot. It should be noted that these metrics are not adjusted to reflect variations caused by different weather conditions.

 Average Water Use Per Square Foot

On the cutting edge: Perkins and Will

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


At the Chapter, we appreciate the presence of Perkins & Will on our Residential Green Building Committee and the input that they have during session. It is no suprise that the ideas proposed there are associated with a premiere architecture firm. We would like to highlight Perkins & Will and the advances that they are making in green buildings and thank them for pushing the standards of sustainability. 


Perkins+Will believes sustainability is simply good design.

Since the firm’s inception, sustainability has been pivotal in all their work. And more than ever, it is a defining factor in how their clients measure success. As the strategic importance of sustainability grows, we are leading the next frontier– through research, tool development, design, and the services we deliver. We are committed to the financial, human, and environmental sustainability of our projects and to working with our clients to meet their sustainability goals.

The following are a few of the ways they are working to ensure a healthy environment (and bottom line):

Resilient Design and Climate Adaptation
They are partnering with clients to identify vulnerabilities to natural and manmade stressors in buildings, cities, and their communities, and to create design responses to help achieve stability and adaptability. They are working to help restructure the social, economic, and physical capital necessary to create buildings, cities, and communities that are more diverse, more resilient, and more vital than in the past.

Regenerative Design and High Performance Buildings
As a practice, they are leading sustainable design to the next level of building performance and resource conservation in our built environment. More and more of our clients are achieving net zero energy, water, and carbon goals through design. This requires a visionary and innovative approach to understanding the interaction between natural and technical systems and the impacts from all design decisions. Beyond just reducing a building’s impact, Perkins+Will is a leader in the pursuit and development of Regenerative Design strategies which seek to create systems that are waste free and actually restore resources to our environment.

Transparency and Material Health
Perkins+Will is at the forefront of the healthy building materials movement and has helped raise awareness of how building materials and finishes may relate to human and environmental health. Some of the research and tools we created are available to the public on our Transparency website. We initiated the first on-product ingredient label for building materials, detailing the complete make-up of a product, highlighting critical lifecycle information and potential human health impacts per published governmental sources. 

Sustainable Communities
Their practice is active in the pursuit of sustainability at all scales. In order to achieve true sustainability, it must be addressed as a holistic system and at a community scale. Their Urban Design practice is pioneering the latest thinking in vibrant, sustainable cities and health districts. They engage communities in the design and development of urban frameworks that restore and sustain the environment, also integral to their client’s goals.

Designing for a Water-Stressed World
The world’s freshwater reserve—a finite natural resource that is necessary to sustain human, animal, and plant life—is diminishing. At Perkins+Will, they strive to design projects that can achieve net-zero water waste and reduce the demand on freshwater sources. They work on both building and city scale, and collaborate with academic institutions, public water agencies, districts, and commissions to inspire the next generation of sustainable water policies and building codes.

New Study Finds Green Construction is Major U.S. Economic Driver

By Grey Lee

 
Green building sector of the U.S. construction industry slated to contribute 2.3 million jobs in 2015, growing to 3.3 million by 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Sept. 16, 2015) – The green building sector is outpacing overall construction growth in the U.S. and will account for more than 2.3 million American jobs this year, according to a new U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) study from Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH).

The 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study, released today by USGBC and prepared by Booz Allen, finds the green building industry contributes more than $134.3 billion in labor income to working Americans. The study also found that green construction’s growth rate is rapidly outpacing that of conventional construction and will continue to rise.

By 2018, the study finds, green construction will account for more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs–more than one-third of the entire U.S. construction sector–and generate $190.3 billion in labor earnings. The industry’s direct contribution to U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is also expected to reach $303.5 billion from 2015-2018.

“The green construction industry is a vital partner in growing the economy of  Massachusetts,” said Grey Lee, Executive Director of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter, “and that’s before realizing the significant market synergies for communities and industry generated by the LEED program and green construction.”


This infographic is part of the newest USGBC report on Green Building Economic Impact Study, conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton. The report quantifies the economic value of green building and LEED construction (See the rest of the state infographics here).

The new USGBC analysis also explores the multifaceted economic contribution of green construction to the U.S. economy and individual U.S. states, quantifying the economic impact of green building and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).  

“Our research shows that green building has created millions of jobs and contributed hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, with the construction of LEED-certified buildings accounting for about 40 percent of green construction’s overall contribution to GDP in 2015,” said David Erne, a Senior Associate at Booz Allen. “This industry is certainly on the rise, and aggressive growth in the green building sector is anticipated over the next four years.”

In addition to national jobs, GDP and labor earnings from green building, the study projects significant growth in green building’s contribution to individual states’ tax contributions and environmental asset indicators at both the national and state levels.

Total state earnings related to LEED building construction projects are estimated to total $8.4 billion by 2018. In Texas alone, almost 1.26 million jobs in the green building sector are projected between 2015 and 2018. As a result, green building will also contribute to significant savings across energy, trash, water and maintenance costs.