On the cutting edge: Goody Clancy

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


At the Chapter, we are continuously impressed with the advances of the engineers, architects and construction firms behind the green buildings that come on the map each year. One firm in particular who is always advancing their standard for sustainability and resiliency is Goody Clancy. Take a look at their contributions to resiliency and sustainability – truly impressive.
 
At Goody Clancy, sustainable design drives their entire practice; in the enrichment of existing communities through master plans and urban design; in their work on existing buildings to improve environmental performance while renewing the functionality; and in new buildings that are beautiful and perform well.

Resilience

The accelerating pace of global climate change poses another dimension to environmental stewardship: making their communities resilient. Goody Clancy is committed to working with cities and regions to insure their investments in resilience builds communities that are more than ever places of opportunity, equity, and enhanced quality of life. Through this work, we learned important lessons that continue to inspire their approach to resilience:

  • First, the cost in terms of human and social disruption, and environmental impacts associated with relocation far exceed the costs of protection.
  • Second, every dollar spent on resilience should be a dollar invested in people and placemaking.
  • Third, engage community members in every step of planning to build a culture of resilience that nurtures personal responsibility and the shared political will to launch large-scale, often transformative investments.

Select planning projects related to resilience:

NOLA-UNOP_Flood-Risk-Plan_Goody-Clancy_thumb NOLA_MPCZO_Canal-Photomontage-After_Goody-Clancy_thumb Biloxi_Aerial-Sketch_Goody-Clancy_thumb Springfield_Brick-Rubble_Goody-Clancy_thumb Warwick_Strategic-Policies_Goody-Clancy_thumb

 

 


Sustainability

They believe that sustainable design is synonymous with good design. Each building offers unique opportunities to devise creative solutions that are also environmentally responsible.

LEED Commitment

Seventy-five percent of our architectural staff is LEED Accredited, and we use LEED for Neighborhoods (LEED ND) as a core performance standard for their neighborhood and district planning. And we continue to employ design strategies within their overall attitude of stewardship of the environment, whether working with historic buildings or new construction.

Certified LEED Projects

PLATINUM

Welcome & Admissions Center at Roger H. Perry Hall, Champlain College Unitarian Universalist Association Headquarters

GOLD

 

UNH, Peter T Paul College of Business and Economics UConn Health Center, Cell and Genome Sciences Building Salem Courthouse Rawls College of Business Administration - Texas Tech University Harvard-Radcliffe_Byerly-Hall-1A_Exterior_Goody-Clancy_thumb CWRU_Village-at-115-Ext-Tower_Goody-Clancy_thumb Boston_John-McCormack-Post-Office-Renovation-Ext-Green-Roof_Goody-Clancy_thumb Medical University of South Carolina Vanderbilt_Warren-Moore-Residential-Colleges_Goody-Clancy_thumb

SILVER

Elon_Lakeside-Dining-Ext-Front_Goody-Clancy_thumb NKU_Griffin-Hall-Exterior-Night-Closeup_Goody-Clancy_thumb MIT_Brain-and_Cognitive-Sciences-Complex-Ext-Entrance_Goody-Clancy_thumb McDonough School of Business

 

 

Residential Green Building Meeting: Fraunhofer Tour

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


What an incredible night for the USGBC-MA chapter! The RGBC committee was lucky enough to schedule a tour of the Fraunhofer Building! Located in the heart of Boston’s Innovation District, the Living Laboratory is home to Fraunhofer CSE’s Massachusetts R&D center for the advancement of sustainable energy systems. Born out of a 2013 energy-retrofit of a 100-year-old building, the Lab leverages cutting-edge design concepts and historic architecture alongside in-house research facilities, including a pilot solar module fabrication line, dedicated thermal testing laboratory, and extensive characterization/environmental testing resources. Our guide, Kurt Roth, (Director- Building Efficiency at the Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy) effortlessly guided the group through Fraunhofer CSE’s initiatives, and strategy for improving clean energy in new and existing technologies as they relate to building efficiency. In particular, Kurt informed the crowd on the improvements through Generation (module design), Demand (Building Enclosures) and Distribution (i.e. grid impacts.)  After an overview of Fraunhofer USA and the strategies being implemented, Kurt took the group on a tour of the “Super Building.” It was truly remarkable to hear about the design challenges the 100 year old former warehouse presented the team, and how they resiliently navigated past them.


Special features included vacuum insulated panels, radiant slabs, and creative lighting techniques- all contributing to the common goal of preserving energy. It was one of the largest turnouts in recent memory for the Residential Green Building Committee, and we thank Kimberly Le for organizing the event, and Kurt Roth for sharing his experiences and wisdom!


Academic Update: Wentworth Institute of Technology

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


We are always following the advancement of Green Buildings from the perspective of the Architect, Engineer and Construction firm but, I would like to take a moment to share the, industry changing, efforts at the academic level. Last semester, Professor Charest visited our Green Breakfast with her class of civil engineers. We were impressed with input in the conversation as well as their ambition as emerging professionals. Since, we have been keeping an eye on Wentworth and all that they are doing. The following is the story of Wentworth's alumna who is now working as a green building educator at her alma mater:

 
Dr. Nakisa Alborz, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Technology, and Wentworth alumna, CET '04, was honored with the Technical Excellence Award at the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International 2015 Annual Meeting. Alborz was honored for her work on the paper “Post Occupancy Evaluation (POEs) of LEED Buildings as a Project Controls Function.”

ACCE International’s Technical Board bestows the award as a means to recognize outstanding technical contributions to the Association by an individual in the project and cost management community. Technical excellence may be accomplished through significant achievement or contribution to technical division work or administration and by playing an instrumental part in the development of technical products.

The ACCE International's is also due to spotlight Alborz in their upcoming Women in Project Controls event and she will be a part of one of their webinar series in August.

Alborz joined AACE International in 2010 and is an active member in the New England-Boston Chapter. She is a LEED accredited professional with a specialty in building design and construction. Her professional work experience entails a decade of cost estimating and civil design works for consulting companies and contractors in the areas of heavy civil infrastructure, residential, and commercial properties.

Alborz was additionally awarded the 2013 AACE US Scholarship and presented at AACE’s first international Total Cost Management Conference in Dubai, UAE and AACE’s 56th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. 

 

Originally published: WIT News, July 2015

Next Week's Green Breakfast: Designing for Sustainable Transportation

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Next Wednesday join Carrie Havey, LEED AP BD+C Project Manager at The Green Engineer, Inc., and Alyson Fletcher, Associate at NelsonNygaard, for discussions including an in-depth look at the new LEED v4 Location and Transportation (LT) credit category and community design that balances the needs of those who walk, bike, take transit, and drive. Concepts such as complete streets, sustainable parking policies and best practices, downtown and regional mobility, transit-oriented development, and transportation demand management will be discussed.

Breakfast will be provided. Please register on our event page.

When
September 23rd, 2015 8:30 AM through 9:30 AM
 

Location
50 Milk St, 17th Floor
Hercules Conference Room
Boston, MA 02109-Boston
United States
 

On the cutting edge: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


At the Chapter, we are continuously impressed with the advances of the engineers, architects and construction firms behind the green buildings that come on the map each year. One firm in particular who is always advancing their standard for sustainability is Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, (SGH).

SGH designs, investigates, and rehabilitates constructed works in the United States, Canada, and in more than thirty additional countries.  Their goals are simple:  earn the lasting trust of their clients, gain the respect of their most capable peers, and further the standards of practice in all areas of their profession. Their industry-recognized experts with diverse specialties

  • collaborate with clients and project team members,
  • engage our extensive expertise,
  • focus on delivering successful results, and
  • respond to project challenges.

Here are some buildings that you may have seen in Massachusetts. Take a look at what they have been working on recently:

GSA Federal Office Building           

 

 

 

 

Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary   

 

 

 

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield

 

 

 

 

 

EPMA Green Building Bike Tour

By Suzy O'Leary, Chapter Member


By Suzy O'Leary, 9/13/15

Over the river and through North Point Park, members of USGBC MA pedaled their bikes to see the next stop on a tour of green buildings organized by Steven Burke, Sustainability Coordinator at SMMA. Here are a few interesting facts that came to light during this fun trip:

The group made stops at the Boston University Yawkey Student Center containing three of the greenest restaurants on any U.S. higher ed. campus. A touch screen dashboard displaying daily energy and water usage keeps students in touch with the buildings high performance aspects. Kitchen hoods with air curtains prevent conditioned air from exhausting out of the space. A high efficiency dishwashing line repurposes dish water and uses roughly 80% less water than industry-standard arrangements.  A green roof helps control water run-off. 

Passing under the Janet Echelman sculpture suspended above the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the group learned about the three original peaks of land in Boston that are reflected in the sculpture's shape. 

They then made their way to the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion. The Pavilion, by utile, was described as one biker as a hidden treasure trove of good green design. He said he has passed the Pavilion many times but never knew it had solar power that made for net zero energy usage for the LED screens and sculptural canopies that collect rainwater to create a beautiful waterfall that flows into a basin and is dispersed via perforated piping to water the adjacent lawn. The locally sourced materials are a meaningful gesture that help create a sense of place for this welcome center for visitors to the Boston Harbor Islands. The pavilion's canopies are shaped similar to the wings of a bird; the thick foundation acts as an anchor to prevent uplift of the canopies as well as helps disperse the weight of the structure over the Big Dig tunnel below. The concrete form work and structural steel were both designed in CAD and cut using a digital CNC machine. 

The new Converse Headquarters is an excellent example of reuse of an existing building. The additions of the penthouse and a retail store along the river are modern but feel as though they already belong to the century-old brick structure. The pedestrian riverwalk that connects Puopolo Park to North Point Park is a fantastic way that a company can give back to and enhance the neighborhood. The retail store offers people the ability to design your own shoe, which is also pretty darn cool. 

Thanks to Steven Burke of SMMA and the Emerging Professionals group for planning yet another great event!

 

 

 








Meet our Members: Katherine Bubriski

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


I’ve been a co-chair of the chapter Advocacy Committee for the past year. I work with the other co-chair, John DiModica, as well as Grey Lee to drive and direct the committee’s efforts, including setting committee agenda, organizing events and working with legislators and partner organizations. I am also the issue captain for Net Zero Energy Building Code Legislation; right now we are building partnerships with organizations and municipalities around this issue. Check out the chapter website for all the latest on Net Zero Energy Buildings.

 

The chapter is a great member-led organization that is really making an impact on sustainability throughout the Architecture / Engineering / Construction industry and the communities we live and work in. I feel the chapter is very successful at bringing people from all ends of the industry (architects, contractors, developers, etc.) together to advance the chapter’s mission of “more green buildings and communities” as well as supporting members through education and networking.

I am a senior associate at Arrowstreet, an architecture firm located in Boston. I focus on the design of K-12 education projects throughout Massachusetts. I also help drive sustainability efforts firm wide, including green building design, staff education and office operations. I feel fortunate to work in a creative, progressive environment. Check out our blog that is regularly updated with all of the exciting things the firm and staff are doing at http://www.arrowstreet.com/.

 

Eversource Supports Local Education and Literacy

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Eversource, energy provider for New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, has partnered with the City of Boston to complete 42 projects in 25 of the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) locations since 2009. This has generated over 1.6 million in annual kWh savings for the BPL and an estimated 27 percent reduction in electrical energy consumption. In addition to these impressive changes the aesthetics of the renovated Central Library, especially the Children’s Library, have been greatly improved. Since its opening earlier this year, over 10,000 children have participated in library programs and even more visit just to read and use the space.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Eversource is also a proud participant in the Green Apple Day of Service Mini-Grant Program. The program allows them to sponsor local schools to accomplish a project such as a recycling assembly, garden planting, waste free lunch, clutter cleanout, etc.

Their sponsored projects will be taking place in the upcoming weeks. We will share these projects on the blog as they take place. Thank you Eversource for your continuing support in the Green Building sector and your commitment to the communities that you serve. 

Throwback Thursday: Remember Showcase 2014?

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

The 2014 Green Building Showcase featured 75 project displays and had over 200 attendees. What a great event! We can’t wait for October 1st to get here to join in the fun again at the 2015 Green Building Showcase at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge. Register to show off your Green Building success story or just get a ticket to attend and see all of the other stellar projects by clicking here. We hope to see you there!

Check out last year's projects here!

Stretching the Stretch Code

By Grey Lee

The USGBC MA Chapter, as part of our national agenda, joins with colleagues at Acadia Center and the Sierra Club to urge the Commonwealth to enact better building codes – in particular, a stronger stretch code. Recently, information was made public at a 9/8/15 meeting indicating the State's regulatory agencies are not committed to real improvements of the stretch code, already two years delayed, to help those municipalities designated “Green Communities” reach their energy efficiency goals. Without leadership from regulatory agencies, advocates such as our organizations will look at corrective measures from the legislature including considering where a net-zero pathway for buildings and real estate could play out.

Massachusetts has a great building code. We have excellent regulations on the energy performance of new construction. You can read about the codes here – for some, it is a lot of fun to explore! Due in part to the commitment to improving codes and energy performance in buildings, Massachusetts has become the #1 state in America for energy efficiency, according to ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy).

Through the passage of the Green Communities Act of 2008, the Commonwealth created a pathway for communities to strengthen their building code for improved building performance. The optional “Stretch Code” was an “overlay” to the base building code which enabled a municipality to enforce a stronger code for energy performance. The New Buildings Institute has some good information on why stretch codes are good for communities. Almost 150 communities have adopted the stretch code.

The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations & Standards (the BBRS) is the regulatory authority for building codes. They have agreed to a process of continuous updates to the State's building codes, based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IEcc), which updates every three years. Thus, in June 2013 Massachusetts prudently updated its base building code to the 2012 IEcc – requiring that code since 7/1/14. 

However, communities that adopted the stretch code, based on IEcc 2009, have not been given guidance on what or how the stretch code will improve. Since the stretch code was based on the anticipated (stronger) IEcc 2012, when the base code updated to that IEcc 2012, the stretch code is effectively not a stretch. In fact, the detailed comparison finds the non-updated stretch code inferior to the new base code! Yet, without a state-sanctioned updated stretch code, these communities have no way of enforcing more aggressive performance in the buildings being built in their jurisdiction! 

The original purpose of a stretch code was to allow municipalities the option to require a more stringent energy efficiency code prior to adoption by the BBRS. The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) has done a lot of work on this – and we are working with NEEP colleagues Carolyn Sarno Goldthwaite and Kevin Rose. They produced a great overview of the MA stretch code history here. The original stretch code (of 2009, based on the authorization in 2008 of the Green Communities Act) was approximately 20% higher energy efficiency. In residential construction, these increases are measured by a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) developed and maintained by the national Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). In commercial construction, these increases are measured through the IEcc, with some adjustments, and referring to ASHRAE 90.1-2007 energy standards.

A strong stretch code is a good thing. It can align many of the relevant market participants. A stretch code can help people see where base code is going to go – it's like a preview. Having a sense in advance of future changes, it helps builders and product suppliers to compete for future market share – anticipating what will ultimately be needed to get to code. This tends to lower prices for developers and owners.

One concern from the 9/8/15 public meeting on codes at BBRS is that the draft updated stretch code will only apply to buildings over 100,000s.f. – which is a very small portion of buildings being built, and less of additions to buildings. And inherently, focusing on new construction, this code effort does not address existing buildings in any material way. Another concern is that this draft code was actually proffered in April – there haven't been any other meetings since then, but the minutes were only recently posted, reducing the public's ability to participate in the process. We will continue to examine the details but the early observations are that this new stretch code is “too little, too late.” We know authentic concern for energy efficiency would result in a stronger, more widely-applicable and better stretch code. Where is the leadership in the state government to push for something meaningful?

This new stretch code is not okay. It will leave major savings, economic benefits, and opportunities “on the table.” We should have a stretch code that enables communities to meet their local market conditions more appropriately and a code that really pursues excellence and ambition – rather than being a watered down “moot code” which distracts us from our goals of improving energy performance in the built environment.