Envelope Renovation Energy Modeling Comparison Presentation

By Mark Dunn, USGBC MA West Branch

By Mark Dunn, USGBC MA West Branch
 

Chapter members and guests gathered in Boston to hear from Nariman Mostafavi & Soroush Farzinmoghadam, Green Building Researchers at UMass AMherst. They presented their work to compare modeling exercises recently performed at UMass.
 

 

Three building analysis software tools, DOE-2 eQUEST, IESVE Revit Plug-in and Autodesk Green Building Studio, were used to quantify the predicted energy savings of a scheduled envelope retrofit on a UMass Amherst dormitory (Grayson Hall). The presentation included investigating the potential energy savings created by the removal and replacement of all original windows and exterior non-structural infill brick panels, coupled with installation of supplementary insulation materials between the new brick panels and the interior CMU walls. The rehabilitation takes place in four 78,000 GSF seven-story residence halls originally constructed in 1965.
 

Analysis of the retrofit proposal was carried out by comparing the results of each retrofit design alternative against the baseline and assessing carbon dioxide emission reductions resulting from the proposed retrofit process. Advantages and disadvantages of each modeling tool were also discussed. The basic conclusion: for purposes of accurate modeling and ease of use, eQUEST continues to be the winner. It does not have the best-looking interface, but it turns out to be better to use from their perspective. They will be comparing actual post-renovation energy use to their predictions this fall and we anticipate a follow-up presentation on new results.
 
Thank you Nariman and Soroush!

Stay tuned to the USGBC MA as we bring you more presentations of academic research into the science of building performance.

Green Building Tour at UMass Amherst

By Grey Lee

On Wednesday June 25th, the USGBC MA West Branch, in coordination with the Western MA AIA, hosted a Green Building Tour of the UMass Amherst campus.

UMass has seen a major investment in new buildings in the past few years.

The tour focused on 3 facilities: 1) the new Integrated Learning Center 2) the scholars center residential complex and 3) the Hampshire Dining Commons.

Thank you to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department and members of the USGBC MA West Branch, especially Ludmilla Pavlova and Lorin Starr of the Western MA AIA for organizing this tour.

Below: the Integrated Learning Center – which will hold 20% of the campus' classes next year. It is on track to meet LEED NC Gold and correspond with the state's LEED Plus program.
 

 
Thank you to Jeff Quackenbush for leading the tour of the facility. Here is a link to read more about the ILC.
 

The ILC has a great green roof – very well established plantings already.
 

 

 

Next we went to the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex. This will be a landmark component of UMass Amherst welcoming ambitious students from the entire state university system.
 

 

The Honors Complex has numerous sustainability features and you can read more about it at Sustainable UMass.
 

We ended the tour with a dinner at the Hampshire Dining Commons which has recently been renovated to be a state-of-the-art facility linking local food production to the dining experience on campus. We heard a few brief presentations and enjoyed a great meal. This place takes the concept of a college cafeteria to a whole new level!
 

Thank you again to to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department, members of the USGBC MA West Branch, and Western MA AIA for organizing this tour!

Climate Co-Lab Contest is Open

By Javier Burgos

By Javier Burgos

 

 
How can we empower the public and communities to build awareness and demand for green buildings?
 
Buildings remain one of the key producers of greenhouse gases, consuming up to 40% of the world’s energy and contributing up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Green buildings can mitigate the negatives of traditional buildings and climate change contribution, but stakeholders defining the green building conversation have largely been industry groups and governments. Here is YOUR chance – to help the green building conversation go mainstream!

 

Through a partnership with the MIT Climate Colab contest, the WGBC seeks your ideas to create public demand for green buildings that can meet the values of the occupants and empower the public to enter the conversation of how buildings are designed and created for them.
The size of our current built environment will double in the next 30 years and most of those buildings will be in developing nations. There has never been a better time to get this right.
Two Key Issues
Building design decisions are generally made with little to no input from the actual people that inhabit these buildings.  We want to overcome the barriers to a greater demand for greener, efficient buildings — by:
1)   improving awareness and
2)   empowering communities to create impact
— on sustained public participation in the demand for better, more efficient healthier buildings.
 
Specifically, we seek proposals to build awareness in the following areas:
  • How can we inspire the public to think about the spaces they inhabit, things they would like in these spaces and voice their suggestions?
  • How can we empower communities to enter the conversation about the design of buildings that are being built and designed for them?
  • How can we create a mainstream conversation that will ultimately lead to greater demand for green buildings by communities and the public?
  • How can we convert the values and desires of the public into real changes in the global building stock?
     

How can you and your community take a lead role on the green building conversation and increase your access to greener, healthier, more efficient buildings? Visit contest page

The Weekly Bulletin to 6/20/14

By Grey Lee

Coming up next week:

We have an imported “Green Tea” from the USGBC MA West Branch. On Thursday June 29th at 5:00pm, we'll be hearing from two Green Building Researchers from the UMass Amherst campus. They will present a comparison of energy modeling software. Check it out!

 

Calling all Volunteers!

 

Jump In – Make a Difference
 
There are many opportunities for volunteer engagement remaining this year. Look forward to expanded educational opportunities around our Education@USGBC Education Partner status. You can help lead a program for the “Green Breakfast Club” or a “Green Tea” evening session.
 
We have also created a new “Education Partner” opportunity for firms to participate in the creation of LEED CEU content with us. 
 
Also coming up for volunteer opportunities is the Green Apple Day of Service as well as the planning and execution of our LEED Project Showcase. In short, there are more opportunities than ever before.
 
Many of our members have made key connections, expanded their business and made a huge difference in the community through their experience as a chapter volunteer. Whatever your interest, we have something for you.  Whether it's our Funding & Finance or Sustainable Neighborhood Development working group and even our collaboration with the Living Building Challenge. Jump in! The world needs you!
 
Again, I extend a huge thank you to our Chapter Sponsoring Partners, our members, and our volunteers for their generous contributions, dedication and commitment to our continued growth and success.
 
More Green Buidlings!
 
 
 

New Tools for LEED v4 O+M

By Grey Lee

USGBC just released a series of new tools for people to use on O+M projects – templates and frameworks of best practices to achieve the LEED Certification more easily.

http://www.usgbc.org/articles/new-tools-leed-v4-om-projects
 

 

LEED is more than just a set of requirements: it’s a comprehensive program supported by a suite of tools and resources. With LEED v4, in addition to working on the rating systems, USGBC also focused a great deal of attention on the customer experience – that would be us, the users of LEED.  The development process did not end with LEED v4 being launched. USGBC is still looking for new ways to add support for project teams.
Plan and policy templates 
The mothership created templates for the plans and policies required in the LEED v4 Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) rating systems. These templates serve as examples of plans and policies that meet the requirements of the credits. They enable you to implement the operations and maintenance best practices in your building and be confident that those practices meet the LEED requirements. A similar set of templates for use with the existing buildings rating system in LEED 2009 is coming soon (although you should just get going with v4 already!).
The plan and policy templates are available free of cost in the credit library for all project teams to download, elaborate on, customize for your building, and submit as part of your project documentation:
 
Learn about other updates to LEED resources and tools:
Thank you to Megan Sparks, USGBC Manager of Program Integration, for the original posting

LEED Showcase is Coming! Save the Date 9/18/14

By Grey Lee

Each year, the USGBC MA Chapter gathers our community to celebrate the achivements of LEED Project Teams and the certifications they've attained.

This year we will celebrate the over 200 projects that have gone for LEED in the past year and a half.

Here's a great little video of our program from last year.

 

If you have been involved with a project this past year, please get in touch so you can participate in the Showcase this September!

Thank you,
Grey

 

 

Tour with the EPMA: LEED Gold Boston Public Library, East Boston Branch

By Grey Lee

We had a great time getting together as Emerging Professionals last Thursday evening in East Boston. Thank you to our tour guide Christine Schonart, Branches Manager of the Boston Public Libraries, and the designer team from William Rawn Associates, Sindu Meier and Carla Ceruzzi (who is now at Sasaki) for organizing the tour!  The Green Engineer project consultant had representatives on hand – Marie Nolan, Ryan Montoni and Matt Smity – to help interpret some of the technical aspects of the building. Thank you to all – especially the large contingent of Chapter members who attended who are from East Boston – I felt like we were about to start another regional group all of the sudden.
 

 

 
 
Loving the undulating, light-enabling ceiling:
 

 

 

Looks like another emerging professional to me!

 

 

 
Matt, Marie, and Ryan found something amusing in the mechanical room:
 

 

 
 
Here's a nice article in the Boston Globe about the project. The place really has a lot going for it; beautifully designed, engineered for real savings and efficiency, and a cool view through the Bremen Street Park (and old rail right-of-way) of Downtown Boston:

 

Thank you again to EPMA and the project team for organizing this great tour. We had a great pub-crawl around Eastie afterwards, but that is another story entirely. Hello KO!

See you all at the next EPMA event on July 24th. 

 

Weekly Bulletin to 6/13/14

By Grey Lee

All eyes are on next Thursday:

We have three things going on at the same time. I know it's not the best form, but it's really three partnering organizations who are working with us where each wound up needing to hold forth next Thursday. I hope you find one that you like and can benefit from.

Many of our upcoming events & programs were just announced in our June Event Email – take a look because we are all over the place!

Thursday 6/19/14 and all day on Wednesday 6/18/14, the Northeast Building & Facility Management Show & Conference will rally facility management professionals from across the region to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.  There are a lot of educational programs and some of our members will be presenting, including Matt Shortsleeve of RGS Energy and Brian Salazar of Entegra Development & Investment.  See you there!

At 1pm on June 19th, USGBC MA and the BSA's Committee for the Advancement of Sustainability are hosting a Sustainability Public Policy Forum: Community Strategies for Sustainable Development at Atlantic Wharf in Boston. You will hear presentations from Jim Newman of Linnean Solutions, Ludmilla Pavlova from UMass Amherst Campus Planning, David Straus of A Better City, and others.

Later that evening from 5:30-7:30, we are hosting the Regenesis Group's Bill Reed (presenting with Jim Newman, actually) and an introductory presentation on The Regenerative Practitioner. Come join us to build out a group to focus on regenerative development and take our efforts toward sustainability to the next level. It will be a very good program.

We also have a trio of webinars next week:
 

        6/17/14 at 12:00pm in Amherst, LEED v4 BD+C, ID+C Materials & Resources
        6/18/14 at 4:30pm in Boston, LEED v4 BD+C 252 Indoor Air Quality
       
        6/19/14 at 6:00pm in Worcester, LEED v4 BD+C 252 Indoor Air Quality
 
 
Don't you just love this fabulous lighting piece?

 

 

But here is “what to watch” according to some experts:

 

 

Other experts would have you watch this (apparently over and over):
 

 

And yet still others would have you watch this:
 

The Transparency Tool from Perkins+Will

By Grey Lee

We hosted our latest Networking Night on Tuesday evening June 10th at the Boston offices of Perkins+Will on Franklin Street at Post Office Square.
 

 

Thank you to the team at Perkins+Will for hosting us and especially to Juliette Bowker for presenting on their Transparency Tool!  This is a tremendous resource for the many folks who are working to find materials and components of designs that will have better health effects on us all.

As we know, LEEDv4 offers points for reporting on materials through health product declarations and environmental product declarations. Many product vendors are racing to be relevant in this new marketplace where transparency into their processes and materials will become clearer.

Juliette led us through a great presentation about why we should care about environmental effects of materials in buildings, about how we can figure that out, and how we can then use that information to make better choices as designers and building creators so our communities are safer, healthier and stronger.  She mentioned how she was really learning a lot about chemistry and health.

One stunning concept was “We are sharing this with everybody – there's no competitive advantage for us to hold onto this information” – so take a dive into the tool and learn more about materials and their impact on health!

Some of the staff at Perkins + Will were on hand to chime in about the tool and how they are using it to enhance the sustainability of their designs. Also, how it is helping their product vendors figure out how to be more relevant when selecting materials becomes more rigorous than just function, appearance and cost.
 

Juliette referenced the old “rubber duckie” and how examining that innocuous seeming toy could lead to an exploration of human health effects of common materials. And that we want to get to where the duckies really are cute and innocuous.
 

One of her quotes was from Dr. Claudia Miller, a renowned immunologist and a dean at the University of Texas School of Medicine: “Architects have a greater ability to improve public health than medical professionals” – due to the capacity of designers to remove health-threatening components from our buildings and thus reduce popular exposure.
 

 

Overall, it was really good to get the overview and to have an introduction to the transparency tool. Kudos to P+W for putting it out there – this will help our practice as an entire community!  We can all help by adding to it as well. It was good to meet so many people who are new to the Chapter, from out of town, from firms we don't often connect with, and of course also many of our old friends and colleagues (you know who you are).

 

Perkins+Will has this great infographic related to their transparency tool:
 

Thank you again  P+W!  We'll see you soon! (Nice view of Post Office Square, too)
 

 

Member Spotlight: Jenna Dancewicz

By Grey Lee

USGBC MA EPMA Member Spotlight Jenna Dancewicz

Let's get to know Jenna who's another of our active EPMA members!
 

USGBC MA: What is your current job and how does it differ from past jobs in Sustainability?

JENNA: As an Assistant Project Manager at Suffolk Construction, I am currently working on the historic renovation of the Filene's Burnham building in Downtown Crossing. I contribute to the project in many ways including managing the financials, quality control, document control and workflow of several trades. Prior to working the construction industry, I attended Brown University. My current line of work relates more to sustainability and green buildings because my previous jobs included being a math tutor and coaching several elite ice hockey camps!

USGBC MA: When did you first become interested in Sustainability?

JENNA: When I started at Brown University, I was interested in majoring in engineering but I was unsure what track to pursue. I have always loved animals and had a dream to work with animals as a Vet; therefore, I pursued the bio-medical track. However, when I spoke with my adviser, he suggested that I try something different and take a class in Sustainability and Green Buildings. Thank goodness for that suggestion because that class made me fall in love with green buildings and steered me towards majoring in civil engineering. Buidings with sustainability in mind just made sense to me because green building is efficient, creates a healthier indoor environment and ultimately helps reduce our impact on the exterior environment! The engineer in me is always geared for efficiency and the athlete in me is always game for being healthy. It's a win-win! To this day, I am always trying to find out new information about how people are making buildings green and how I can be more sustainable.

USGBC MA: Why are you a member of the MA chapter and how did you get there?

JENNA: When I moved to Boston from the Chicagoland area, I joined EPMA group to find out more about Boston's sustainable initiatives and hoped to be a part of those initiatives! I am also curious to learn more about green buildings in the area and why they are green. I also wanted to build connections with people who had similar interests in Sustainability.

USGBC MA: How are you an environmental steward?

JENNA: At work I bring my own cup for water and coffee instead of using water bottles or paper cups. I take the T to work and usually walk or take the T everywhere in Boston unless I have to drive. I strive to reduce printing by looking at drawings and documents on my computer or iPad. Even though I live in an apartment and cannot change my appliances and light fixtures, all my lamps have energy efficient light bulbs. I hope someday, through sustainable actions, I can help the construction industry have less of an impact on the environment.

USGBC MA: How do you help raise environmental awareness?

JENNA: I am part of the Green Team at Suffolk Construction and we strive to promote environmental awareness within the company. I also hope that my actions at work and with friends will inspire others to be more green. If I see someone not recycling, I will call that person out. I am still learning about sustainable technologies, particularly relating to buildings, and hope I can use my knowledge to raise environmental awareness in the near future.

USGBC MA: If I needed to find you on a Saturday afternoon, where would it be?

JENNA: On nice saturday afternoon, I enjoy outdoor activities such as biking or kayaking. I also like to venture into Boston and walk around the city. A recent hobby of mine is photography and I enjoy taking photos with my DSLR camera. In the winter months, I may be out on the pond playing hockey!

By the looks of it, Jenna is a serious ice hockey player! You go girl!