Living Future: June 2024 Roundtable

Jul 19, 2024 | Blog

The June Living Future Roundtable discussed the role of the design team, specifically for the redesign of Franklin Park, as a system and included close community collaboration with users of the park and residents of the surrounding area. The roundtable discussed how the design team, clients, community, and other individuals and factors made up an expansive system that worked together for this process, and additionally focused on the interconnected relationships within the system and their influence. Lydia Cook, Landscape Architect at Reed-Hilderbrand kicked off the discussion by framing the project as a whole. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the park contains three main elements: Ante Park for active recreation, Country Park for passive enjoyment of scenery, and Glen Road which functions as a throughway for traffic. When Olmstead designed the park, he had the future in mind. While the park was initially outside of the center of the city, it is now the geographic center of Boston, demonstrating how much the city has evolved over time.

Mayrah Udvardi, Senior Architect and Educator at MASS Design Group elaborates on the evolution of the park through the lens of stewardship. Her current work in the redesign of Franklin Park takes into account the current state of the park as well focusing on aspects of historical importance that needed to be addressed, including indigenous tribes, politics behind the park and creation of the park, the initial purpose of benefiting only white, upper class communities, and that the park was much less invested in after communities of color began settling in the area around it. Due to the lack of government involvement and maintenance in the park, maintenance began to shift to be in the hands of the community itself, before the park began to be reinvested in in the 90s. The collaborative stewardship of the individuals in the community was an extremely important testament to the park and emphasized the importance for designers to work with the community on the park.Lydia then shares that for this project, the team was split into three key factors, land, people, and city, which were not segmented but emphasized the three groups they wanted to focus on. Though, all of these factors worked in close collaboration in order to gain a more holistic review.

Rhiannon Sinclair, Urban Planner at Agency Landscape + Planning then shifts the focus to the design process which was meant to take 18 months but was extended to 45 months, not only because of the COVID pandemic, but also because the city wanted to make sure all of the three major principles were taken into consideration. An initial limitation was gathering information from people who used the park, so the team casted the net wide, broadened engagement, and tried to reach people in every way they used communication and information sharing. They worked to build awareness, through newsletters and signage, and ended up getting 6,435 participants that were representative of the neighborhoods that made up Franklin Park. Using the information they gathered, they took concerns and opinions and reflected them in the design, investing in places that make Franklin Park special and expanded spaces for gatherings and events. The plan includes over 25 projects over 20-30 years. One question that was brought up was how the team worked to resolve contradictory needs or claims? The team shared that there was a process of prioritizing and understanding the reasoning behind the concerns, not just the concern alone. The long timeline of the project gave lots of time for iteration for serious review periods and tradeoffs, and they were able to have one on one conversations with people who were worried.

Discussion in the round table continued to how the three different firms were able to work together with the City of Boston and how the design process was able to honor indigenous resources and open communication and collaboration with different cultural groups with histories that haven’t been told. The collaboration in the design process and focus on the three main principles was instrumental in the redesign for Franklin Park, and the future of design must not completely separate design from the significance of the land, community, and context in the city.

Decarbonize Existing Buildings Alliance: June 2024 Roundtable

Jul 12, 2024 | Blog

The latest BE+ roundtable on Wednesday, June 5th, brought together industry experts and city officials to discuss the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) and its Flexibility Measures, aiming to help building owners comply with emission standards through various methods. The session was kicked off by Meredith Elbaum, who welcomed attendees and set the stage for an engaging discussion.

Ilene Mason, the founder and CEO of Rethinking Power Management (RPM) introduced the roundtable, emphasizing its purpose and significance. Special guests from the City of Boston, Diana Vasquez and Dima Moujahed, were present to provide insights and answer questions. Ryan Pagois facilitated the session, guiding attendees through the Miro Board to ensure an interactive and collaborative experience.

Main Themes Discussed

BERDO Compliance
The central theme of the discussion was the obligations under BERDO. Building owners are required to adhere to emission standards, achievable through three primary methods: reducing energy usage by implementing energy-efficient measures, obtaining renewable energy from sustainable sources, and investing in community decarbonization projects.

BERDO Review Board
An independent review board plays a crucial role in BERDO’s framework. This board is responsible for reviewing applications, enforcing compliance, and recommending updates to the ordinance. Its function is to ensure that BERDO’s goals are met effectively and equitably.

Flexibility Measures Explained
The roundtable delved into the flexibility measures available under BERDO, providing building owners with four major pathways to compliance:

• Blended Emission Standards: This measure applies to buildings with multiple use types, offering a flexible approach without the need for a formal application.
• Building Portfolios: Owners with multiple buildings can opt to comply by aggregating emissions across their properties. This pathway requires an application and offers significant flexibility.
• Individual Compliance Standards (ICS): Based on historical data, ICS allows for a customized emission reduction schedule. This approach requires a formal application and focuses on absolute emissions rather than per square foot standards.
• Hardship Compliance Plans (HCP): For buildings facing significant challenges, HCPs offer the most relief. These plans can be short-term (1-3 years) or long-term (5+ years) and require a detailed application and presentation at a public hearing.

Key Questions and Answers
During the Q&A session, several pertinent questions from attendees were addressed. One question concerned whether the energy utility’s whole building energy use reporting includes tenants who opted into Boston’s Community Choice program. The response confirmed that this data is included in emissions calculations at the building level.

Another inquiry was about the linear reduction approach for individual Compliance standards (ICS), clarifying that the reduction follows a five-year increment, similar to default emission reductions. There was also a question about the applicability of portfolio compliance to lab and office projects, confirming that portfolio compliance can be applied if specific requirements are met. Finally, a question about the Environmental Justice (EJ) maps and their layers was answered, explaining the parameters of these maps and their role in improving air quality compliance.

By actively participating in this roundtable, attendees gained a deeper understanding of BERDO compliance measures and how to effectively implement them to meet emission standards. This meeting highlighted the collaborative efforts required to achieve city-wide decarbonization goals

Note: Save the date for our next session on Wednesday, August 7th at 3 pm. Register here.

Be mindful of the upcoming BERDO Flexibility application deadlines: July 1 for Long-term Hardship, September 1 for Building Portfolios and Individual Compliance Schedules, and October 1 for Short-term Hardship.

Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter to stay informed about more exciting events and roundtables!

First-in-the-nation Embodied Carbon Challenge Spurs Action

Jun 21, 2024 | Blog

Winners of the Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge Announced!

15 months ago, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and BE+ launched the first-in-the-nation Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge in order to jumpstart the upfront reduction of carbon in building projects across Massachusetts. 16 teams submitted projects performing Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments (WBLCAs), and a total of $380,000 in cash prizes were awarded to 11 lead applicants. A panel of nine judges from across the country made their selections based on embodied carbon reduction, innovation, replicability, and cost effectiveness.

At a June 20th reception during the Northeast Embodied Carbon Summit, MassCEC and BE+ announced the winning projects and showcased all 16 entries in a display of project boards.

Overall, the 16 projects made an embodied carbon reduction of 25k metric tons of CO₂e, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered in 413,377 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. More importantly, the Challenge equipped a whole new slate of design firms and practitioners with the tools and knowledge they need to take embodied carbon reductions to the next level.

Congratulations to everyone who participated. The judges had high praise for all of the submissions. They highlighted the creativity, dedication, and all of the tremendous learning and sharing that happened along the way. Each project pushed the boundaries of what is possible in green building.

See the winners below. Dive deeper into all 16 projects in the People’s Choice Portal.

$50K GRAND PRIZE: SUBSTANTIAL REHABILITATION

Jones Library
Submitted by Finegold Alexander Architects

Here’s what the judges had to say: “The Jones Library is an exemplary Substantial Rehabilitation project that brings embodied carbon to the front of the design process. The “Build Less” ethos is on full display at the Jones Library, which reuses historic building components and judiciously adds square footage only where necessary for modern uses. The use of CLT in the new construction portion of the building demonstrates several design best practices that other teams can learn from: highlight the aesthetic advantages of mass timber, push for lower carbon toppings such as gypcrete, and iterate on unique design solutions for acoustics and vibration design. By combining the reuse of 30% of the existing building with low carbon design tactics, the design team, from building owner to designer, took fantastic steps to create a useful and elegant low carbon building.”

Project Team

Owner: Trustees of the Jones Library
Architect: Finegold Alexander Architects
Structural Engineer: RSE Associates

Project Overview

Project Overview:
The Jones Library in Amherst, MA was founded nearly a century ago. The collection’s permanent home was constructed in 1928; a residential-style building with stone walls, a gambrel slate roof, and an elaborately carved entablature. The interior has ornately detailed window and door surrounds, arched transoms and hand-carved stairs. An addition was added in the 1990s but is slated for demolition in the current renovation design. It will be replaced with a new 42,000 SF addition to meet the needs of a modern library. The project also includes the restoration and reuse of the structure, the envelope, and much of the interior woodwork of the historic 1920s building.

Sustainability has been a priority for the owner and project team since early design. The proposed project eliminates fossil fuels and will be all-electric and solar ready. The team had early conversations about reducing embodied carbon as well. The first strategy was to build less. The reuse of the historic structure and interior components contributed to this goal by capitalizing on the carbon already emitted in their construction. The addition was then designed to be highly efficient, flexible, and compact to limit the area needed in the new footprint. It is the smallest allowable size per the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

The next sustainability tactic was to build low carbon. The structure of the addition was designed for a hybrid mass timber and steel frame with CLT floor slabs. This was the most significant way to slash embodied carbon. Concrete foundations and footings were proposed with 30-35% fly ash for carbon reduction. Interior finishes were selected with long-term durability and cleanability to extend their useful life and avoid quick replacement in the future.

Replicability:
According to some estimates, there are over 300 billion square feet of existing buildings in the US. To best decarbonize the built environment, these existing structures should be utilized and renovated for greater energy efficiency. The Jones Library is an example of both reuse and new construction to reduce carbon emissions. The existing structure and envelope reuse account for roughly 30% of the completed project. Adding new square footage to it allows for better preservation of the old. The library addition solves accessibility issues with a new elevator and ramped access to two side wings in the original building that would otherwise not be accessible. The existing floor-to-floor heights are very low and inadequate for new mass timber beams and mechanical distribution. The new floors had to be taller than the original with ramps designed for smooth transitions. With the new addition carving out the space for accessibility and mechanical systems, it allows more of the history of the original portion to be preserved.

This project is also an example of incorporating a hybrid timber structure into a building typology with a high demand for quiet. Despite all the other benefits of timber and CLT, the inherent acoustics are simply not adequate for a library’s sound and impact isolation needs. The design team balanced the sustainability goals with the acoustic requirements and proposed a floor system consisting of a 6.75” CLT floor deck covered by 1.25” thick resilient mat and a 2” layer of gypcrete. This increases the mass and absorption of the floor system to raise STC levels without adding significant embodied carbon. Gypcrete is a lightweight concrete mix with a proposed 15% fly ash to further reduce the carbon impact.

Cost Effectiveness:
Building reuse and preserving historic components have value beyond just a dollar amount but, in this case, reuse also contributes to reduced construction cost since fewer new materials must be purchased. Based on our TallyLCA estimates, the proposed project prevents nearly 200,000 kg of mass from going to a landfill through reuse efforts. Much of that mass is the structure and envelope which are also high-cost items. Millwork reuse has fewer cost advantages, but duplicating the historic carvings would be costly. Instead, reuse preserves a unique creation and avoids extra embodied carbon.

As cost estimates have been completed in the various design stages, cost reduction efforts have been necessary. Even with a slight cost premium for the mass timber structural system, the owner has been adamant that it remains, and scope be removed elsewhere. Sustainability was never on the table for value engineering. The use of a wood structure does help reduce the cost of finishes that would otherwise be needed to cover a steel or concrete structure. The wood provides an inherently beautiful finish.

The roof was redesigned to lower both cost and embodied carbon. The initial sawtooth roof over the addition provided amble daylight to the core reading rooms, but was also expensive and utilized significant glass, metal framing, and roof flashing. Skylights are discouraged in libraries, so the team revised the design with a single roof pop up with windows on all sides. This building lantern allows natural daylight to brighten the inner spaces with less material and cost than the sawtooth roofline.

Innovativeness:
Some of the best innovations are a simplification from an otherwise cluttered process. There are three simple ways that the approaches in the Jones Library project are unique and innovative.

The design team’s greatest strategy to reduce embodied carbon was in having open discussions about carbon with the owners from the very beginning of design. Changing structure and materials is much harder later in the process. These early conversations embedded the sustainability goals into the design so they could be preserved through design and into construction later this year.

The natural beauty of wood in the timber structure and CLT floors are a key part of the design material palette in Jones Library. The floors required an acoustic topping to mitigate noise, eliminating the possibility of exposing them as finish floors. In spaces below the CLT slab the team found ways to achieve noise control while exposing the beauty of the wood structure. Rather than using acoustic ceiling tiles, a series of suspended acoustic fins were designed to absorb sound without obscuring views of the wood. Wood columns and beams were left exposed where possible.

Lastly, designing for flexibility is a “future-proofing” strategy to help avoid frequent renovations, and their associated carbon, down the road. The team found that adding extra storage (beyond what is typically included) in and near key spaces allows for greater flexibility. Greater storage allows the furniture to shift in and out as program changes within the same space. This flexibility and flex space also helped to reduce the overall square footage needed in the building, further reducing embodied carbon from what could have been a much larger building.

$50K GRAND PRIZE: NEW CONSTRUCTION

Sustainable Engineering Laboratories
Submitted by Payette

According to the judges, “Sustainable Engineering Laboratories is a project that exhibits incredibly impressive reductions in embodied carbon, and, maybe even more importantly, sets an example through its design process that all practitioners in the AEC industry can learn from. The effort undertaken by the design team to ensure that embodied carbon was tracked and considered at every stage of the design process made SEL truly jump off the page. This was particularly evident in the decisions that do not show up in traditional embodied carbon analysis, such as optimizing the floor area to volume ratio by implementing a skip-stop office level design. The holistic analysis extended to cost implications of critical design decisions to ensure that overall cost did not increase, even with the inclusion of systems like Dowel Laminated Timber that are generally considered to come with extreme cost premiums.”

Project Team

Client: University of Massachusetts Amherst & UMBA
Architect: Payette
Structural Engineer: LERA Consulting Structural Engineers
Contractor: Suffolk

Project Overview

Project Overview:
With the new 74,000 GSF Sustainable Engineering Laboratories (SEL), UMass Amherst is building a national hub to accelerate clean energy research and educate tomorrow’s sustainable engineering workforce. This cutting-edge living laboratory is designed to catalyze bold discoveries that can be replicated and scaled to deliver real-world solutions, with research concentrations in batteries, energy, transportation, and environmental technology. The SEL features flexible interdisciplinary workshops, shared specialty labs, instructional classroom spaces and a welcoming student learning commons. The flexible nature of the lab spaces future-proofs the building against obsolescence tied to the rapidly changing nature of academic research.

Total carbon reduction was a key project goal from the outset. Embodied carbon was studied in parallel with operational energy and other sustainability strategies, with anticipated certifications for LEED Platinum and ILFI Zero Carbon. The design team used early-phase, iterative analyses to compare options for the building structure, envelope and layout that informed key carbon reduction strategies. The mechanical systems were relocated from the basement to ground level and roof to reduce excavation costs and carbon-intensive foundation work. The structural grids were also optimized to reduce materials, also saving a significant amount of carbon.

Net program area is maximized relative to gross area and building volume via compact, efficient planning and a ‘skip stop’ sectional strategy that introduces three floors of offices (lower height requirements) into two floors of labs (taller requirements), thereby enclosing more program with less facade area and less structure.
Low-carbon materials and assemblies were prioritized throughout the project. In addition to the hybrid steel-timber structure, the concrete mixes were optimized to replace nearly 50% of the cement with low-carbon alternates. Other strategies included using polyisocyanurate roof insulation, timber curtainwalls and wood-framed windows throughout most of the building.

Replicability:
When designing the carbon reduction strategies for SEL, it was important to make sure that the strategies could be easily replicated. Basic, first-principles approaches to space planning yielded significant savings without relying on unique or proprietary systems or materials. Carbon intensive below-grade construction was minimized by moving mechanical and electrical services to the ground floor and rooftop. Reduction in gross area and façade area, while maintaining net program, delivered the same functionality with less building – another win for both cost and carbon (not reflected in the LCA due to ISO requirements for matching areas). Rigorous optimization of the structural grid to reduce column and beam quantities cut the total steel used in the building by over 20%. As a publicly-bid state project, SEL is required to use open specifications, ensuring that the majority of materials used in the project are widely available from multiple suppliers. This also suggests that the materials will be available for future projects.

The team was also careful to suggest material substitutions that were cost neutral. For example, specifying polyisocyanurate instead of XPS for the roof assembly yielded the most dramatic carbon savings of any one variable in the LCA comparison. This simple change to a specification section did not incur additional costs, loss of performance or aesthetic compromise.

SEL incorporates mass timber construction in a program type traditionally averse to this. The use of mass timber in lieu of steel and concrete structural systems has well-demonstrated benefits of reduced embodied carbon. However, laboratories have been much slower to adopt this innovation compared to other program typologies (such as office buildings) because the strenuous vibration criteria can make mass timber prohibitively expensive. The hybrid steel-timber system used for the SEL project offers a unique middle-ground: the carbon benefit of mass timber decking is integrated with the stiffness of steel framing.

Cost Effectiveness:
SEL is a state-funded project with a strict budget. Throughout the design phases, the cost and carbon analyses were completed in parallel. By comparing project budget estimates against early LCA studies, we developed a “cost per carbon reduction” method: a dollar value for every ton of carbon avoided or reduced through design. This method informed three key approaches to cost effectiveness.

First, we looked for optimizations to reduce both cost and carbon at the same time. This included minimizing below-grade construction, reductions in gross area and reductions in steel tonnage through structural grid optimization. These strategies cut nearly 5% out of the estimated construction cost, translating to $4 million in savings that were reallocated to other project priorities.

Next, we fine-tuned our specifications to include “low-premium” items that delivered carbon savings without impacting the budget. This included polyisocyanurate for the roof insulation and increased SCMs for the concrete mix design.

We recognized that some strategies, such as mass timber decks and timber curtainwall, may have initial large cost premiums. Therefore, we used an integrated systems approach to demonstrate the value of both strategies. The structural premium for timber was much lower when considering the added price of ceiling assemblies of similar acoustic and aesthetic quality that would be needed with a metal deck. The timber structural deck was about $50/sf more expensive than metal deck when looking at structure only, but a ceiling could add $25-85/sf. The timber decks also required fewer steel beams.

For the timber curtainwalls, we used Payette’s Glazing and Winter Comfort Tool to analyze the thermal performance of timber vs. aluminum mullions with the goal of improving thermal comfort for the building’s occupants. This eliminated the need for perimeter heating, which resulted in significant mechanical cost savings, which helped offset the increased façade costs.

Innovativeness:
The SEL design team used a variety of tools and iterative analysis to reduce embodied carbon throughout the project. Kaleidoscope, Payette’s embodied carbon tool, compares multiple envelope and interior assemblies to inform the selection of materials and façade systems. EPIC provided a coarse-grained analysis of operational and embodied carbon, predicting the total footprint of LCA scopes before the design was detailed enough to perform a Whole Building LCA using Revit plug-ins. Tally and EC3 were also consulted early in SD to compare design options.

LERA developed a matrix of 64 structural systems with steel, concrete, mass timber and hybrid assemblies. They were reviewed for embodied carbon, cost, depth, aesthetics and vibration. Ultimately, a hybrid steel and timber system was selected to meet the vibration requirements of the labs while delivering a significant carbon reduction against steel and concrete systems.

This iterative structural process also led to the steel beams being embedded into the depth of the composite timber deck, reducing overall structural depth while allowing a reduced floor-to-floor height. This reduced the total façade and interior wall area – saving both cost and embodied carbon.

Acoustical performance was analyzed throughout the process. Mass timber systems are generally criticized for their acoustic performance – partly because the sound-absorbing acoustic ceilings are often removed to display the beautiful timber decking. To mitigate this, SEL uses dowel-laminated timber (DLT) instead of the more common cross-laminated timber (CLT). DLT can be routed with grooves that accept acoustic foam – delivering a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.70 from the structure itself. This acoustic DLT – despite having a slight material cost premium over CLT – delivered cost, carbon and aesthetic benefits. Without the need for acoustic ceilings or equivalent acoustic wall treatments, the construction fit-out schedule was accelerated, and more timber remains visible without compromise of the acoustic quality.

$10K PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Leland House
Submitted by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Inc.

Williams-College-Renovation-of-Fort-Bradshaw

“The strategies used in Leland House all seem to be highly replicable, exemplified by the fact that they made it into an affordable housing project. The implemented strategies, including mass timber, wood framing, low carbon concrete, and cellulose insulation, did a good job of reducing the embodied carbon. An exceptionally thorough submission and exploration from structure through interiors, with a clever model of the lessons learned. The learning curve that happened with this team is admirable; clearly they will take a lot forward from this challenge!”

Project Overview

Project Overview:
PCA joined the Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge to kick-start our efforts in understanding, measuring, and reducing embodied carbon. Leland House was our first test case.

PCA was privileged to team up with 2Life Communities and partners to design Leland House, an affordable senior living community. Designed to Passive House standards, Leland House brings improved health, economic, and environmental benefits to its residents and addresses the important objective of minimizing its carbon footprint.

Reducing embodied carbon was a primary goal of the project. However, without access to industry tools and resources, the team relied on estimations and intuition early in the design process. Since joining the Challenge, we’ve been able to measure the value of the project’s carbon reduction measures and educate the team on the carbon impacts of decisions made through construction.

Our carbon reduction strategies included low-carbon structural design solutions such as: mass timber columns and beams, wood-framed load-bearing walls, and wood trusses. Improved concrete mix designs included SCMs to reduce embodied carbon. Cellulose cavity insulation was used as a sustainable alternative to fiberglass insulation.

Additional project goals included specifying PVC free and Red List free interior finishes, while providing the community with an enhanced connection to nature through biophilic patterns, textures, and materials. Bio-based polyurethane resilient flooring provided an alternative to pervasive luxury vinyl tile. Low-carbon, alternative carpet tiles, plant-based acoustic ceiling tiles, wood veneer ceiling finishes, and exposed timber columns and beams contributed to the holistic design approach of the project.

Overall, Leland House demonstrated an 18% reduction in embodied carbon over baseline, including a: 15% reduction in the structure, 15% reduction in the enclosure, and 25% reduction in the interiors.

We found that Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) provides us with the knowledge and data to reduce embodied carbon and help combat climate change.

Replicability:
Through the Challenge, we’ve gained access to the tools and training to perform life cycle assessments across various systems and scales. This in turn affords us the knowledge and data to impact design decisions on real-world projects.

Replicability was built into our process from the start. Upon joining the Challenge, one of PCA’s goals was to establish a workflow, understanding, and database that we could apply to the next project, so we could hit the ground running and target greater carbon savings. To this end, we created a Lesson Learned 2.0 Model to track carbon reduction measures that we might apply to the next project.

Selecting an affordable housing project, such as Leland House, was intentional, as it targets a highly replicable case study. The technologies we employed are common and well understood by the building industry at various scales and applications; wood-framed load-bearing walls and wood trusses provide cost-effective, low-carbon solutions to meet our most basic needs.

Concrete is a material we see on every project, and it was the largest contributor to embodied carbon emissions at Leland House. Here we learned a valuable lesson around providing performance-based specifications. Our specification allowed for up to 50% SCMs, but without specifying any minimum performance values, we wound up leaving another 35 metric tons of carbon on the table that could have been further reduced. We included these savings in our Lessons Learned 2.0 Model to demonstrate how to do better on the next project.

All the measures included in our proposed model successfully survived the VE process and are currently being constructed, further evidence of the replicability and cost-effectiveness of the strategies employed at Leland House. Design is inherently an iterative process, and the lessons we learned in our first WBLCA will form the foundation for the next project.

Cost Effectiveness:
LCA tools provide us with the knowledge and data to reduce embodied carbon and help combat climate change. The more we, as designers, request manufacturers’ EPDs and demand low-carbon alternatives for the most impactful materials, the more the costs will come down. In many cases, there are cost-effective, low-carbon solutions available to the marketplace.

WBLCA allows us to identify our most significant embodied carbon contributors (e.g., concrete, flooring products, steel, foam insulations, etc.) and focus our resources on targeting their reductions.

Furthermore, by taking a holistic design approach, we can identify synergies among project goals, such as eliminating PVC from the interiors and providing biophilic designs, while also reducing embodied carbon, all with a cost-competitive product. At Leland House, we used a bio-based polyurethane resilient flooring that provided a 42% reduction in carbon over ubiquitous LVT flooring. Resilient flooring was our second-highest contributor to embodied carbon. When high-impact design decisions can satisfy multiple project goals, they are more likely to remain part of the project, and LCA allows us to bring the carbon data to the table. Carbon tools and data help to illuminate these solutions.

Red List free composite alternative carpet tiles were priced competitively and saved the project 50% of the carbon of traditional carpet tiles. Similarly, plant-based ceiling tiles provided 1/3rd of the carbon of the typical ACT without an uptick in cost.

Gypsum board and paint were two of the larger contributing materials that we were unable to address in our study. In the case of gypsum board, our base spec already includes a low-carbon gypsum product and in the case of paint we were unable to find reliable data to give us the confidence to reduce. Further work is required in these categories and others to help steer the industry to lower carbon solutions.

Innovativeness:
Low-Carbon Affordable Housing 2.0 – Lesson Learned for the Next Project
Since we started the Challenge, we were mindful to track decisions we might have made differently had we had the benefit of quantifying carbon earlier in the design process. In addition to our Baseline and Proposed WBLCA models, we created a Lessons Learned 2.0 Model to track and quantify how we could improve our embodied carbon emissions on our next project. We reduced the embodied carbon in our Lesson Learned 2.0 by an additional 10%, or 28% total reduction over Baseline.

Early in design, we targeted an insulated foam glass aggregate for the under-slab insulation. At the time, we didn’t have the data to demonstrate the value of this approach. Had we known that XPS under-slab insulation was such a significant carbon contributor, we could have fought harder to keep the alternative insulated aggregate product and made a larger impact on our bottom line.

Additional strategies for deeper savings in our 2.0 Model included:
• Further improvement to the concrete mix design saved 27% over Baseline
• Low-carbon cementitious flooring underlayment saved 35%
• Mineral Wool Board insulation saved 22t CO2e, or 65% over Polyisocyanurate
• Balloon-framed parapets saved 1,700 kg CO2e
Total Carbon: Operational + Embodied Carbon
Leland House elected to use triple-pane, uPVC windows for improved occupant comfort and operational energy efficiency. We studied the total carbon impact of double vs. triple-pane windows. Based on today’s utility mix and assumption of a 35%, or 20t CO2e, increase in embodied carbon, we estimated the annual energy savings of 1.45% would lead to a “carbon payback period” of 2 to 5 years for triple-pane windows over double-panes. We believe this analysis can contribute to a larger discussion around tradeoffs between operational and embodied carbon. We present this innovative study for further discussion…

Project Team

Owner: 2Life Communities;
Architect: Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Inc.;
Civil/Landscape: Stantec;
Structural: B+AC;
MEP: Petersen Engineering;
Specifier: Kalin Associates, Inc.;
Contractor: Dellbrook | JKS

$30K RUNNER-UP AWARDS

9 Winning Projects

The judges appreciated the replicability of the runner-up projects and their support of innovative, low-carbon concrete solutions was a common theme among the nine awardees. The projects that focused on the embodied carbon reduction process, rather than simply the results, scored well, and the integration of embodied carbon reduction tactics early on in the design process was also celebrated. The judges noted the power of the reduction narrative to compliment the data, and they appreciated the emphasis on replicability from all project submissions. Overall, the nine runners-up demonstrated an eagerness to innovate in replicable ways, taking steps to push the envelope on creative and cost-effective embodied carbon solutions, with several teams undertaking their first LCAs, introducing new thinkers and innovators in the LCA space.

80 East Berkeley

Northland Newton

Treehouse Center

80 West Broadway

One Milestone

Amherst College

380 Stuart

Cooper Center

Leland House

Dive deep into all of the projects

Thank you to our Amazing Judges!

Webly Bowles

WAP Sustainability

Sustainability Director

Emily Flynn

Tangible

Founding Researcher

Mel Chafart

CLF

Research Affiliate

Jeremy Shiman

WRNS Studio

Project Architect

Rebecca Esau

RMI

Manager, Carbon-Free Buildings

Isabelle Hens

Atelier Ten

Senior Environmental Designer

Justin Schwartzhoff

LMN Architects

Sustainability Coordinator

Joel Martell

National Grid

Senior Analyst – Customer Energy Management

Jessie Templeton

Brightworks Sustainability

Senior Materials Consultant

Thank you to our Partners!

Welcome Summer 2024 Interns!

Jun 18, 2024 | Blog

Join us in welcoming our Summer 2024 interns Nidhi Ravi, and Maya Patel! We are so excited to have them on board for the summer to strengthen the BE+ community and advance our mission to drive the sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operation of the built environment. They have already brought so many exciting interests, passions, and skills to the table, and we can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.

Nidhi Ravi

My name is Nidhi, and I am excited to intern with BE+ this summer to further explore the green building sector. I hold a Master of Science in Information Technology and Cybersecurity from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and have extensive experience in both technology and energy efficiency. I am passionate about driving innovation and sustainability by navigating the intersection of these fields.

Connect with Nidhi Ravi on LinkedIn

Maya Patel

My name is Maya and I am thrilled to be working as an intern with BE+ this summer! I am currently a rising senior pursuing a degree in Architectural Studies with a minor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston University. My interest lies in learning more about the sustainable practices architects and engineers implement in their design and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to learning more about green building techniques and expanding my knowledge to help with the design development of my own projects in the future.

Connect with Maya Patel on LinkedIn

New Report Shows Massachusetts is Going Net Zero

May 9, 2024 | Blog

New BE+ Report Shows that Massachusetts is Going Net Zero
Highly efficient, all-electric buildings near 50 million GSF

The known square footage of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings in Massachusetts has grown nearly six times in just three years, according to the Spring 2024 update to our MA is Ready for Net Zero report. Continued data collection since 2021 increased the total of Net Zero or Net Zero Ready Projects included in the analysis from 7.2 million GSF to 48.4 million GSF. It is clear from this analysis that Massachusetts is not just Ready for Net Zero, as the first three reports were named, Massachusetts is now Going Net Zero.

The landscape has changed dramatically since BE+ issued its initial report in February 2021. Massachusetts updated its State Building Code in March 2021 to include the new Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Energy Code, which requires new construction and major renovations to be more energy efficient. As of 2024, 34 communities representing over 26 percent of the state’s population have now adopted it. Boston and Cambridge finalized their existing building emissions ordinances, and 10 communities are piloting fossil fuel bans for new construction.

Most recently, BE+ launched BE+ CONNECTS with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). This new directory of high-performance building professionals connected to their companies and to their projects demonstrates that a given company’s expertise is in its people and is proven through its completed and in-progress projects. Data collection for this report is now done through BE+ CONNECTS, where the majority of the projects and companies in the report are listed. This evolution makes most of the data for this report publicly available for the first time.

“MassCEC is proud to support BE+ CONNECTS and is pleased to see it employed in data collection for the 2024 MA is Going Net Zero Report,” said Beverly Craig, Program Director of MassCEC’s Building Decarbonization team. “BE+ CONNECTS enables building owners, managers, and developers to connect with high performance building professionals and their projects in a live online database, facilitating an increase in net zero buildings by addressing the pressing need to find experts to meet new building energy codes and new building emissions performance standards, and the need for continued growth of net zero buildings. MassCEC also applauds the Going Net Zero Report. It is an invaluable resource in demonstrating that net zero buildings are not only feasible in MA today but are growing in their market share across building sectors.”

“Successful, net zero new construction is here,” said Eversource Manager, New Construction Energy Efficiency Kim Cullinane. “Together with our fellow Mass Save® Sponsors, Eversource is excited to partner with many of the people and projects listed in BE+ CONNECTS, as they are driving net zero initiatives across Massachusetts. Between the experts in the field, resources like those offered by BE+ and MassCEC, and our own incentive programs and pathways, there has never been a better time to build net zero. Our cleaner, greener future is no longer a thing of tomorrow; in new construction, it’s here today.”

“It’s clear from the analysis that we have the expertise and technology to build and retrofit Net Zero buildings, often without any cost premium,” said Meredith Elbaum, Executive Director of BE+. “It’s also clear that increasing commitments from municipal, state, and federal governments, as well as utilities and other stakeholders, are driving market transformation. What’s less clear is how we finance, build, and retrofit green buildings for all people. Thankfully we’re moving in that direction. It’s now safe to say Massachusetts is Going Net Zero.”

Highlights from the updated report include:

• The Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock in Massachusetts exceeds 48.4 million square feet and is growing rapidly.
• Of the 13.1 million GSF with reported cost data, 80 percent reported <1 percent construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready.
• Multi-family and affordable housing’s combined 15.3 Million GSF are leading the way for Net Zero development in Massachusetts, employing heat pumps and on-site renewables to reach their Net Zero targets. Lab / Tech / Science grew substantially, by nearly 50 percent, in 2024 to 13.7 Million GSF, making up the majority of the found Net Zero Ready space.
• Affordable Housing makes up 40 percent of all residential Net Zero and Net Zero Ready square footage.
• All projects rely on heat pumps as the primary source of heat. The majority of building types utilize air-source heat pumps, with the exception of K-12 which more often use ground-source heat pumps. Net Zero buildings also procure on-site and/or off-site renewable energy to offset 100 percent of consumption on a net annual basis.
• Over twice as many projects since 2023 have reported the use of electricity for domestic hot water with a total of 28.2 million GSF.
• There are 319 companies working to make Net Zero buildings the standard in MA. Many of the companies can be found in BE+ CONNECTS.

Download the Report

Road to Net Zero Website

About Mass Save®
Mass Save® is a collaborative of Massachusetts’ electric and natural gas utilities and energy efficiency service providers including Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty, National Grid, and Unitil. We empower residents, businesses, and communities to make energy efficient upgrades by offering a wide range of services, rebates, incentives, trainings, and information. https://www.masssave.com

About the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)
MassCEC is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. https://www.masscec.com

LEED v5 and the BE+ community

Apr 10, 2024 | Blog

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened public comments for the first major update to its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building ratings system in over 10 years.

Special kudos to former BE+ Board Members Neil Angus and Chris Schaffner, current BE+ Board Members Kristen Fritsch and Sarah Michelman, and BE+ members Adam Jennings and Emma Van Lieshout who were all involved in the USGBC LEED committees making this possible.

BE+ is here to help you get your head around the proposed standard and be ready to offer comments.

Follow these steps:

1. Explore LEED v5 on-demand courses in the USGBC course catalog to learn more about the next iteration of LEED.

2. Consult these resources:
LEED v5 website
Preparing for the opening of LEED v5’s first Public Comment period
Article announcing the opening of LEED v5’s first Public Comment period
Exploring LEED v5: Guide to the first public comment period
BuildingGreen’s overview article on LEED v5
FAQs on LEED v5

Rating Systems

• LEED v5 BD+C: New Construction (pdf | credit library)
• LEED v5 BD+C: Core and Shell (pdf | credit library)
• LEED v5 ID+C: Commercial Interiors (pdf | credit library)
• LEED v5 O+M: Existing Buildings (pdf | credit library)

3. Participate in a special BE+ Community LEED v5 roundtable
Register now (April 30th, 12pm ET)
Be ready to weigh in with some of what you like, and some of what you’d like to change.

4. Submit your comments by May 20th (extended to May 24th, 9pm PT)
Via the LEED credit library or
Via the LEEDuser / Building Green LEEDv5 public comment forums

5. Join BE+ and USGBC at an in-person LEED v5 event
We are coordinating a local launch event for LEED v5 with USGBC for some time after the first public comment period. Stay tuned for more information.

6. Earn your LEED AP credential
Now is a great time to earn your LEED AP credential (before the exam content changes to LEED v5). We are currently scheduling two trainings: LEED GA Deep Dive & Exam Prep and LEED BD+C Deep Dive & Exam Prep. Fill out the Training Interest Form to be notified when those are scheduled.

Expanding the Toolkit for Justice at Work through JUST.

Mar 5, 2024 | Blog

Whether you are a Just leader or Just-curious, the most important part of the Just disclosure tool from the International Living Future Institute is the community of practitioners it has engaged who can share their wisdom and make everyone’s journey easier, less lonely, and more impactful.

That is why we are excited to share some of the learned experience from some local Just firms as we get ready to celebrate their accomplishments at the March 7th Just Celebration organized by the BE+ Living Future Community. Beyond these stories, we hope you will join us on the 7th for an inspired discussion with folks at all stages of the Just journey.

Advice for other organizations considering Just

Enjoy the ride (process), not the race (score).

Iterate. Achieving a socially equitable workspace requires continuous work. We have been through several rounds of Just certification, and each cycle we find new opportunities for reflection, change, and improvement. The business landscape is also quickly evolving and responding to challenges such as pandemics, economic strains, and significant and dramatic changes in workstyles and ages. It is helpful to keep evaluating, communicating, and testing our policies. The JUST Certification process is a valuable framework to keep elevating and to solicit feedback from staff to make sure we are aligned, nimble, and adaptive. Each cycle, we incorporate changes that we can handle and bookmark long term goals to work continuously towards. Being transparent about our process and intentions helps the entire team work towards our vision. –Next Phase Studios

Be prepared to closely examine company policies and procedures with a fresh set of eyes. This is an opportunity to write and revise policies to align with the inherent ideals and beliefs of your organization. –The Green Engineer

Collaboration between different internal departments is really important and you may learn that your company has been doing some of the best practices outlined in the standard all along. –Humanscale

Lessons learned, changes made

Based on our experience, we feel that the Just certification process is a serious undertaking. We had the good fortune to have an outside consultant who helped us determine best practices for our firm and provided the necessary guidance. For other firms beginning their Just journey, our suggestion would be to either work with an outside facilitator to help keep the focus on the process, or, if using an internal resource, allocate time during the work week to be sure that the work gets done. One of the intricate parts of the process for us was determining how the firm’s aspiration goals to provide time for education and volunteering, as examples, fit within the legal employment requirements of the state of Massachusetts. We found it beneficial to have someone help “check our work” as it were to keep us compliant. –Auburndale Builders

In 2022, Humanscale launched an employee-run Local Communities Committee. This group identifies needs within the community and then executes outreach and volunteer events to alleviate those needs. The creation of this group was in part because of our participation in the Just label and its Local Communities Imperative. So far, the committee has hosted multiple litter cleanups including a now annual event along the Connecticut River, grown vegetables to be distributed within the community and collected food for a local food bank. –Humanscale

As we were already a B Corp and had a Just v1 Label, recertification for JUST was the natural next step for our organization. This pushed us to make some changes to our policies and gave us the opportunity to memorialize our commitment to social justice, equity, and employee engagement. –The Green Engineer

The internal value of participating in Just

Since receiving our Just Label in 2022, CambridgeSeven has used the Just framework to examine our values and focus on opportunities for improvement, not only to obtain a label, but as a tool of continual self-reflection. In addition to continuing to increase diversity within our office, we’ve been looking at our responsibilities beyond, including our impact through design. We’ve been digging into our process for engaging communities around our projects, working with clients to effectively identify stakeholders across our wide variety of project types, recognizing that the process for a children’s museum will look very different from a higher-ed campus or a residential development. Another significant area of focus is the selection of materials and how our decisions affect people throughout the supply chain. Working with other collaborators and organizations like Design for Freedom, we’ve reorganized our materials library to remove products at highest risk of child labor and modern slavery, and we’re working to identify and specify materials that have evaluated their supply chain for fair labor practices. –CambridgeSeven

What Just has allowed us to do within our organization is to determine whether we are meeting those ideals that we have set for ourselves. Rather than just espousing the policies and best practices we want our firm to aspire to, Just provides a realistic framework that we can measure ourselves against. Specifically, a goal of Auburndale Builders is to pay employees equitably. Our Pay-Scale Equity and Living Wage Policies, which were created with the Just framework in mind, not only codifies our commitment, but also provides tools we can use to determine that we are in good standing now and in the future. We understand that the Just certification is an on-going process and we are committed to using it as a touchstone as we grow our business. –Auburndale Builders

One of the most valuable benefits of going through the Just process for the first time is having a framework to learn from and creating a baseline for our company. Without a framework, it’s challenging to know how you’re doing as a company with regard to social justice. Social impacts aren’t as commonly reported on as something like carbon emissions so there aren’t many frameworks out there. Creating Just labels allowed us to benchmark ourselves and identify areas in which we could do better. We do not have perfect scores, but we now know where we have room for improvement. For example, we always strived to have a good impact on our local communities and were participating in volunteer activities but didn’t have a committee dedicated to identifying needs within the community and helping to alleviate those needs. Now we have a group of Sustainability Ambassadors who focus on this specifically. –Humanscale

JUST is well known in the design community and having the label sets our organization apart. It also shows our employees that we will always seek out areas of improvement when it comes to our policies and benefits. Meeting the criteria for the Just label pushes our organization to do better. We also believe JUST has broader name recognition with the AEC community than BCorp per se. In addition, clients, institutions and organization that draft RFPs in the AEC industry could consider highlighting JUST and BCorp in their selection criteria, or giving preference to firms that are either JUST or BCorp certified. –The Green Engineer

We found that we were already meeting many of the Just indicators but didn’t have official policy, frameworks, or metrics to document, articulate or evaluate our business and operational behaviors. Getting our policies and processes documented has allowed our employees to be seen, engage, and share consensus on the operations and matters that impact them. The Just framework and certification process also provides resources to conduct surveys, identify opportunities, and craft programs. We do not have a full-time HR staff, so the framework allows any of our regular staff to be involved in policy changes, input on operations, and even administration of surveys. It empowers our team members to define and impact the direction of the firm. Our size also allows us to be nimble. Based on feedback outcomes during our certification process we were able to readily implement ideas, suggestions, and requests, including adding an additional feedback channel. Our pursuit of Just has made our values clear to the team, encouraged conversation, and collected thoughtful feedback. –Next Phase Studios

We are incredibly grateful for our Just Celebration sponsors who have generously shared these insights from their Just journey. We hope their experiences can clarify, inform, and inspire your journey, that together we can raise the bar for social justice, equity, diversity, impact, and belonging across the industry.

Welcome 2024 BE+ Board of Directors!

Jan 26, 2024 | Blog

As we enter 2024, members of the BE+ community gathered to celebrate the achievements of the past year, participated in the Board of Directors election, and eagerly discussed the year ahead. The Annual General Meeting was marked by acknowledging outstanding contributions and welcoming new faces to leadership roles within our community.

We took a moment to applaud the remarkable accomplishments of our members in 2023 by awarding and recognizing individuals and companies that have demonstrated commitment and leadership in various ways. The awards went out to:

1. Company of the Year: The Green Engineer
2. Net Zero Hero: Roselin Osser
3. Living Building Champion: Robert Donohue
4. Member of the Year: Nicole Voss
5. Health & Wellness Champion: Gabriel Echeverria
6. BE+ Community Leader: Dan Whittet
7. Emerging Professional of the Year: Monisha Nasa
8. Women in Green Warrior: Tammy Ngo
9. Most Studious Company: Elkus Manfredi Architects

At the Annual General Meeting BE+ also announced the new Board Members. The BE+ community would like to extend our congratulations and a warm welcome to Leah Robins (Metropolitan Area Planning Council), Daisy Chen (Bain Capital), and Eudad Gonzalez (Turner Construction Company). Additionally we would like to congratulate the re-elected Board Members Kristen Fritsch and Rebecca Schofield.

As we bid farewell to 2023, we would like to thank our departing Board Member Galen Nelson for his time, knowledge, and passion, and we will be planting a tree in his honor.

Congratulations to the award winners, new Board Members, and those continuing their service. Here’s to a year of continued success and progress within the BE+ community!

View Event Photos Here!

BE+ The Change as a Company Member

Dec 21, 2023 | Blog

Built Environment Plus is powered by a vibrant community of green building leaders and aspiring leaders who strive to design, build, and operate a sustainable and regenerative built environment.

This mighty community has led both market transformation and policy transformation towards this brighter, greener, and healthier future for all of us. The roadmap to a net positive future is there, but the journey is daunting. We know that we can only get there by coming together, tapping into our group genius, and taking on the big challenges with clarity, passion, and vision.

We have seen amazing progress and momentum in 2023.

Looking ahead, we see a year that is bursting with potential and opportunity.

We know that we are stronger together. We have seen the power of collective problem-solving and collaborative advantage.

That is why we are thrilled to invite you to plan your year ahead with us with a brand new Year-Ahead Prospectus.

Let’s approach this year ahead with a shared purpose of accelerating the sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operation of the built environment, together.

There are countless ways to engage and support our thriving community of green building practitioners, advisors, decision-makers, and influencers.

As an easy starting place, we offer a 50% discount for your first year of Company Membership, at any level.

Strengthen the BE+ ecosystem by joining today as a Company Member. We have a goal of adding 20 new Company Members ahead of our Annual General Meeting on January 25th.

Join your leadership with this community’s commitment for positive transformational change. Together, we are far greater than the sum of our parts.

Express Grant 2023 Funds

Nov 6, 2023 | Blog

Use Your 2023 Express Grant Funding to Pay for Trainings in 2024!

As 2023 nears the finish line, it’s easy for deadlines to slip through the cracks. With this in mind, we are here with a friendly (and important) reminder that December 10th, 2023 is the final day to submit a MA Workforce Training Fund Express Grant application to access the remainder of your company’s eligible 2023 grant funding.

A few key facts about Express Grant funding:

• Companies with 100 MA employees or less are eligible to apply for up to $20,000 per year to reimburse you for the cost of approved trainings.
• All of BE+’s currently scheduled public trainings are approved under the Express Program.
• Once your grant application is approved, the funding is good for 2 years, so you can use your funds in 2024 and 2025.
• 2023 funding applications cannot be modified in 2024 so be sure to choose courses you know you or someone at your company will take.
• Submit your application by December 10th, 2023 to secure your funds!
• Register for the trainings on the BE+ website to secure your spot.

Complete an Express Grant application for any of our upcoming scheduled courses:

November 9th: Tools for Building Life-Cycle Assessment (Tally)
Grant deadline passed

November 28th: Energy Codes and Trends
Grant deadline passed

December 4th start: Phius Certified Rater Training
Grant deadline: November 13th; Grant ID #1143064

December 4th start: Phius Certified Building (CPHB) Training
Grant deadline: November 13th; Grant ID #1146564

December 12th: Intro to Designing a Net Zero Building
Grant deadline: November 21st; Grant ID #1131177

January 9th start: Lead Carpenter Training
Grant deadline: December 19th; Grant ID #1135459

March 4th start: Certified Passive House Consultant CPHC® Training (Phius)
April 8th start: Certified Passive House Consultant CPHC® Training (Phius)
May Date / MA Cohort Coming Soon
Grant deadline: 21 days before courses start date
Grant ID #1134101

Pro Tip: Submit your 2023 Express Grant application for the CPHC Training by December 10th and list January 1st as the course start date, and the end date 2 years after that. Then you can decide which CPHC course date to register for (since the application would have been submitted 21 days before the course start date).

January 17th start: Certified Passive House Designer (PHI) Training, Atlantic Cohort
Grant deadline: December 27th; Grant ID #1135246

February Date TBD: Embodied Carbon in Concrete and Wood
Grant deadline: January 18th; Grant ID #1148973

Express Grant applications can also be submitted for course(s) that are approved for the Express Program, even if they have not yet been scheduled. Please check with BE+ before submitting those applications so we can confirm if and when we will be offering those courses.

We want to hear from all levels of professionals across the industry: Which BE+ courses do you and/or staff at your firm want to take? Are there course topics missing that you would like to see us offer?

Review the Training Priority List and complete the Training Interest Form now to let us know which courses you and/or your firm are interested in taking, and reach out to BE+ if you need help completing an Express Grant application for those trainings. Also reach out to us if you want to talk about a more comprehensive education program for your employees.