Rubenstein Partners Announces $28M Financing for the Center at Innovation Drive in Tewksbury, MA;

By USGBC MA Communications

Funding Provided by Cambridge Savings Bank to Facilitate Redevelopment for Rebranded Asset

July 7, 2016  – Tewksbury, MA – Rubenstein Partners, L.P., (including its affiliates, “Rubenstein”), announced today the closing of a loan commitment of $28,105,000 for the Center at Innovation Drive, a 706,000 SF office, manufacturing, and warehouse complex in Tewksbury, MA, a submarket of Boston.  The recently rebranded property, formerly known as 495 Business Center, is comprised of four conjoined buildings located at 200, 300, 400 and 500 Innovation Drive. Cambridge Savings Bank provided the funding.

The Center at Innovation Drive is in the process of a dramatic interior and exterior renovation and capital improvement plan, which began in August 2015 and is projected to be completed later this year. This redevelopment will transform the project that birthed Wang Laboratories, and its pioneering research of the last millennium, into a state of the art ‘creative office’ complex fostering innovation and collaboration for the current millennium. Aimed at satisfying the demands of the modern workforce, the current capital plan includes substantial site work and landscaping, the rebirth of 200 Innovation Drive from a class C flex asset into a Class A office asset and extensive core and shell upgrades to 400 Innovation Drive including a new façade, amenity center and state of the art building systems.

“We are pleased to have closed another loan transaction with Cambridge Savings Bank, one that will help facilitate the striking repositioning going on at the Center at Innovation Drive,” said Deke Schultze, Regional Director of New England for Rubenstein. “We believe there is significant potential for this redeveloped property to meet the demands of a rapidly changing workplace and be uniquely positioned to do so in the495 North submarket.  The financing we have secured will help support these substantial upgrades already underway which we look forward to delivering later in the year.”

The Center at Innovation Drive campus provides a new alternative to older properties located along the I-495 belt’s office inventory and serves as an ideal option for companies seeking more efficient, collaborative and highly-amenitized space. The property also benefits from its great location providing ease of access throughout the metropolitan area, being located on I-495 only a few miles from both the Route 3 and I-93 north/south corridors.

About Rubenstein Partners

Rubenstein Partners, founded in September 2005, is a private real estate investment management and advisory firm with operations throughout the Eastern United States.  The firm is led by its founder, David Rubenstein, and a group of senior real estate executives, and is focused on directing and managing value-added office real estate investments, primarily in the Eastern United States. Rubenstein Partners’ predecessor company, The Rubenstein Company, LP and affiliates, founded in 1969, was one of the largest private owner operators of Class A office real estate in the Mid-Atlantic, owning and operating a portfolio of assets valued at approximately $1.2 billion at the time of its disposition in 2004. Since 2005, Rubenstein Partners has, on behalf of its investors and clients, invested in more than 10,000,000 sq. ft. of office real estate assets throughout the Eastern United States. For more information, visit www.rubensteinpartners.com.

 

Transforming Corridors with Sustainable and Healthy Infrastructure Design

By VHB – Albert Ng, Sharon Ron, Kari Hewitt


Transforming Corridors with Sustainable and Healthy Infrastructure Design

Our transportation infrastructure has traditionally prioritized the car over all other modes of transport, unwittingly compromising the health of the environment and our communities. This auto-centric paradigm coupled with conditions of fiscal and space constraint, often forces us to choose between growth and mobility. However, growth and increasing the livability of our communities can be achieved without compromising mobility by transforming our corridors using sustainable and healthy infrastructure design.  As recognized by green rating systems such as LEED, a balanced approach to development, mobility, and infrastructure needs enhances safety, increases opportunities for healthy and active movement, supports environmental stewardship, and helps municipalities achieve long-term ecological and community health benefits.

The Greenough Greenway Project

Faced with a struggling and underutilized corridor along the Charles River, residents and community leaders of Boston, Cambridge, and Watertown, Massachusetts were determined to transform Greenough Boulevard into a multi-use greenway, offering active transportation opportunities and giving back the stretch of riverfront to the community instead of vehicles just “passing through”.  The project offered the opportunity to encourage residents to use non-vehicular modes of transportation, improve experience of people enjoying the river as a recreation resource, and improve the environmental quality of the Charles River.

VHB worked with the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to reconfigure and right size Greenough Boulevard, now referred to as Greenough Greenway. We reduced the pavement from four lanes to two; allowed for the construction of a tree-lined multi-use path separated from auto traffic by a substantial green buffer; stormwater drainage improvements; and a generous strip of parkland to sustain the river bank. The path links to a broad network of regional recreational and commuting paths, improves non-motorized access to diverse land uses adjacent to the corridor, and greatly improves an important commuter bicycling connection.

Today, the Greenough Greenway is an inviting shared-use path that promotes the health, safety, and livability of the people in the surrounding communities while improving the environmental quality of the Charles River, all while maintaining a fully functional roadway.

The Importance of Sustainability and Health

Planning for requires more than a specific engineering technique; it requires a balanced and sustainable approach to transportation, the environment, and community health. The Greenough Greenway project shows us how residential and business community needs can be met without compromising mobility requirements.

This approach not only helps us achieve better outcomes, it also makes a lot of sense in our current political and social climate.  We are under increasing pressure to think globally and act locally Simultaneously, the resources required to accomplish our communities’ goals and initiatives are ever more limited. Keeping current and future human, ecological, and economic health and vitality in mind as we upgrade and build new infrastructure will ensure that we are creating long-term solutions for local and global communities.

Take advantage of Greenough Greenway when you are in Boston and keep low carbon transit options in mind for getting to and from Greenbuild. We’ve helped by calculating the carbon emissions for different modes of travel between your hotel and the convention center. Carpool with your colleagues or set out by foot in America’s Walking City!  


Written by: Albert Ng, Sharon Ron, Kari Hewitt with VHB.

Find VHB on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.​

Arup and Tsoi/Kobus Design Building Tour

By Sara Xiaoran Wang


Yesterday evening (June 28), a joint presentation and tour of Arup and Tsoi/Kobus Design brought together more than 40 professionals in the green building industry. Both located at 60 Street, Arup and Tsoi/Kobus Design have designed their offices with sustainability and wellness in mind.

These two leading-edge firms prepared a joint presentation and tour on how they each approached the design of their new spaces. The discussion included design process overviews, comparing and contrasting requirements of LEED, WELL, and Fitwel certifications, lessons learned, and the benefits of implementing WELL, Fitwel and LEED. The tour began at Tsoi/Kobus Design on the 18th floor before we head to Arup’s office on the 10th floor.


In order to meet WELL-compliant features, both offices incorporated the following strategies including material selections that promote good indoor air quality; circadian lighting systems that simulate daylight; “active movement design” layouts with sit/stand desks; ventilation to optimize air quality through filtration; and furniture and finishes with minimal VOCs and contaminants.

 

 

 


Tsoi/Kobus Design's open project space, an unconventional combination of a waiting room, a presentation room, and an open kitchen, took an alternative approach towards not only the spatial design but also the requirements to meet the WELL certification. The Arup office, the first WELL Gold certified in New England, was also designed to meet LEED v4 Platinum and Fitwel 3 STAR certification, serving as a living laboratory to test its own wellbeing assessment to help quantify the impact of health and well-being strategies in the workplace. As practices in the green building industry that promotes people-centered design and social sustainability, it is important that both offices represent these core values with their own office design as paragons, inspiring more industry leaders to follow. 

Huge thank you to Arup and Tsoi/Kobus Design staffs for holding the tour and all the attendees for participating from the USGBC MA Chapter!

See more pictures here.

LEED Link: LEED Crosswalks

By Heather Benjamin at USGBC


LEED is the go-to green building rating system for architects and builders worldwide. But in the quest to make our entire environment healthier and more sustainable, there are also other, specialized ways to achieve our goals—such as Parksmart, for parking facilities, and SITES, for landscape design.

There are many places where LEED intersects with these other rating systems so that your project can achieve both. For example, you can use LEED credits to achieve Parksmart credits, and vice versa. Take a quick look at our crosswalk resources:

Parksmart

LEED-certified projects often include high-performance garages employing sustainable parking and transportation tools and practices. In June, GBCI released a guidance document with a detailed list of credits within LEED that can also apply toward earning Parksmart certification. Download the synergies document.

SITES

In 2016, SITES released a list of over 40 credit substitutions, so that similar credits need only be earned in one rating system, not both. Many SITES and LEED credits are almost identical. Now, it is also possible for LEED v4 projects to automatically earn all the points in the Sustainable Sites credit category in LEED when they achieve SITES v2 Gold certification or higher. Download the synergies document.

2018 International Green Construction Code

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is in the process of being harmonized with ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings. The merger of these two technical documents into one green code will begin to take shape in the next version of the IgCC, due to be published in the summer of 2018. Learn more.

Five ways data is driving green performance

By Scot Horst


The CEO of Arc Skoru, Inc., shares his thoughts on how data is driving a new era of green building performance.

When it comes to sustainability, data is ushering in a new era of green performance. Thanks to the digital age, our ability to capture data is virtually limitless, and the information we gather has the ability to drive better decisions—economically, socially and environmentally.

Over the last two decades, USGBC and GBCI have gathered vast amounts of green building data through transformative tools such as LEED. Recognizing the critical role data is playing, GBCI created Arc, a digital platform that is helping buildings, communities, and cities around the world benchmark and improve green performance.

As we continue to prove that financial benefits accrue with environmental benefits, performance data will be at the center of market transformation.

Here are five ways data is driving a new era of green building performance:

Transparency: Data creates a holistic picture of sustainability efforts and impact. Tracking green performance also helps businesses keep pace with industry changes. Arc gives its users a transparent look at performance using real-time data. The approach encourages incremental improvement and uncovers innovative opportunities.

Comparison: Comparing performance leads to better results for everyone. Data is a powerful motivator and allows us all to learn from one another's successes and shortcomings. Projects on Arc can see how their efforts are working and how they stack up to similar projects locally, regionally and globally.

Benchmarking: When you benchmark against yourself, you improve. Benchmarking against others helps you know how much you can improve. Leadership can occur anywhere, at any point. Benchmarking through Arc provides an immediate entry point, no matter where you are on your sustainability journey. It is a clear starting point and can help you move toward LEED certification.

Collaborative learning: Projects pursuing multiple sustainability efforts at once—energy, water, waste, transportation and human experience—make better decisions when data is shared across teams. Arc connects actions so that buildings, communities and cities can ensure they are performing at the highest possible levels. It also integrates with Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager and other industry tools to drive even greater results.

Performance beyond buildings: Data allows us to see results. Results are the core of performance. In Arc, net zero performance in energy and water is shown through a perfect score. Data also allows us to be non-linear. So we don’t have to separate buildings from communities and cities. With Arc, users can look at performance of buildings, neighborhoods, districts, cities and more.

By connecting actions, data is redefining our built environment. The more projects harness the power of their data, the more connections are made, the more actions are taken, the more real our work and the better our quality of life.

Interested in using Arc to benchmark, track and manage the performance of your project or community? Get started by visiting arcskoru.com, and connect with Arc on FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn.

Emerson's 80 Boylston St Building Gets Fresh New LEED Look

By Jen Cole


Starting last month, 80 Boylston St was taken offline as a dorm for Emerson College and began an estimated 2-year renovation plan. Suffolk Construction was selected to complete the historic renovation of Emerson College’s Little Building. The Little Building was originally built as an office building in 1917 (100 years ago!) and was then converted to a dormitory and dining hall in 1995. The building consists of ornate cast stone on the Boylston and Tremont Street façades and brick masonry on the other two façades.


 

 

 

This incredible renovation is targeting LEED gold upon completion. A major component of the project scope includes replacing the exterior façade with high-performing architectural precast concrete. The existing conditions of this ornate façade are being replicated using VDC and 3D Laser Scanning technologies to preserve and replicate the historic nature of the building. Additionally, there will be major interior renovations on floors 2 through 12 and the construction of a new 13th floor located behind a 14-foot parapet. Interior renovations include new common rooms, student social spaces, and updates to the 450-seat dining facility. The building is currently 238,955 gross square feet and, upon completion, will increase to 275,900 square feet. The renovations and addition will result in an increase in the number of students the building can accommodate: from 750 to 1,044 student residents. Look forward to seeing this beautiful new building to be completed in Fall of 2019 located in the heart of our city downtown by the Boston Common!

E+ and Net-Positive Development Seminar

By Jen Cole


Did you know Boston is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050? John Dalzell, Sr. Architect for Sustainable Development, gave a fascinating presentation this morning on E+ and Net-Positive Development that will help us get to this prestigious goal. We had a packed room with both new and familiar faces all eager to hear what's new with Net Zero Building operations in Massachusetts. The USGBC MA is devoted to bringing together practitioners, engineers, and architects alike in order to move forward with net-zero planning in our state. We heard of many various examples this morning of projects that were successful in constructing net energy positive buildings such as the Highland Park projects.

In order to achieve net -zero, the key aspects of the building to focus on are the envelope, the orientation, site, and the mechanical systems. The envelope must be air tight and incorporate 12 to 14-inch walls so that the temperature inside is stable throughout the day. Even if there was a power outage, a tight envelope would secure the building with one to two degrees of temperature variation without heating or cooling. Proactive testing such as the blower door test is done during construction phases to check the air tightness and ensure that there is no leakage. The orientation of the building is also a very important aspect because the use of solar panels is the predominant energy source. Net-zero buildings must be oriented so as to maximize the slope of the solar panels to the south side and allow for south facing recess windows with overhang. The windows themselves are also important to have with triple-pane glass for best insulation. Mechanical systems for net-zero buildings will most likely be smaller highly efficient mini split systems. These compact systems contribute to the building's efficiency by heating and cooling individual rooms while they are being occupied compared to a larger central system that requires more time and energy to heat/cool larger spaces. In addition to the mechanical systems, orientation, and envelope efficiency features such as low-flow water fixtures, air source heat pumps, taped sheathing, and passive ventilation all contribute to the zero net energy of the high-performing building.


A huge take away that John left with us this morning is that a building team must work together efficiently on new projects in order for them to be the best they can be. Achieving a net-zero or net-positive building is not a difficult nor expensive task if a team is designing, constructing, and working smart on the building's features and communicate well on all of the several sustainable aspects that make the building high-performing. Performance monitoring is critical throughout every stage of construction to evaluate how a building is holding up to the desired outcome.

We cannot thank John Dalzell enough for sharing with and inspiring our community to push forward with net-zero and net-positive projects. Boston, a national leader in green building, is promoting the next generation of high performance deep green buildings. The E+ Green Building Program demonstrates the feasibility of regenerative multi-unit residential buildings and brings energy and environmentally positive homes to Boston’s neighborhoods. Stay updated with the USGBC MA for more news on the net-zero movement!

 

Congratulations to the 2017 Green Building Showcase Winning Projects

By Jen Cole

Pictured Above: Andrea Love – USGBC MA Board Chair, Zach Pursley – Stantec, Judy Nitsch – Nitsch Engineering, Jefferson Poole – Goody Clancy, Molly Meyer – Omni Ecosystems, Dan Arons – Perkins Eastman, Madeline Burns – Architerra, Josh Rollins – Suffolk, Douglas Flandro – Cambridge 7 Associates, Nathan Butt – Sasaki, Celis Brisbin – USGBC MA Acting Executive Director

Congratulations to everyone who won an award at our 2017 Green Building Showcase! The Building of the Year Award is our most prestigious award given to a project that goes above and beyond in sustainable features and shows expletory design and innovation. We choose five professional judges to overlook the entries for this award and choose the most deserving winner. The eight Market Leadership Awards are given to projects that show excellence in specific categories. These awards were voted on through an online survey by all of our community members that attended the Showcase. Thank you to everyone who submitted a project and to all of those who voted for them!

The Green Building of the Year went to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School by Perkins Eastman. The design, targeting LEED for Schools Platinum, was recognized not only for its impressive, significant list of sustainable features, but also for its altruistic impact on education and the immediate surrounding community. The MLK School stood out among the other exemplary green buildings in the contest, demonstrating the impact that a sustainable design from a forward-thinking firm can have in a major city.


Health/Wellness Award went to Roux Center for the Environment at Bowdoin College submitted by Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. This project is the on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification and will act as a teaching lab for sustainable and innovative construction technologies.


Site Award went to The Eddy submitted by Gerding Edlen. Standing 17 stories tall, the Eddy consists of 259 apartment units, a suite of amenity spaces, a restaurant and unrivaled views of the Boston Skyline from East Boston.


Water Efficiency Award went to the UMass Amherst Buildings submitted by Nitsch Engineering. UMass Amherst won this through showing how they integrate stormwater into the landscape as part of their sustainable practices.



Energy Efficiency Award went to Bristol Community College’s John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building submitted by Sasaki. The John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building is shared resource space occupied by multiple disciplines within the Sciences and Health Professions disciplines at Bristol Community College.


Social Equity Award went to Omni Green Roof Farm submitted by Omni Ecosystems. In addition to managing stormwater, lessening noise, extending roof life, improving air quality, and other typical green roof benefits, farmed Omni Green Roofs are viable spaces for food, fellowship, and employment.



Beauty Award went to Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center for Executive Education at Harvard Business School submitted by Goody Clancy. This new building will become the new “front door” to the Executive Education precinct with a commitment to executive education, welcomes and orients participants, and providing space for learning, socializing, dining and networking.


Resilience Award went to the project Resilient Futures: Boston Living with Water International Competition submitted by Architerra. Taking top honors in the Boston Living with Water Competition, this proposal for a thriving, mixed-use district was among 50 submissions that envisioned a resilient future adapted for 2100 climate conditions and rising seas.


Materials Award went to UMass Amherst Design Building submitted by Suffolk. This landmark project targeting LEED Gold provides significant momentum for proponents of modern wood construction across the nation and the world.

These projects inspire all of us in the green building industry and here at the USGBC MA, we are amazed at how much can be accomplished in just one year. Stay up to date with our blogs and content to read up on #moregreenbuildings in Massachusetts.


 

Zipcar Partners With DCR To Outfit 200 Zipcars With Free Annual Passes to Massachusetts State Parks

By USGBC MA Communications


Zipcar and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today announced a unique partnership that equips 200 Zipcars in Massachusetts with annual state park passes, enabling residents and visitors to explore the outdoors. Members of Zipcar can now reserve a vehicle equipped with a pass by visiting http://www.zipcar.com/dcr and park for free throughout the state parks system from now until the end of the year.

“An important element of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s mission is to increase awareness and visitorship at our state parks system, which is one of the best in the world offering natural and historical locations to visit throughout the Commonwealth,” said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. “Whether traversing the summit of Mount Greylock or enjoying a respite from the summer heat at Horseneck Beach, Zipcar vehicles will enable members to discover some of the most breathtaking landscapes Massachusetts state parks has to offer.”

The state parks system offers over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, reservations, reservoirs, and beaches to explore, and include important natural, cultural, and recreational resources. Additionally, the state parks system offers over 4,000 miles of trails, and is home to diverse flora and fauna throughout the Commonwealth. Zipcar is excited to work with DCR to offer our adventure-seeking members an even easier way to enjoy the just in time for summer.

 

International Parking Institute Announces 2017 Awards of Excellence Winners

By USGBCMA Communications


Partners HealthCare‘s $56 million, seven-level garage was an integral part of the 2015 master plan for its new corporate campus, which would consolidate its 15 offices scattered across Boston and create an outdoor space that would be enjoyed by the Somerville community. Sustainability was a major focus. The $56 million garage features an elaborate LED lighting system, a massive solar photovoltaic array that provides power to the garage and an EverSource power grid, and a sophisticated parking guidance system. The solar array is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ameresco.The sustainable features have yielded a 20 percent reduction in search times, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions; a popular community green space; and spaces for more than 100 bicycles. Future plans include electric-vehicle charging stations and vehicle ride-sharing options.

On the Project Team was USGBC MA Chapter sponsor, RDK Engineers, who contributed security/low voltage engineering expertise. RDK has been providing engineering services for over 100 years and delivers total building solutions to leading businesses and institutions nationwide. RDK’s innovative designs incorporate the use of a wide variety of cutting-edge, environmentally conscious technologies, as exemplified in this project. ​

The International Parking Institute (IPI) is the world’s largest and leading association of professionals in parking — professionals who keep all of us moving. Members include everyone from garage owners and operators to architects to city managers to government agencies, health care centers, universities, airports, and convention centers. IPI works to advance the parking profession through professional development, research and data collection, advocacy and outreach, and with experts from around the world in dozens of specialties to make sure parking and transportation function efficiently. So people, businesses, and communities can keep moving.