USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session W17: Tackling the Challenge – the New MA Energy Code

By USGBC MA


For the upcoming Fourth Annual MED|Ed Facilities Conference and Expo in Boston, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter will be sponsoring a number of sessions during the event's two days. One session is W17: Tackling the Challenge – the New MA Energy Code, taught by Francis Boucher of National Grid and Martine Dion of SMMA.

More info:

The MA IECC 2015 Energy Code, effective on January 2017, raises the bar for energy efficiency and continues a trend of 3 yr. cycled energy code upgrades towards a 2030’s Zero Net Energy Objective. Learn the economics of cost-effective energy efficiency design strategies to achieve 15%-25% or better energy performance beyond IECC 2015, supported with compliance paths to the section C406 additional efficiency requirements, now including renewable energy, and the updated Stretch Code. We will share the findings of a research study looking into energy efficiency measures’ incremental costs and paybacks, including a few building project case studies.

Wednesday, April 5th, 8:00am

Learn more and register.

Use the code USGBC for 20% off any of our sessions!

Find us at NESEA's BuildingEnergy Boston Conference this Wednesday and Thursday!

By Alexander Landa


Our friends over at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) are putting together a pretty cool event March 7-9. BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Tradeshow is the region's leading event for those in the field of sustainability, bringing over 2500 local leaders & emerging professionals together.

We will be at our Greenbuild booth on the tradeshow floor Wednesday and Thursday, all day! Come by and talk to us about our Road to Greenbuild, which involves events every month leading up to Greenbuild 2017 in November

What makes this conference stand out is its place in the field – it's much more interdisciplinary in content and in audience than other similar tradeshows. Attendees and topics range from architecture, engineering, building design, consulting, policy, finance, auditing, installation, construction, education, and more.

Learn more about BuildingEnergy Boston here.

USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session T40: For Health – How Buildings Impact the Way We Think and Feel

By USGBC MA


For the upcoming Fourth Annual MED|Ed Facilities Conference and Expo in Boston, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter will be sponsoring a number of sessions during the event's two days. One session is T40: For Health – How Buildings Impact the Way We Think and Feel, taught by Memo Cedeno, Erika Eitland, Piers MacNaughton, and Augusta Williams of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

More info:

Buildings have a profound impact on our health and well-being given that we spend 90% of our time indoors. In this session, we will describe the research conducted by the For Health team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In particular, we will present findings from recent studies linking the built environment to cognitive function in commercial, academic, and residential settings. Importantly, we will discuss the design and operation solutions identified through the research to optimize buildings for health.

Tuesday, April 4th, 4:00pm

Learn more and register.

Use the code USGBC for 20% off any of our sessions!

Sustaining a Community – Uphams Crossing

By USGBC Communications


What’s the best way to redevelop a prominent site in the business district of a community that sorely needs housing options? In the case of the former St. Kevin’s Parish in Dorchester, Mass., the answer was the creation of a mixed-income residential campus called Uphams Crossing, a development integrating adaptive re-use and new construction into the uniquely landscaped existing parish grounds. With the creative financial stewardship of the Planning Office of Urban Affairs (POUA), safe and affordable housing has been delivered to the Upham’s Corner community.

Dorchester is one of Boston’s largest and most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods. But it also has a history as one of the city’s most distressed. More than 20 percent of its residents live near the poverty line, and it has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the area. The St. Kevin’s site in the heart of Dorchester’s business dis-trict, known as Upham’s Corner, presented an ideal location to create a mixed-income residential complex. POUA led an innovative project team that could address the housing issue through a creative vision for serving the Dorchester community.

The result is a mixed-income complex with 60 units of workforce housing for people who contribute to the local economy, such as teachers, technicians and service industry workers. Additionally, 20 units of permanent affordable housing were set aside for formerly homeless individuals or families. Supporting the residential units is a full-time onsite manager, as well as office space for St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children, an onsite provider of supportive services. A multi-use community room was designed to provide space for resident programs and hosting neighborhood community meetings. All of these services are centrally located in a spacious common area that also holds two resident lounges, an exercise room, computer learning center, bike storage and a central laundry.

Uphams Crossing is within walking distance of convenient public transit with multiple city bus lines and the Upham’s Corner commuter rail. New housing here opens up numerous opportunities for residents, making it easier to engage with the commercial heart of Dorchester and bringing people closer to necessary services. At the project’s grand opening, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh described Uphams Crossing as “a place that serves a compassionate, value-driven community. One of the great things about Boston,” he continued, “is it preserves its past and prepares for its future.” The project team couldn’t agree more.

For 45 years, the architecture, masterplanning and interior design firm, The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT), has been recognized for its thought leadership, diverse portfolio of acclaimed design solutions and creating lasting transformation in the communities they serve. The 90-person firm has earned more than 100 awards for design excellence across a broad range of building types and programs; including: new construction of large-scale urban mixed use developments, multifamily, commercial, waterfront and hospitality developments, assisted and senior living facilities, and community centers. TAT also holds a national reputation in the areas of historic preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse that has transformed neighborhoods across the United States, artfully restoring and reimagining neglected buildings for new uses while simultaneously preserving history.

Congratulations to TAT, USGBC MA Chapter Sponsor, on this wonderful project!

USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session T35: Under Construction – Local LEED v4 Case Studies

By USGBC MA


For the upcoming Fourth Annual MED|Ed Facilities Conference and Expo in Boston, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter will be sponsoring a number of sessions during the event's two days. One session is T35: Under Construction – Local LEED v4 Case Studies, a panel composed of Gary Brock of HMHF Architecs, Cynie Linton of SMMA, Sarah Michelman of The Green Engineer, and Richard Moore of Richard Moore Environmental Consulting.

More info:

Wondering if your projects will meet new and expanded LEED v4 prerequisites? Concerned about the challenges of the new Materials Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits?

A panel of local sustainable design experts will present a focused discussion of local recently completed and under construction LEED v4 projects including a medical office building, public school projects, and a college academic building. Discussion includes tips for achieving specific credits and a few challenges we encountered.

Tuesday, April 4th, 2:00pm

Learn more and register

Upcoming Breakfast Session: Acting on Our Mission Through Legislation 3/14

By USGBC MA


Policy plays an essential role in our daily lives: from the streets we walk on, to the buildings we work in and the hospitals that keep us healthy. We rely on policy to guide the evolution of the built environment to provide spaces for us to live and learn, but what can happen to our infrastructure during times of political change?

How can you as a citizen get involved? How can stakeholders facilitate effective change? Join our panel of policy experts to learn about the legislative process, green building coalition building, current legislative committee discussion and more!

Register here.

Panelists include:

  • Eric Wilkerson of ELM
  • Rep. Chris Walsh of Framingham
  • Rep Marjorie Decker of Cambridge
  • Moderated by Craig Foley

Tuesday, March 14th
8:30am-10:00am
50 Milk St, 15th Floor, Aristotle Room
Boston, MA, 02109

A Look Into the Building Tour of Northeastern University's New Engineering Building, the ISEC

By Jenna Dancewicz


Last night, 40 colleagues in the green building industry gathered to tour Northeastern University’s new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex. Members from the design team, Payette and Arup, Northeastern facilities, and Suffolk Construction lead the way to share and discuss the many sustainable features of the soon to be LEED Gold building.

The tour started in the atrium, pictured left. The building was designed to balance the high energy consumption by the high-end lab space and the low energy consumption of the office space. The building also contains a large auditorium, study spaces and a soon to be cafe.

The tour first brought us to the penthouse mechanical space. The building uses a cascade system to transfer air. The labs were designed with modular furnishing for the researcher to adapt the space as needed. The labs contain occupancy sensors with control lighting to fluctuate depending on occupant traffic and daylight.

One of the unique features of the building was its emergency ventilation system. During a fire, one full side of the building's windows swivel open along with the front doors on the other side to allow fresh air to travel from one side to the other, minimizing smoke build up.

The auditorium within the concrete wall is pictured to the right. A 30″ concrete wall separates the auditorium from the noisy Amtrak and MBTA station abutting the building. It was quiet in there! It is furnished with FSC certified, locally sourced wood panels to enhance the acoustics of the space. The auditorium sits on top of a plenum which supplies air to the space.

The USGBC- MA would like to thank Luke Troup for organizing, and Payette, Arup, Northeastern Facilities, and Suffolk Construction for leading the tour. Also, thank you to Suffolk Construction for sponsoring the event!

USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session T32: Getting to Zero: User Engagement in Achieving Net Zero Energy

By USGBC MA


For the upcoming Fourth Annual MED|Ed Facilities Conference and Expo in Boston, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter will be sponsoring a number of sessions during the event's two days. One session is T32: Getting to Zero: User Engagement in Achieving Net Zero Energy, as taught by Kate Bubriski of Arrowstreet, and Shannon Kaplan of In Posse.

More info:

Occupants play a significant role when it comes to building energy use. Join us for an exploration of how design teams can bring occupants into the conversation about energy and building usage to achieve net-zero energy. This session will discuss the steps of the user engagement process and case study projects including the proposed net-zero energy King Open and Cambridge Street Upper Schools & Community Complex in Cambridge, MA.

Tuesday, April 4th, 2:00pm

Learn more and register here.

Boston and The Coming Tide: To Build or Not to Build?

By Derek Newberry, Advocacy Fellow

What would you do if you knew 90,000+ Bostonians and nearly $80 billion in real estate and capital was threatened by sea level rise? Would you scoff at the possibility? Tell everyone to close up shop and run? Avoid investment in beachfront property? Or maybe, build a wall and adapt?

Well, that last one is just what the city of Boston is currently considering. In the December 2016 Climate Ready Boston Final Report, the city found that even with major reductions in emissions the chances of at least 21 inches of sea level rise is nearly certain by 2050 and 36 inches is highly likely by the end of the century. The study also found that there remains a 15% chance of 7.4 feet of sea level rise by 2070 if emissions were to stay at exactly today’s levels. Moreover, a January NOAA Technical Report increased the administration’s previous worst-case sea level rise scenario from 6.6 feet to 8.2 feet: not an encouraging update for a city that rests just 1 foot above mean sea level.


These graphs show the annual monetary losses for different scenarios and sectors contributing to the losses in the 36-inch scenario: from the Climate Ready Boston Final Report.

All scenarios would lead to more frequent flooding, more severe floods, and massive losses of land and capital. Estimated losses from the 36-inch scenario would amount to $1.4 billion in annual losses due to interruptions in business activities, destruction of infrastructure and private capital, costs of human relocation, losses in productivity, and much more. One can only imagine the costs of worst case scenarios.


These costs have spurred investment in feasibility studies for constructing a 4 mile, 20-foot tall sea wall from Winthrop to the Hull Peninsula. Other ideas include building a wall around Boston and Logan Airport, covering from Winthrop to Quincy, or building a shorter system of dikes between Deer Island and Telegraph Hill. These would be designed with hydraulic gates that could be closed during high tides and large storms and opened to permit shipping and trade vessels. The image here from the Boston Climate Report show where some of the walls might be located.

However, such a structure would cost billions and have severe ecological and environmental impacts throughout the harbor from species loss to water pollution and changing currents. It also begs the question, why are we willing to consider such a large adaptive measure without also discussing the issue at hand? If we spend billions to build a wall, we should also invest billions in renewable energies and net zero buildings. While the threat of sea level rise to the city and surrounding areas will most likely outweigh the the costs, preventative measures and sustainable, low carbon policies could greatly enhance the success of this project and reduce its ultimate cost.

It goes without saying that anthropogenic climate change has established a hazardous and costly future for Boston, the state, and coastal civilization in general. While the immediate options might seem clear, prepare and adapt to the coming changes or suffer the consequences, we must take a step back from the issue and understand how we got here and how to address the emission issues while adapting to the inevitable consequences. Maybe your decision, and the city's, should be to create a wall covered in wind turbines? Regardless, combining adaptation and mitigation strategies will lead to the most sustainable and prosperous future. 

If you are concerned over the future of Boston and its plans to combat climate change please read our climate adaptation and management page, go through the Climate Ready Boston Final Report, read this Boston Globe article, and contact your representative here. 

 

*Thumbnail, banner, and image are from the Climate Ready Boston Final Report

USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session T27: Fitwel, an Upcoming Health-Focused Rating System

By USGBC MA


For the upcoming Fourth Annual MED|Ed Facilities Conference and Expo in Boston, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter will be sponsoring a number of sessions during the event's two days. One session is T27: Fitwel, as taught by Blake Jackson of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates.

More info:

Health and well-being as an outcome of the built environment have become a major focus across all market sectors. Between 2015 and 2016, two standards were released to help provide guidance to designers to help usher in greater health in the built environment. The first was Delos’ WELL Building Standard, which looked and operated much like a hybrid rating system of LEEDv4 and the Living Building Challenge.

At the same time, the Center for Active Design, a New York City-based non-profit, was developing a simpler, more cost-effective option to WELL: Fitwel. Fitwel is a new standard, which will be ready for release to a general audience in early 2017, which like WELL, marries evidence-based approaches for health and wellbeing with design strategies to help designers and building owners realize these impacts in the built environment. Come learn about this new standard and alternative to WELL, as well as to see where Fitwel fits into a spectrum of possibility for health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

Tuesday, April 4th, 10:00am

Learn more and register here.