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.

March 2017 Monthly Newsletter

By Grey Lee


See the full newsletter here!

Massachusetts keeps breaking records and climbing to the top in not just green building, but health, education, and economy. We recently reported that MA was #1 for LEED Green Building, and now in a report by US News, we're the #1 state overall.

We all benefit from a civic-minded and engaged population. Our traditions of local Town Meetings, widespread elected offices and community boards have ensured our local and state policies are responsive and useful. Things like energy policy, building codes and training programs are places where our organization overlaps with the broader public policy realm. I hope you'll join us as we continue to make headway on our advocacy agenda – our roundtable is next week (3/9/17).

The USGBC is making serious headlines. Read USGBC CEO Mahesh Ramanujam's message that was featured in the New York Times.

A couple of weeks ago we held our annual Building Tech Forum – did you see our recap? Thanks again to Union Point, Boston Properties, Siemens, and Fraunhofer for sponsoring, to all of our speakers and presenters, and to all who attended! Read the recap and see pictures here.

We're going to be at NESEA's BuildingEnergy Boston Conference + Tradeshow next week – hope to see you there. After that, we're sponsoring a bunch of sessions at MED|Ed early April. Green building never takes a break!

Save the date for March 30th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm, at a location TBD in Boston for our next Greenbuild networking night. Find out how you and your organization can go all-in with us on our Road to Greenbuild in November. This will be a Chapter members only event, so become one now if you aren't already.

If you're looking for a good event tonight, we have a building tour of NEU's Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, guided by Payette and sponsored by Suffolk Construction.

Hope to see you soon at one of our events!

See the full newsletter here!

USGBC MA Sponsored MED|Ed Session T24: In a v4 Materials Quandary? Solutions Through Collaboration

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 T24: In a Materials Quandary? Solutions Through Collaboration, taught by Steven Burke of SMMA, Lisa Goodwin Robbins of Kalin Associates, Carrie Havey of The Green Engineer, and Conor McGuire of Columbia Construction.

More info:

A diverse panel of experts in sustainable design will share their adventures in navigating specification writing and meeting the contractor's documentation requirements for LEED v4 compliance with the Materials and Resources Building Product Disclosure and Optimization credits and the Low-Emitting materials credit categories.

Tuesday, April 4th, 10:00am

Learn more and register here.

Massachusetts is the #1 State – and Not Just in Green Building

By Grey Lee, Executive Director


Massachusetts continues to raise the bar for what it means to be not just #1 in LEED Green Building, but a state as a whole. In a report by U.S. News & World Report, Massachusetts has been ranked the #1 overall state, largely in part to the triumphs of education, health care, and economy. Coming in first place, Massachusetts continues to lead and succeed across sectors, delivering a higher quality of life to all our residents.

This is a testament to the ambition, drive, and leadership of countless individuals across the state who will settle for nothing less than being #1. It's thanks to everyone that we're excelling in so many facets of what it means to be a healthy and effective community, and we can keep the momentum moving forward.

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Massachusetts is #1 for energy efficiency. We have been #1 for six years! Link: http://database.aceee.org/state/massachusetts.

Measures to increase energy efficiency have led to reduced costs to businesses and families, less money leaving our economy to bring energy to us, and improved environmental quality. USGBC MA has participated in this by championing building certifications, energy benchmarking, and accessible financing for building improvements.

And again: we are #1 for green building certifications. The USGBC recently recognized Massachusetts as the top achiever of LEED in 2016 – more space was certified, per capita, in the Commonwealth, than any other state in the union. This was a total of over 24M s.f. of certified space! Link: https://usgbcma.org/blog/were-number-one.

Our mission now is to see net-positive results in all of our communities through creating better buildings. We appreciate everything our community does, and we're excited to work even harder to ensure we're #1 for years to come.

 

Breakfast Session on LEEDv4 Integrative Process Tomorrow 3/1

By USGBC MA


Tomorrow morning, March 1st, we will be holding a morning education session on LEEDv4 Integrative Process, with guest speaker Peter Gorer.

Register here.

This session introduces integrative dynamics tools that green building stakeholders – owners, users, designers, builders – can use to strengthen collaborations and stimulate creativity.

Whether key stakeholders are focused on the design, delivery or operation of high performance green buildings, a common theme is that there is need to navigate peer-to-peer relationships effectively and address situations with few single right answers.

In promoting greater team collaboration, the LEEDv4 Integrative Process (IP) Credit focuses attention on important considerations such as the assembly of an integrated core project team, early systems modeling, the development of OPR statements, and design charrettes. However, these are only some of the necessary steps toward the transformation of traditional distributive practices into meaningful integrative relationships. There is also an urgent need to increase the strength and resilience of collaborative initiatives day-to-day.

Using commonly-encountered scenarios, participants will discover that discord doesn’t have to mean failure, but could be a signal for hidden opportunity. We will explore situations where small changes could lead to big gains; and attendees will discover tools that can help them prepare for negotiations more efficiently.

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017
50 Milk St, 18th Floor, Hemingway Room
Boston, MA, 02109

The Building Tour of NEU's Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex is this Wednesday

By USGBC MA


We're just two days away from our next tour – this time around it's Northeastern University's Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Building, with a tour given by Payette.

Register here.

The new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) on Northeastern University's campus has integration at the heart of its design. The building and the surrounding landscape promote a sense of fluidity and connectivity, from the iconic sun shading finned facade to the spiraling steel staircase in the center of the six-story atrium. The motivation behind the ISEC's design is “enabling the fortuitous collisions, conversations, and collaborations that break down disciplinary divides” and there is still more to come, with an arching bridge spanning over the MBTA tracks connecting the ISEC to the main campus.

Not only does it look good, but the 220,000 sf complex saves 50% of the energy a baseline building uses, 40% water reduction and 75% of the construction waste was diverted to the landfills.
There's something unique around every curve!

The tour will highlight mechanical and design systems which contribute to the high-performance building attributes.

Networking happens during the tour and after the tour as most groups converge for a quick bite or drink after the conclusion of the 90 min tour.

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017
6:00pm – 7:30pm
ISEC Building
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA, 02115