Being Fearless: Design Professionals to the Front Lines!

By Steven Burke, USGBC MA Treasurer

As part of the green building community in Massachusetts, I am happy to serve as the Co-Chair of the Boston Society of Architects Committee on the Environment (COTE). We held our regional leadership summit on June 1 & 2, 2016, at the BSA headquarters in Boston. Over 100 sustainability practitioners gathered to build their leadership capacity and connect to share their experiences in sustainable design and green building practice.

 

We have developed a retrospective video and white paper of the procedings available here.


Keynote speaker Paul Hawken challenged the community to embrace fearlessness.  The time for hoping and waiting for change is behind us, and we must take it upon ourselves as individuals and as a community of practitioners to follow through with bold thinking and bold actions.  As Paul demonstrated, and as we know, the solutions are here, today.  It is on us to see them into implementation.

 

One of the amazing things of having 100 sustainability practitioners come together from various sectors of the AEC industry and Owner / Developer spaces, is that for us, we have redefined what competition looks like.  We are all working towards the same goal of a net positive future.  We realize that to get there, we must disregard the traditional boundaries of competitiveness across companies or hierarchies of position and title, and enable each other to be the absolute best we can be.  For us, competition is directed inward, pushing ourselves to help drive our projects, our companies, our peers, and our communities to maximize our positive impact.

 

Thank you for joining us on this work. We look forward to the next COTE Leadership Summit in 2018, to be held in Burlington, Vermont.

Building Tech Forum – All-Star Panelists Roster

By Alexander Landa


Believe it or not, but the upcoming Building Tech Forum is less than three weeks away! Now that the Annual Meeting has wrapped up, the BTF is the next big event on the horizon, and we're planning to keep you informed with all things smart cities and building technology. We're super excited to be moderating a diverse panel session so you can hear from different industries about smart cities and what it means for sustainability.

we're full steam ahead to prepare for one of our biggest events of the year, and to keep you informed with all things smart cities and building technology. We're super excited to be moderating a diverse panel session so you can hear from different industries about smart cities and what it means for sustainability.

Panelists include:

Stay tuned for more news about our upcoming Building Tech Forum! We will be giving longer bios to each of these individuals in the near future. As a reminder, members get discounts to all events that we hold, so sign up now to get a cheaper BTF ticket, and join as a member of our community.

We're Number ONE!

By Rachel Gilbert, USGBC

U.S. Green Building Council Announces: 

Massachusetts is #1 State in the Nation for LEED Green Building in 2016

Washington, D.C. — (Jan. 25, 2017) — Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its national ranking of the top states in the country for LEED green building and Massachusetts is the first state in the nation for 2016. The annual list highlights states throughout the country that made significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation over the past year. 

 

This year, Massachusetts moved from third to first place with a total of 136 LEED-certified projects representing 3.73 gross square feet of certified space per resident. Massachusetts will host Greenbuild 2017, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green buildings, in Boston on Nov. 8-10, 2017.

 

“Massachusetts has been a phenomenal trailblazer in green building and LEED certifications and is leading the way toward a more sustainable future for generations to come,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “The success of LEED could not happen without support from states likes Massachusetts that believe in being environmentally and socially responsible and have committed to transforming the built environment. With each new LEED certification, we are lowering carbon emissions, creating a healthier environment, driving economic growth and prioritizing sustainable practices that will positively impact the way residents, communities and cities live, work and play.”

 

According to USGBC’s 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study, LEED construction is projected to support 155,000 total jobs in Massachusetts and have a total impact on GDP of $13.6 billion from 2015-2018. 

 

“Massachusetts has always been a fighter for what's right,” said Grey Lee, executive director, USGBC – Massachusetts Chapter. “High-performing LEED buildings are a clear demonstration of our real estate community's commitment to excellence. Our green building practitioners work hard every day to do what's right in our built environment. Together, we are ensuring net positive outcomes for the communities of our Commonwealth. I invite everyone to go ‘All In’ to celebrate these LEED achievements at Greenbuild Boston in November!”

 

Now in its seventh year, the ranking assesses the total square feet of LEED-certified space per resident based on U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified during 2016. The full ranking is as follows:


A few notable projects that certified in Massachusetts in 2016 include:  

Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the location of Greenbuild 2017; LEED Silver

Plains Elementary School in South Hadley; LEED Silver

101 Seaport at Seaport Square in Boston; LEED Platinum – Nice work Chapter Sponsor, Skanska!

 

Collectively, 1,819 commercial and institutional projects achieved LEED certification within the Top 10 States for LEED in 2016, representing 309.12 gross square feet of real estate. Across the United States, 3,366 projects were certified in 2016, representing 470.39 million square feet.

  

The LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of green buildings. More than 59,000 commercial, neighborhood and residential projects are currently LEED certified, comprising more than 6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 164 countries and territories globally.  

 

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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Are Students the Future of Smart Cities?

By Alexander Landa


It really shouldn't be a surprise when someone says something along the lines of “students are the future.” After all, students are continuously learning, at the forefront of innovation, and have plenty of ambition to make a name for themselves. To facilitative perpetual growth, some universities are working to ensure that more individuals enter the smart city field, starting by offering a number of classes, degrees, and certifications to make it all happen.

For example, the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh's public policy degree has concentrations in topics such as energy systems, environmental policy, and healthy policy. Speaking of Pittsburgh, the city was named a finalist in the 2016 Smart City Challenge.

Ohio State University received a massive grant from the US Department of Transportation not long ago, and is now offering one of the first data-analytics undergraduate degrees. Arizona State University's School of Sustainability now allows a student to focus on technology and society, meaning we can get ahead of the curve with smart city development and research.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center has a two-year progressional post-grad program to further a person's existing work in smart cities. Across the pond, University College London offers an entire Master's devoted to Smart Cities and Urban Analytics.

There aren't a lot of degree offerings yet, but we're getting there. Schools of engineering, architecture, sustainability, and technology are all taking notice of this emerging trend of smart cities, and it's only a matter of time until we see more degrees popping up.

Our upcoming Building Tech Forum will shine the spotlight on organizations and companies that are doing good work for smart cities, and who will surely lead us to the future! Register by Thursday 1/26 to ensure Early Bird pricing.

Shining Light On ReVision Energy- A Word From Our Sponsors

By USGBC MA


We're always incredibly proud of those we partner with, especially when we can see tangible proof of their devotion to sustainability. ReVision Energy recently released their stats from 2016, showcasing how much they did last year and the impact their efforts made.

Here's a rundown of some of the stats that really stood out:

  • 668 solar project installed, translating to 8 megawatts of solar energy
  • 2016's installations will result in 10,160,000 kilowatt of clean, renewable energy, every year, for 25+ years. That's a LOT of energy.
    • Because of this, 16,531 barrels of oil and 7,619,277 pounds of coal were offset; 6,759 acres of forest and 185,047 tree seedlings grown for 10 years were restored.
  • They designed an orchard, a brewery, 9 schools, 1 coffee shop, 5 battery systems, 22 electric car charging stations, and even 1 veterinary office. 

 

They also recently introduced a 100% Solar Household (image to the right) that will help individuals transition completely from fossil fuels to 100% clean solar energy.

If you have time, we totally recommend you learn more about ReVision and attend some of their events.

Listen to Thursday's Webinar on Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Capturing the Sun Roadmap

By Alexander Landa


This coming Thursday from 3:00pm-4:30pm, our friends over at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will be giving a presinar on their upcoming project “Capturing the Sun: A Roadmap for Navigating Data-Access Challenges and Auto-Populating Solar Home Sales Listings.”

From the event page:

There are now over one million homes in America with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.  Yet real estate listing services (known as multiple listing services or MLSs) lack a standard way to report on the solar features of a home when it is placed on the market.  Without this information, sellers may be losing out on value, and buyers may not know what they are getting, and real estate agents have a harder time bringing solar sellers and interested buyers together.

This new Roadmap from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) proposes a way to fill that gap.

The report, entitled “Capturing the Sun: A Roadmap for Navigating Data-Access Challenges and Auto-Populating Solar Home Sales Listings,” guides solar and real estate professionals through the key challenges and the best path forward to get solar data into MLSs. Experts from the real estate, appraisal, and solar data industries collaborated to write the report.

Join us as the authors present the findings from this new report.

Ben Hoen, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Laura Stukel, LW Reedy Real Estate
Sandra Adomatis, Adomatis Appraisal Service
Craig Foley, Sustainable Real Estate Consulting Services (and USGBC MA Chapter Member)
Laura Parsons, Center for Sustainable Energy

Register here.

We're excited to see such progress happening with solar panels – it's a huge, important step towards more net-zero buildings. Solar energy is going to be a game changed in the future of our cities as a whole, as demonstrated by smart cities. If you're not familiar with smart cities yet, attend our upcoming event Building Tech Forum to learn all about them!

Levi + Wong Designs Memory Care Center in Worcester

By Emily Kingston

After three years in the making, the Oasis at Dodge Park is ready to welcome those facing dementia or Alzheimer’s to a state-of-the art, $12 million facility that its co-owners believe is a home away from home for people with memory ailments.

Following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, local official and legislators including State Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester, Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., toured the 50-bed rest home at 102 Randolph Road – the site of the former Odd Fellows Home building.

Co-owners Ben Herlinger and Micha Shalev said they shared the vision of creating a facility that would provide people with memory ailments a safe place to live with dignity in a warm, relaxing environment.


They called on architect Ruth Neeman, of Levi & Wong Design Associates of Concord, which specializes in designing such facilities to design a space that is friendly and supportive for elders. Ms. Neeman said every detail counts when dealing with the elderly population including such design decisions as color contrast that can make the difference between seeing where they are going and what they are doing, for the visually impaired.

“Every decision makes a difference between residents thriving and struggling,” Ms. Neeman said at the ceremony. “The goal was to make a building feel like home, residential and comforting.”

The 34,000-square-foot facility has two grand sitting areas that include a grand piano and electric fireplace, as well as two dining areas, a library, spa, hair salon and two outdoor courtyards with heated cement floors so the snow melts, that make it feel more like a luxury hotel than a medical facility. There are only a handful residents living there currently, but at full capacity, Mr. Herlinger said, the facility will have 62 full-time employees.


Mayor Petty said that although the city went back and forth for a few months with Mr. Herlinger and Mr. Shalev, it was “well worth it.” He added that the city would support them with any future expansion.

“We’ll be there for you,” he said.

This post was adapted from the Worcester Telegram article “Oasis at Dodge Park provides memory care in Worcester

How a City Can Become a Smart City One Apartment at a Time

By Alexander Landa


The good news regarding smart cities is that like many other cities, they can form one building – or even one apartment – at a time. We don't need to demolish an entire city and start from the grid up just to future-proof our environment.

CNET is taking a unique approach to designing a smart city by starting with a smart apartment. Similar to their Smart Home, the smart apartment is a bit of a testing grounds for smart technology – a playpen of sorts for futuristic gadgets that play well with one another. All devices and technology they used in this design are available for the average Joe – so don't look at this pad and think to yourself “I can never afford this,” or “Is this even physically possible to install?”

Their ideas are rather simple, yet genius. They ditched the idea of smart light switches in favor of lamps, since lamps are much easier to control and can be used with their phones, like talking to Siri. For security, CNET installed a motion- and sound-detector that enables you to watch your apartment in real-time. 

They put a lot more into the apartment, but the big picture is how it connects to the city. The light bulbs used talk to the city of Louisville where it's located, by changing color based on the air quality in the city. Amazon's Alexa is pretty neat in that you can ask it for updates from the city (a daily report from the Mayor), or asking when the next garbage pickup date is.

Right now, this is still in the ver early stages of development. Though, it's already showing progress with residents from around the city all working towards pushing Louisville to the future.

Interested in learning more about smart cities? Attend our upcoming Building Tech Forum to see how the future of architecture and sustainability is changing.

Building Tech Forum 2017 Partner Announcement – Boston Properties

By Alexander Landa


We're pleased to announce that Boston Properties has become a Sponsoring Partner of the upcoming Building Tech Forum in February! It's exciting to be partnering with this awesome developer of office properties for another event, and can't wait to see them again in a few weeks!

Boston Properties has been a Chapter sponsor of ours for a while, now with the upcoming Building Tech Forum proving even more how devoted they are to sustainability and innovation. Last year, we were honored to have Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager of BXP, act as the keynote speaker for the event.

Always staying busy, BXP is making plenty of headlines in both the architecture and stock market spheres. Recently, they were tapped alongside The Bernstein Cos to build Marriott International Inc.'s new home near Washington D.C. 

Thank you again, Boston Properties! See you soon.

Environmental Legislation Co-Signing Fair

By Grey Lee, Executive Director

This morning, the USGBC MA joined with our colleagues in the environmental advocacy community to garner support for legislation which will advance our mission. The event is organized by the Environmental League of Massachusetts. At the opening of each legislative session, there is a period after the deadline for filing bills (which was this past Friday) and the assigning of bills to committees, during which legislators can demonstrate their interest to a bill by becoming a co-sponsor. The more co-sponsors a bill has, the “stronger” it is.


Many of our comrades attended, including the Climate Action Business Association, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, Sierra Club, Transportation For Massachusetts, Acadia Center, Audubon, Environment Massachusetts, and the Nature Conservancy.

It was great to meet up with legislators such as newly-elected Mike Connolly (of Somerville & Cambridge)(left, below, with nice pin on lapel). Mike was the instigator of the Citizens Petition for Net Zero Buildings in Cambridge – which has resulted in that city's new net zero building policy plan. We're going to be following Mike a lot in the coming months as he get used to his new role as a State Rep. Congrats again, Mike! 


Here we see Chapter Member, and all-star advocate staffer of Clean Water Action, Amanda Siebert, ready to meet legislators to pitch them on carbon pricing. This is one of our priorities and we have with joined her organization to be a part of the Clean Energy Future coalition in MA.


All in all, a great opportunity to see a lot of legislators in a short amount of time. Also good to see what our colleagues are up to and figure out ways we can help each other move forward with sustainability in Massachusetts.


If you're interested in becoming more engaged with advocacy, attend our next roundtable on February 9th.