Saugus Middle High School—First State-FundedLEED Platinum School in Massachusetts

Saugus Middle High School—First State-Funded
LEED Platinum School in Massachusetts

credit: HMFH ARCHITECTS/ ROBERT BENSON

The following post was provided by HMFH Architects.

September is here and school is back in session for middle and high school students all across Massachusetts. For students in the town of Saugus, it means setting foot in the new Saugus Middle High School, a 271,000 SF innovation and learning center for 1,360 students. The new school is the first state-funded school project in Massachusetts to achieve the coveted honor of LEEDSchools v4 Platinum-level certification. At the time of certification, it was one of only four Platinum LEED-Schools v4 projects worldwide. HMFH and our consultants worked together from the onset of the project with an original target of LEED Silver certification. Through a holistic sustainable design approach and the innovative work of the design team during the documentation portion of the LEED submission, LEED Gold was achieved and surpassed. This encouraged the team and owner to investigate if the project could achieve LEED Platinum without significantly impacting the budget. The result was a successful Platinum level of certification, much higher than originally assumed.

Key sustainability elements in the new school include the following:

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Saugus Middle High School uses a combined heating and power system known as tri-generation. Generating electricity on-site significantly reduces operational carbon emissions and eliminates emissions associated with regional source generation, while utilizing waste heat for space heating, domestic hot water heating, and space cooling. Continuously running generators improve resiliency by ensuring emergency systems will be operational when they are needed most.

WATER CONSERVATION: Three 30,000-gallon underground cisterns collect water for reuse while rain gardens throughout the school’s parking lots filter stormwater runoff from the site and mitigate heat island effects. Together with the use of low-flow fixtures, these measures reduce the building’s annual water consumption by 45 percent.

AIR QUALITY AND VENTILATION: Located less than 300 feet from a busy six-lane highway, the new facility responds to the challenge of providing optimal air quality with rooftop mechanical air handling units positioned with their intakes facing away from the highway and prevailing winds. This enables displacement ventilation systems to distribute clean air throughout the interior, bringing 20 percent more fresh air into the spaces at low velocity without the typical costs and acoustical distractions associated with conventional mechanical systems.

EQUITY: The new school represents a transformation of Saugus Public Schools to reflect the town’s vision for innovative, equitable facilities. Creating a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment for all was critical to the success of the design. All gender toilet facilities are conveniently located and used by faculty and students alike. Special education spaces feature tunable LED fixtures, giving teachers the flexibility to adjust light intensity and color temperature to help modulate behavior and respond to light sensitivity. A special classroom on the third floor provides a designated space for medically fragile community members with exceptional views and access to a rooftop classroom.

Saugus Middle High School stands as a visible commitment to assuring the next generation of students will be stewards of both their community and their environment.

Building Tech Forum: Introducing Mass Save Programs

Building Tech Forum: Introducing Mass Save Programs

On Thursday July 7th, the 2022 BE+ Building Tech Forum brought together over 120 attendees and 22 presenters in an exciting night highlighting the cutting-edge products and ideas of the green building industry. Lively presentations covered products, materials, and services that will significantly cut back on carbon emissions in innovative ways, altering the future industry standards. This blog series will provide a recap of the forum to all that were unable to attend. Part one introduces two of our educational track leaders, Eversource and National Grid.

Many thanks to our event sponsors and track leaders, Denise Rouleau of National Grid and Kim Cullinane of Eversource, who opened the evening with an inspiring talk about the future of green building in Massachusetts. Eversource and National Grid, along with other program administrators in Massachusetts, are Sponsors of Mass Save and share the common goal of helping residents and businesses across Massachusetts save money and energy, leading our state to a clean and energy efficient future. Mass Save programs and services are managed and delivered by electric and gas utilities and energy efficiency service providers (working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources), providing the energy expertise to help save customers money and energy. The funding is supported by a charge on customers’ energy bills.

The Sponsors of Mass Save, including National Grid and Eversource, are paving the way towards an efficient and equitable green future. Through electrification, workforce development, and equity, National Grid, Eversource, and the other Sponsors of Mass Save have created the Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan that will provide roughly $13 billion in benefits to the Commonwealth and maintain Massachusetts as a top-ranked state for energy efficiency. The plan assigns a social cost of carbon for assessing both climate impacts and the value of mitigation.

With three New Building and Major Renovation Participation Pathways, the Mass Save Sponsors are providing customers opportunities to save energy and pursue Zero Net Energy, Zero Net Energy Ready, or Passive House options. Further, the Mass Save Sponsors are providing heat pump incentives, demand response, and EV charging options. The Mass Save Sponsors can provide customers with energy analysis to determine cost savings, guidance from leaders in the field, and incentive dollars paid at the end of construction/installation.

We are grateful for the continued partnership of National Grid and Eversource, as energy efficiency leaders, as event sponsors, and as long-time Company Members of Built Environment Plus.

Eversource National Grid Proud Sponsors of Mass Save
Health & Wellness Roundtable takes on Affordable Housing

Health & Wellness Roundtable takes on Affordable Housing

BE+ is happy to start blogging about some of our ongoing community roundtables with the help of our summer interns. Thank you to Lynn Sleiman for this blog entry on the Health & Wellness Community’s recent roundtable on affordable housing.

The July Health & Wellness roundtable examined the intersection of healthy buildings and affordable housing. Stephanie Horowitz, Managing Director of ZeroEnergy Design, started the discussion and emphasized the importance of focusing on the design of homes, energy performance, and indoor air quality. Easy material changes like avoiding vinyl were mentioned. Mary Ayala, Senior Program Director at Enterprise elaborated on a sustainable building standard, the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria. She explained that its goal is to increase the housing supply, advance racial equity and build resilience and upward mobility. Additionally, the Health Action Plan (HAP) was mentioned as a program that promotes healthy lifestyle behavior, and offers designers a decision-making process for coordinating wellbeing in the design.

Clara Fraden, Director of Planning & Development at the City of Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) mentioned her current work on renovation projects that have cut carbon emissions by half. The Climate Action Plan describes how Cambridge will reduce emissions across the entire city to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The Frank J. Manning Apartments is an example of their work – a partnership with Boston Medical Center and Cambridge Health Alliance for onsite nursing and community wellness that joins into healthcare frameworks. The integrated plan permitted the property to be certified as part of the Enterprise Green Communities program. In total, the project has reduced energy usage by 60%, with over $350,000 in annual operating savings. 

Elana Brochin, Massachusetts Association of Community Development corporations (MACDC) Program Director for Health Equity, brought up the current growth of financial opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals. That led to the question: What is being done to improve low-income ownership? Are there other mechanisms outside of housing ownership that can provide more stable and reliable multi-generational wealth? These questions guided the conversation as participants emphasized the importance of challenging the mechanism and helping people. The family self-sufficiency program was discussed as a conceivable arrangement for the issue of housing ownership. It advocates for the development of local strategies to facilitate public and private assets that offer assistance to housing choice voucher program participants, and public housing tenants to obtain employment that will enable participating families to attain financial independence. The Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), provides a long-term improvement in the lives of low-income families by offering both occupants- and project-based rental subsidies.

Finally, the conversation shifted to the limitation of the green and affordable housing industries in terms of project budgets, timelines, and housing ownership. They concluded the meeting with an emphasis on the impact that we can have on the industry: “There is always an opportunity to have a positive influence, and space to improve practice.”

Welcome Summer 2022 Interns!

Join us in welcoming our Summer 2022 interns Lynn Sleiman, Cate Byrne, and Claire Randolph! They have already hit the ground running and are making huge strides advancing our mission to drive the sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operation of the built environment. We know the BE+ community will benefit from their inspired work, and we hope you can wish them a warm welcome! We are eager to see the impact they make throughout the summer, as they apply their skills, passions, talents and dedication to the big challenges confronting us all.

We are so grateful to have them on board!

Lynn Sleiman

Lynn Sleiman

Hello! My name is Lynn Sleiman and I am a summer intern at BE+. I am an international student from Lebanon, majoring in Architectural Studies at Mount Holyoke College. My main aim is to focus on the environmental impact that my designs have. By emphasizing green technologies, architects can improve living conditions and the comfort of clients. Reducing the impact of human beings on the environment is one of the fundamental characteristics of my work because the management of energy production and consumption can have a major impact on the health and well-being of people. My second goal is to find ways to redefine design and architecture as a form of empowerment for marginalized communities around the world to act as an important pillar of global equality. I aim to reclaim spaces and focus on equity, inclusion, diversity, and identity, to reconstruct the power dynamics of our society. Through my internship at BE+,  I hope to learn more about the various innovations supporting the green building industry as well as enhance my knowledge of sustainable practices.

Cate Byrne

I am excited to join the BE+ team this summer, and to learn as much as I can about sustainability within the built environment! This past May, I earned a bachelor’s in Contemporary Improvisation and a minor in Environmental Science from New England Conservatory. I am looking forward to continuing my education in the fall at Bard College, where I will be pursuing a masters in Climate Science and Policy. During my time with BE+, I will be assisting with our education initiatives. Education is an important tool to advocate for healthy built environments and environmental justice, and it is so exciting to see all the trainings and events BE+ offers. I am grateful to be working with and learning from this wonderful community!

Cate Byrne
Claire Randolph

Claire Randolph

Hi all! My name is Claire and I am so excited to be working with the BE+ team this summer as an intern. I am entering my fourth year at Northeastern University where I am studying Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Sustainability and Environmental Science. I am looking forward to learning more about what it means to work in sustainability and green building, as I hope to pursue a career in the environmental field after I graduate in 2024. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to meet green building professionals through my work this summer and communicate Built Environment Plus’ message with the greater Boston community.

Announcing YOUR new Education Director, Allison Zuchman

Announcing YOUR new Education Director, Allison Zuchman

BE+ is thrilled to announce this game-changing addition to our growing team, and if you don’t already know her—all you have to do is read her powerful introduction letter to see why. Welcome Allison!!!

I am excited to share that I have joined Built Environment Plus (BE+) as the new Education Director. I am responsible for managing all things education at BE+ including virtual and in-person trainings, strategic educational events, and the Workforce Training Fund General Program and Express Program. Keep your eye out too for new educational offerings, comprehensive training and certificate programs, and the next evolution of the Green Building Leadership Institute.

I am not sure about you but the past two years have left me exhausted and wondering what is next. Wondering what the world will look like post-pandemic. Wondering how we will navigate the changes in our personal and professional lives that have resulted from a world turned upside-down. Wondering how our lives and work will evolve in the future. One thing we cannot deny is that health and wellness, sustainability, and social equity and justice are rightfully no longer on the fringes. This is a time of great opportunity for us in the sustainability and building sector. Just do a web search for ‘sustainability jobs’ to see how much of what we do is in demand. How we design, build, and occupy our buildings, landscapes, and communities is in the forefront. How we do our work and how we work together is just as important as what we create.

What this means for me in my new role as Education Director is that I can use all that I know and all I have learned working for the past 17 years as a sustainability consultant, and prior to that as a designer and architect, to make an even greater positive impact in our field and in the world. I am proud of the strategic, forward thinking, environmentally and socially responsible work I have done to date including all the projects I have worked on with many of you. I have helped organizations develop sustainability initiatives and internal corporate practices, trained staff and team members, led multi-disciplinary teams to earn green building certifications on projects, and sorted through all the green building requirements and national, state, and local energy and sustainable development codes and regulations. In the past, I was a member of the USGBC Education Development & Training Committee, consulted on a USGBC board working group to assist in developing LEED rating system language, and was a GBCI Certification Reviewer.

I first began my involvement with the BE+ community in 2008 while it was the local USGBC Affiliate as part of the Green Roundtable, then as the Massachusetts Membership Forum, then as the US Green Building Council MA Chapter and ultimately as Built Environment Plus. Since then, I have attended events and trainings, taught courses, volunteered on the green building tour committee for Greenbuild Boston, and most recently volunteered as the chair for the BE+ Women in Green Roundtable.

Above all else, I am proud of and value the relationships I have in our community with colleagues, project teams, and organizations I have worked with. I look forward to continuing the trajectory of my past work while building new relationships with those of you I have yet to work with. I see great new opportunities for us to further advance sustainability in the built environment.

What this means for you is that you now have an Education Director. I can help you enhance your current employee training program, or if you don’t currently have a staff member managing education for your company, I can help you figure out your training needs and devise a training plan. We can choose individual courses for your staff or we can plan a curriculum over an extended period of time. You may not realize the breadth of courses that BE+ offers. As expected, for a green building organization, we offer technical courses covering topics such as energy codes, decarbonization, healthy materials, building science fundamentals, LEED, WELL, and Passive House. BE+ also offers software courses, and leadership, team building, and change management courses. In most cases, we can connect you to state funding that covers between 50% – 100% of the course cost for your Massachusetts employees.

Want to learn more? Check out the BE+ website for an updated course training catalog and a list of current courses open for registration, and for information on the grant programs. Attend our monthly roundtables to explore specific issues and topic areas. 

We are working on a BE+ monthly education newsletter as a simple resource to keep you updated on available courses, instructors, partners, and funding. If you are interested in being added to the upcoming education newsletter, sign up here.

Keep in touch. Reach out to me and the BE+ team with any questions you have. In this exciting, hopeful, thought-provoking world, let’s keep learning, supporting, and inspiring each other. Knowing you all are here working together doing this important and challenging work motivates me.

 

Allison Zuchman
Education Director
Built Environment Plus

Announcing the 2022 Sustainability Scavenger Hunt Winners!

Announcing the 2022 Sustainability Scavenger Hunt Winners!

Just WOW!

We were blown away by all of the incredible mission submissions for our 2022 Sustainability Scavenger Hunt that poured in from Earth Day to Mother(Earth)’s Day. It was electric, and the submissions ranged from educational to iconic. Of the 26 participating teams, six teams completed all available missions, but three teams stood out above the rest with exemplary submissions.

17 days - 1673 submissions

Huge congratulations to the first place winner, the EMigrants, made up of Mehdi, Noushin, Elvi and Tom from Scavenger Hunt sponsor Elkus Manfredi. They truly poured themselves into this year’s hunt, and if you don’t believe us, just watch their Turbine Tumble entry (and try not to smile). All four teammates were together in almost every single submission.

It was a blast presenting the awards and prizes at the May 12th Celebration at The Anchor in Charlestown. We honored the top 3 teams, along with prizes for Top Submission, BE+ Staff Favorite, Top Individual, Community Impact, and more. 

Here is the full list of winners:

Top Team: EMigrants

Second Place Team: DrawDowners

Third Place Team: The scAvengers

Top Submission: The Navigators

for their original poem for Peace Out PFAS mission

PFAS Forever Chemicals

 

Rain rolls off my jacket

Eggs slide off the pan

Stains glide off the carpet

This versatile invention of man.

 

Ubiquitous in everything

Animals, land, and sea

Tainted blood and water

Deep in the cells of me.

 

Passed down through generations

Pollution like cancer grows

Will we ever learn our lesson

Or is this the future we chose?

                             -The Navigators

Top Individual: Juhi Goel, The scAvengers

for her original PFAS poem, The Poison of PFAS 

BE+ Staff Favorite: The Wayfinders for this
20-second rendition of Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain
 

Crowd Favorite: Queen V & Triple Aces for their

reclaimed instruments and original Red List tune

Community Impact: NUSBO’s ohWELL

for volunteering at Fresh Truck in Brookline.

ohWELL - Community Impact

Sponsored Awards

Bluebikes’ Shades of Blue mission: EMigrants

Shades of Blue, 150 Points
Bluebikes offers 4,000+ bicycles around the Greater Boston area to help residents access healthier and more sustainable modes of transportation. Support this accomplishment by uploading a photo of a team member wearing as many different items of blue clothing that you can find while standing next to a Bluebike or any blue colored bicycle, if you are outside of Greater Boston.

Members of the winning team each received a free one-year membership to Bluebikes!

Shades of Blue - EMigrants

BuildingEase’s Instruments of Change mission: EMigrants

Building Ease: Instruments of Change, 200 Points 
BuildingEase makes it easy to do the right thing with building products! The platform is free for design teams to research, track, manage, and procure building materials, including ones that are salvaged, repurposed, and recycled. Using materials found around your office, you (and colleagues) creatively repurpose the next few things you consider throwing away by making them into instruments. Next, create a short song about sustainable building products and upload a 30 second video of you (or your group) jamming out. https://buildingease.com/

The EMigrants team took home the BuildingEase Instruments of Change award with this multi-lingual submission to the 2022 BE+ Sustainability Scavenger Hunt. Mehdi says using Adobe and renewable products instead of concrete. Elvi says using clay for tiles and fast growing forests timber.

The winning team each received a waterproof portable solar battery charger. 

Thank you to our Event Sponsors!

Elkus Manfredi

Thank you to our Mission Sponsors!

Elkus Manfredi

Thank you to our generous Prize Donors!

New England Home Furniture Consignment
Lil Bucks

Thank you to our Promotional Partners!

Elkus Manfredi
Elkus Manfredi

We had so much fun with this year’s Scavenger Hunt that we already know we’re doing it all over again next year! Stay tuned to the event page for details on our 3rd annual Sustainability Scavenger Hunt as they unfold. If you’re interested in sponsoring or participating, reach out to eli@builtenvironmentplus.org.

BE+ partnering with MassCEC to diversify clean energy workforce in Massachusetts.

BE+ partnering with MassCEC to diversify clean energy workforce in Massachusetts.

Targeted College Internship Program | MassCEC

Built Environment Plus is recruiting students and employers to participate in MassCEC’s Targeted Internship Program (TIP). The program’s goal is to increase diversity within the Commonwealth’s clean energy workforce and create career pathways for Massachusetts college and clean energy certificate students that lead to greater economic stability. 

Students of color selected for the Targeted program will be mentored and guided by a MassCEC approved Training Provider. Students will also be required to attend career preparedness workshops facilitated by the training provider. Training providers will recruit students from the MassCEC College Internship Database and seek clean energy employers to place students for the Summer 2022 session. This program has funding for 60 students.

 

INTERNS:

Check out our full job posting or visit the MassCEC internship program page for more information including dates and compensation. Please email your resume and any other application materials to ryan@builtenvironmentplus.org to help us connect you with qualified employers. Any specific internship questions can be sent to internships@masscec.com. Students should apply by May 2.

 

EMPLOYERS:

If you would like to be part of the Targeted College Internship Program as an employer, let us know by completing this short survey and emailing ryan@builtenvironmentplus.org with your interest and any questions. We will provide additional enrollment steps. BE+ will then help facilitate intern placement with our student applicant pool. Employers should express interest by May 2 to ensure time to match students.

Massachusetts is Definitely Ready for Net Zero

Massachusetts is Definitely Ready for Net Zero

New Report Finds 130% Increase in Known Net Zero and Net Zero Ready Buildings in MA in One Year.

As Massachusetts leaders wrestle with a new opt-in building energy code advancing energy efficiency for new construction projects, a new report by Built Environment Plus (BE+)  highlights exponential growth of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building projects across the Commonwealth.

Continued data collection from the Massachusetts building community showed the total known square footage of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects in the Commonwealth has reached 16.5 million GSF, an increase of 130% in just one year.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see this transformation of the building sector really take shape,” said Meredith Elbaum, Executive Director of BE+. “Like it or not, Massachusetts is clearly ready for net zero building and no one is waiting for permission to make this shift happen. At this point, it’s a win-win-win for people, the planet, and the bottom-line.”

Highlights from the updated report include:

  • The Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock exceeds 16.5 million square feet and is growing at an exponential rate in the Commonwealth today.
  • Of the 4 million GSF with reported cost data, 85% reported <1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready.
  • Affordable housing, Multifamily housing, K-12 Schools, and Labs & Tech are leading the way, employing heat pumps and on-site renewables to reach their net zero targets.
  • Affordable Housing makes up 78% of all residential Net Zero and Net Zero Ready square footage, up from 54% in March 2021.
  • Net Zero Ready buildings are highly energy efficient: 90% are at least 35% more efficient than the current stretch code baseline (up from 82% in March, 2021 with 26% more projects reporting energy data). All rely on heat pumps as the primary source of heat. Net Zero buildings also procure on-site and/or off-site renewable energy to offset 100% of consumption on a net annual basis.
  • The list of companies working on these net zero projects has grown substantially in the past year, with a 135% increase to 313 companies working to make net zero buildings the standard in MA.

Download the report or visit our Road to Net Zero page.

2022 Annual General Meeting Recap + New Board of Directors

Celebrating Community Achievements

BE+ members gathered virtually January 27th for our 14th Annual General Meeting, and just our second as Built Environment Plus. While we look forward to in-person gatherings in the future, it was great to see new and familiar faces and collaborative participation through Zoom and Miro.

We looked back on a remarkable year, got a sneak peak of the 2021 Annual Report, and plunged forward on bringing the 2021 strategic plan to life in 2022. We also announced the results of our 2022 Board of Directors election.

Miro Snapshot of 2022 AGM
BE+ Strategic Planning 2021

Congratulations to our 2021 Award Winners

Company of the Year: The Green Engineer

Net Zero Hero:  Michelle Lambert

Living Building Champion: Melissa Mattes

Member of the Year: Patrick McCarthy

Health and Wellness Champion:  Connie Wijaranakula

BE+ Community Leader: Allison Zuchman

Emerging Professional of the Year: Shyla Davis

Thank You to Our Departing BE+ Board Members

Trees to be planted in their honor.

We were very excited to announce the Barbra BatShalom Scholarship to honor Barbra’s stalwart leadership. The scholarship will provide equitable access to BE+ programming for a community member who embodies Barbra’s visionary impulse.

 

Returning Board Members

Welcome New BE+ Board Members

They join the continuing directors Randa Ghattas, Rebecca Hatchadorian, Heather Henriksen, Michael Fiorillo, Kristen Fritsch, Julie Janiski, Brad Mahoney, Galen Nelson, Rebecca Schofield, Jana Silsby, Jim Stanislaski, and Jenn Taranto.

Accelerating Change in the Built Environment, Together

As usual, we are blown away by the talent, passion, vision, and commitment of the BE+ community to reshape the built environment so that it truly serves us. It’s important for us to take stock of how far the green building community has come as we strategically consider our evolving role in advancing the triple bottom line of sustainability in the built environment. We look forward to working with our 2022 Board of Directors, our mighty community of practitioners, emerging leaders in the field, and a growing ecosystem of stakeholders seeking win-win-win collaboration.

If you’re just as inspired to plug into an exciting new year, jump into the meeting’s Miro board below!  

Welcome Spring 2022 Interns!

Join us in welcoming our Spring 2022 interns Spencer Gorman and Gwynn Klumpenaar! We are thrilled to have them on board for the spring semester to strengthen the BE+ community and advance our mission to drive the sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operation of the built environment. They’re bringing exciting interests, passions, and skills to the table, and we can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.

We are so grateful to have them, and wish them a warm welcome to this community!

Spencer Gorma

Spencer Gorman

I am looking forward to joining the BE+ team this spring and am thrilled about the opportunity to serve the Massachusetts green building community. I am currently pursuing an Environmental Policy & Planning MS degree from Tufts University where I have become passionate about the role of the built environment in promoting sustainability and equity. I have specialized in green design during the program, and I am especially intrigued by the relationship between passive design measures and energy efficiency. This spring, I am excited to be on the cutting edge of the green building transformation with BE+ and am eager to contribute to further sharing of knowledge and expansion of sustainable building practices within and outside the community.

Gwynn Klumpenaar

Hello! My name is Gwynn and I am eager to work with the BE+ team to help them drive their mission of making meaningful improvements to the sustainability of our built environment. I am entering my last semester at UMass Amherst, where I will earn a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Sustainable Community Development. I am particularly interested in improving the quality of life in cities and surrounding suburbs through increased access to and abundance of green infrastructure, regenerative design, and healthy food networks. I plan to pursue a Master’s degree in the near future in a sustainability related field and I am extremely hopeful that my time spent working with the BE+ team will better prepare me to promote sustainable building practices in my career. 

Gwynn Klumpenaar