HUD supporting Green Building with insurance rate reductions

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow


Julian Castro, the Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced a measure last week to support green and affordable housing. Federal Housing Administration annual insurance rates for energy efficient green housing will be given a 20-45 point reduction.  Also announced were insurance rate reductions for affordable housing units.  HUD cited numerous studies showing decline in home ownership and income, and an increase in the home rental market. This is another important victory in promoting energy efficient building design!

You can read the original news story here.

 

Down with waste!

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

Reducing the waste generated across the Group’s operations is a priority for ASSA ABLOY. Recently fifteen factories within the EMEA region were certified as Zero Waste to Landfill, independently verified by the Carbon Trust. 

“Avoiding landfill is an important first step for businesses wanting to deal more effectively with waste;” says Darran Messem, Managing Director for Carbon Trust.
“Achieving this for all waste arising is not easy, especially for a manufacturing business. ASSA ABLOY deserves to be congratulated for successfully achieving zero-waste-to-landfill in fifteen sites across Europe.”

The verification process involved physical audits at the Portobello site in the UK and the Abloy site in Joensuu, Finland, with 13 remote audits for the remaining sites across Europe.

ASSA ABLOY has been reporting sustainability data on a quarterly basis since 2013 according to GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) guidelines, which allowed the Carbon Trust to audit the company’s data seamlessly. The Carbon Trust was chosen to certify ASSA ABLOY sites, as an internationally recognized NGO, giving credibility and integrity to the zero waste claims.

There are many ways to reduce waste and also benefits to be gained by avoiding landfill, says Matt Daly, business improvement and sustainability manager at ASSA ABLOY UK. “When we split our waste into different categories, we can analyze why it is generated in the first place. This enables us to identify ways to minimize our waste wherever possible.”

Understanding waste better helps eliminate the cost of generating waste in the first place, while also identifying potential revenue streams when waste doesn't go to landfill.

“All waste is a potential raw material for somebody,” says Charles Robinson, sustainability manager EMEA.“In EMEA we are seeing increasing examples of organizations willing to pay for our waste. Traditionally this was metal only, but now we see examples of generating revenue from cardboard, paper, wood, electronics and even some hazardous waste. In the future landfill waste won’t be an option and working towards a circular economy will be the norm.”

The 15 certified sites are located in UK, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Read more about ASSA ABLOY's sustainability work here or visit our blog.

Final LEED Inspection at Veterans Transitional Housing Project

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

The Center for EcoTechnology’s New Construction team works with contractors to offer LEED Certification for
residential buildings.A recent inspection took place at a veteran women’s four-unit project in Leeds, Massachusetts by CET’s Building Science Specialist, Mark Newey. The building project is funded by Soldier On, a private, non-profit organization which attempts to end veteran homelessness. Soldier On funds housing complexes, medical services, and programs that provide veterans with treatment and recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. This specific project, which will house 16 residents upon completion, is currently ENERGY STAR rated and LEED for Homes registered with the goal of becoming certified.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and was developed by the US Green Building Council. This green building rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED Certification attempts to ensure that energy efficiency and environmental impact are taken into account during the building process, and to encourage builders to adopt more sustainable building methods. There have been several versions of the certification over time, the most recent of which is LEED v4 for residential buildings.

LEED takes a big-picture look at what makes a building sustainable. To determine if the unit meets LEED requirements, Mark inspects the property by observing and inspecting indoor and outdoor features such as lighting and water fixtures. The inspection process also includes a blower door test to observe the air-tightness of the building and any potential air leakage sites. There are eight sections of the LEED project checklist including: sustainable site selection, landscaping, water efficiency, optimizing energy performance, materials used, energy efficiency, and education of both homeowner and building manager.

As a building meets more of these requirements, it gains more points, which qualifies it for a higher LEED certification level. Depending on the amount of points a particular building scores, it can be IMG_1005certified as either LEED silver, gold or platinum. There are some pre-requisites that all buildings must fulfill for LEED points, but contractors obtain the remaining points by picking and choosing from a long list of green features. This particular project gains a portion of points by incorporating drought tolerant plants. The builders also plan to keep most of the property wooded to provide water permeability. By requiring
such a wide range of sustainability measures, LEED encourages a new way of thinking about building that incorporates environmental considerations every step of the way, from design to construction to maintenance. It also expands the idea of sustainability to be more holistic by including human health, awareness and education as necessary aspects of certification. By choosing to follow LEED requirements while constructing this 4-unit women’s veteran building, residents and owners will reduce water and energy consumption and improve the indoor air quality.

 

 

Another HLS Renovation Receives LEED Gold certification

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

Harvard Law School’s 2016 renovation of Pound Hall’s second floor has received LEED Gold certification from
the U.S. Green Building Council, marking the seventh certification for HLS.

“The renovation to this space has drastically improved not only the aesthetics but also the efficiency and comfort of the second floor,” says the Center on the Legal Profession’s Program Coordinator Nathan Cleveland. “Working in an environment with ample natural light and high quality ventilation makes a difference in both the productivity and mood of the office.”

The intent behind the approximately 9,900 square foot renovation was to design office and classroom space for the Law School’s Executive Education Program and Center on the Legal Profession, and improve the comfort and efficiency of pre-renovation program space.

Connecting back to recent Harvard-led research on the linkage between indoor office environments, CO2 levels, and cognitive function, a priority for the project team was to create a healthy indoor space, using an energy-efficient ventilation strategy. Demand control ventilation uses monitors to accurately measure CO2 levels, and regulates the amount of outside air provided to spaces based on those levels. This goes above and beyond code requirements, while helping to reduce unnecessary heating and cooling of incoming air when not required.

Additionally, the selection of low chemical-emitting construction and finish materials was an important driving force in the design phase.

The project team also focused on automating the lighting, heating, and cooling in conference rooms and classrooms in order to maximize energy savings. With 98 percent of the lighting load tied to occupancy sensors, the project is expected to use 32 percent less lighting power.

Read the full case study at http://www.energyandfacilities.harvard.edu/green-building-resource/leed-case-studies/pound-hall-2nd-floor

Residential Green Building: 9/12/16 with Presentation from LISC's Mike Davis

By Molly Cox


The Residential Green Building Committee met on September 12th, 2016, featuring a guest presentation from Mike Davis, Senior Program Officer at  (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) in Boston. Mike is also on the board of USGBC MA! LISC works across a plethora of fields, promoting affordable housing, economic development, energy savings, and safety for low-income neighborhoods across the country. While LISC has been around since the ‘80’s, Mike spoke to us about a recent initiative he is working on in MA (See presentation attached below).

One of the programs Mike manages includes the Green Retrofit Initiative in MA, which started in 2010, with the mission of working with building owners of multifamily housing units, and providing the funding they need. The program is funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Barr Foundation (LISC was only 1 of 12 organizations to get the grant from HUD). In partnership with New Ecology, an organization that promotes environmental quality in buildings, LISC was able to rehabilitate buildings to increase energy savings for residents, and establish a healthy living environment. So far, the Initiative has helped 50 multifamily affordable housing owners in MA, and this number will continue to grow. Mike showed us some examples of electric and gas usage savings as well, and we saw at least 20% across the board in savings for residents.


With their recent MA Clean Energy Center grant, LISC wants to prioritize energy audits for projects that are nearing their time for rehabilitation. With this grant, they hope to join the efforts of all players involved, including owners, lenders, utilities, state agencies, to ensure they are all taking advantage of the potential savings. Retrocommissioning is also a priority to ensure the maintenance of renewable energy systems is readily available, once they are installed. The end goal with this initiative is to inspire and promote positive policy on the state level.

We then moved onto our Committee updates, and reflected on the legislative session that recently ended, and look forward to the next 2-year session. We also reviewed our initiatives within the Committee, including an exciting resource Bill and Dana are compiling for homeowners. We are planning a service event on November 19th with YouthBuild Boston, stay tuned for more details!

Some events coming up include the Green Building Showcase on September 22nd, 2016 (Register HERE), and GreenBuild in Los Angeles starting October 5th (Register HERE). Come join us for our next Committee meeting on October 3rd!

Find the presentation here.

Facade Engineering Newsletter: How Is a Stadium Like a Bicycle?

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

Thornton Tomasetti provided detailed design for the façade and structure of a new 52,500-seat stadium that will be home to the A.S. Roma football team. The Stadio della Roma’s modern design includes echoes of the Colosseum.

The new stadium’s fabric membrane roof was inspired by the velarium, the ancient Roman amphitheater’s awning system. The Stadio della Roma’s roof is based on the principle of a bicycle wheel. A compression ring on the outer edge is connected by radial cable trusses to two sets (upper and lower) of tension rings that surround the inner opening. The “bicycle wheel” solution is much lighter and more elegant than a traditional steel-truss system.


The ultramodern glass and metal façade of the Stadio della Roma will be wrapped in a floating screen of travertine quarried from the same region as the stone of its ancient predecessor. Each piece of stone, arranged to suggest the arches of the Colosseum, will be backed by carbon-fiber mesh and supported via an innovative aluminum fixing system that transfers the loads to a floating steel structure of piers and lintels.

Privately funded by the club, the Stadio della Roma is scheduled to be ready for the 2019 season.

 

Are you curious about what other projects Thornton Tomasetti is working on? Visit their website or read about them in our blog!

 

USGBC's Founder Re: Human/Planetary Loss and Opportunity Costs of Environmental Degradation

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 6– Sustainable Development– of Greenthink: How Profit can Save the Planet, by USGBC's co-founder and current CEO, Rick Fedrizzi. The preceding section of the chapter discussed China's unilateral turn to cleaner energy as well as the historic climate announcement between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This section discusses environmental damage in different parts of the developing world.


Global environmental devastation is upending the macroeconomic fundamentals not only in China, but also throughout the developing world. It's easy to see why. Just like in China, pollution now has a measurable impact on the economies in developing nations.


In India, for example, 80 percent of the country's sewage flows right into its rivers, including its main sources of drinking water.  Air pollution in India is 6 times worse than it was in 2000, and it kills an estimated 620,000 people each year. Researchers at the World Bank estimate that the environmental damage cost India about $80 billion in 2009, the equivalent of 5.7 percent of its GDP.

As you might imagine, the situation is just as dire elsewhere.  Throughout the 2000s, the World Bank published a series of Country Environmental Analyses (CEAs), each of which looked to quantify the effect of environmental devastation on an individual country's economy.  And while the data comes from all around the world, and came across multiple years, the results are shockingly–horrifyingly–similar. 

A 2006 report states, “In Colombia, lack of access to clean water, poor or nonexistent sanitation services, and indoor air pollution are among the principal causes of illness and death, predominantly for children and women in poor households.  The effects of these principal causes of environmental degradation are estimated to cost more than 3.7 percent of Colombia's GDP.” 

Meanwhile, that same year, Pakistan's CEA reported, “Conservative estimates presented in this report suggest that environmental degradation costs the country at least 6 percent of its GDP.”

The following year, the CEA for Ghana stated, “Recent estimates of the cost of natural resource and environmental degradation suggest that the equivalent of 9.6 percent of GDP is lost annually through unsustainable management of the country's forest and land resources and through health costs related to water supply and sanitation, and indoor and outdoor air pollution.” 

The 2008 Nepal CEA reads: “these environmental risk factors have resulted in premature death and disease, especially among the poor and vulnerable groups, and are placing increased health costs and a significant economic burden on the country, estimated at close to US$258 million or nearly 3.5 percent of the country's GDP.” 


I could keep going, but you get the idea. Pollution is directly impacting prosperity in parts of the world where prosperity is desperately needed. And the scale of the impact is terrifying.  There are nearly 200 countries in the world. Imagine adding up the global cost of pollution and environmental devastation–an analysis that, to my surprise, no one has yet performed.  We can easily guess the outcome.  The tally would be trillions of dollars–dollars that are literally going up in smoke. 

It's clear that the old model of economic growth is no longer viable. In fact, in aggregate, the old model is a measurable drag on growth that essentially amounts to a global environmental depression

But imagine for a moment that these costs don't exist.  Imagine that we've eliminated millions of unnecessary, pre-mature deaths. Imagine that black smoke and yellow smog became clear blue sky, that industrial chemicals are cleansed from the water, that a century of carbon emissions are sucked out of the air. Imagine a world in which bull markets can throw off the yoke of pollution and run even faster. Imagine that people around the world can breathe clean air and drink clean water, not just some days, but every day. Imagine how these people–no longer being poisoned and sometimes killed by pollution– will need goods and services and jobs and businesses to provide all three.  Never mind the environmental transformation.  Think about the human transformation. Think about the economic transformation: trillions of dollars of economic stimulus, just by eliminating pollution

A world without pollution is a world in which opportunity is our must abundant natural resource– a world in which everything is going full speed because the light is always green. A decade ago, this might have been a fantasy, a pipe dream. But not anymore.  The world is changing.  And while a pollution-free future is a long way off, a significantly cleaner, healthier, and even more profitable future is not. 

Developing countries have every right to grow, to prosper, and to meet the urgent needs of their citizens. Pollution has been the by-product of this growth–an acceptable by-product, you might argue, considering that growth wouldn't have existed without it.  Today, however, the equation is shifting. Pollution is increasingly a barrier to growth in the developing world.  Sure enough, political leaders in developing countries are slowly awakening to the fact that profit and the planet are no longer mutually exclusive– that they're symbiotic, part of the same ecosystem. 


In the wake of COP21, and with sustainable and energy efficient technologies becoming rapidly more cost-effective, scalable, and profitable, this is a particuarly prescient and confident statement.  You can buy the book on Amazon new for $12.99. Fun fact: each copy of the book is made after the order is placed so as to reduce waste and ineffiency!

Winning the gold: New Condo First to Achieve LEED Gold Certification in Boston

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

A new condominium project developed by Urban Spaces of Cambridge has been
LEED Gold
certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first Boston condominium project to achieve this level of green building certification.

The Lancaster, located at 1501 Commonwealth Avenue between Boston University and Boston College in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood, has 55 units and sits adjacent to the MBTA’s Green Line. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, buildings use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among many more benefits to the people who live there, the community and the environment.

“The Lancaster’s LEED Gold Certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, the CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before. Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, Urban Spaces demonstrates their leadership through their LEED certification of The Lancaster. With The Lancaster, Urban Spaces serves as a prime example of just how much can be accomplished.”

“We are honored to receive the LEED Gold Certification for The Lancaster,” said Paul Ognibene, the founder and CEO of Urban Spaces. “The Lancaster has been a labor of love for us. And now to know that The Lancaster is the very first condominium in Boston to receive the Gold designation makes this project even more special for all of us who worked on it.”

“It is comforting to know that the families who call The Lancaster their home will benefit from lower energy and water bills and better air quality while leaving a smaller environmental footprint behind for many generations to come,” Ognibene said.

“The Lancaster achieved LEED Gold Certification because of a number of factors such as location and high performance mechanical systems—without sacrificing occupant comfort and satisfaction,” said Taza Vercruysse, project manager at CLEAResult, the consulting and verification services firm and LEED Green Rater for this project. “Urban Spaces has built a resource-efficient multi-family building that reduced waste during construction, maximizes performance, conserves energy, and is easy on the environment due to such features as its close proximity to public transportation.”

About Urban Spaces
The Lancaster was developed by Urban Spaces, a Cambridge-based real estate company which develops mid-sized residential and commercial projects in growing neighborhoods. Founded in 2004, Urban Spaces focuses on properties in close proximity to public transportation, universities, hospitals, and employment hubs.

About CLEAResult
CLEAResult is the largest provider of energy efficiency programs and services in North America. Through proven strategies tailored to clients’ unique needs and market dynamics, the combined strength of experienced energy experts and technology-enabled service offerings help CLEAResult change the way people use energy for hundreds of utility and business partners. Founded in 2003, CLEAResult is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has close to 3,000 employees in more than 70 cities across the U.S. and Canada. CLEAResult is a portfolio company of General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm. For more information, visit clearesult.com.

Come to Greenbuild in Los Angeles! Flights are $275

By Grey Lee, Executive Director


Come on out to California next month for GREENBUILD in LA!

 

Oct. 5-6-7 with a world of green building advocates and professionals.

 

If you are a STUDENT, you can attend for free if you register to volunteer with the host committee

 

If you need a place to stay, we have rented a house two blocks from the convention center.


 

Let's get ready to connect, learn, get inspired, and grow the movement for MORE GREEN BUILDINGS!

 


 

The Mission of Levi Wong Design Associates

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow



Levi + Wong Design is a passionate group of professionals who believe the power of design can improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.

Quality Design, Service, Innovation, Teamwork, and Sound Business are the foundation of our success.  We are a client-centric firm led by working principals dedicated to design excellence.

As a full-service design firm comprised of architects, interior designers, landscape architects and planners, we each bring specialized skills and knowledge to the firm’s collaborative design style.  Our modest size–just over 30 employees- belies the depth and breadth of the service we offer in planning, design, and project management.  


Our experienced working principals, collaborative style, proactive approach and interactive Client / Architect Virtual Design Process allows us to creatively and innovatively design projects that respond to client needs.  Foremost to our clients we are Visionaries, Advisors, Designers, and Managers.

 

Learn more about Levi & Wong Design on their website and our blog.