September Events Note

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Click here for more details on upcoming events in September


Here's the introduction:

 

September Events Note

Greetings,

 

Woah! A change is in the air – it's good to get a little rain too! Green Buildng Showcase is what everyone is talking about but there are some other things happening at the Chapter. If you have not reserved your seat, get one quick – only a few left, over 250 sold. 

  • On the horizon we have the Healthy Materials Summit, October 26, 2016 at Google. Join us for a technical discussion on the development of materials, and the challenges that we face on the supply and demand side to getting to a healthy material future. Several leaders in the international materials commuity will be sharing their insights here.
  • What's new? Massachusetts is adopting the 2015 IECC code and this means things are changing. Join Chris Schaffner for a morning seminar on these changes and how to be code compliant. More info here!
  • WELL and LEED v4 are changing discussions around town, if you need a refresher or to be accredited, join us for a day session to get you up to speed. Learn more on LEED and WELL here. 
  • Emerging Professionals unite, join us for a panel discussion on careers in sustainability at Northeastern. Reserve a seat here. 
  • We have a lot of good stories curated on our twitter feed and Facebook. And have you seen our blog lately? 
  • Need a refresher on Renewable Energy Terms and Markets? Join us with EnerNOC, learn more here. 
  • We are still cranking up our advocacy activities, so check our advocacy update below or go directly to our advocacy suite at our website
  • Are you ready for Greenbuild 2016? Join us if you need a resonably priced room. Reserve a spot here.  

 

Thank you for your hard work which enacts our mission,
Grey
 

 

 

 

Rick Fedrizzi, at the Green Building Showcase 2016

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

 


Everyone is making it to the Showcase, even Rick Fedrizzi, Founding CEO of the USGBC, is changing his travel itinerary to make it to the big day. Fact is that Rick's been excited about the Showcase since Grey mentioned it to him at USGBC Convergence.

We hope that you can make it too. We already have 80+ projects on display and 250+ attendees. We have had a great reception from the real estate industry as well as the design community. From the Real Estate side we have Boston Properties, Equity Office, DCAMM, Biogen, Boston University, New England Labs, Gerding Edlen, BioMed, Cambridge Redevelopment, Boston Redevelopment, Harvard, MIT, Massport and many more.

The Design community is well represented as well with: Arrowstreet, Atelier Ten, A.W. Hastings, Bergmeyer, , Bruner Cott, Cadmus Group, CannonDesign, Columbia Construction, Commodore Builders, Design Lab Architecture, Dimella Shaffer, Edison Energy, EYPAE, FAA Inc, Flow Tech Inc, 
Goody Clancy, Green Engineer, Grey Star, GRL Architects, HDR
ICFI, ICONarch, Jacobs, JDL Construction, LDA Architects, Linnean Solutions, LISC, Menck Windows, MOSES, Margulies Perruzzi Architects, My Total Green, National Grid, Opterra Energy, Sustainable Real Estate Solutions, Payette, Perkins Eastman, Perkins & Will, RDK Engineers, Revision Energy,  Spacework, StudioG Architects, Turner Construction, The Green Project Manager, Thornton Tomasetti, Touloukian Touloukian, Urban Habitat Initiatives, Vanderweil Engineers, Veritiv, Vidaris, Wegowise, Winn Companies, WSP Group to name a few. 


An open bar and hors d’oeuvres will support great networking at Boston Properties' new and distinctly sustainable location, 888 Boylston. Views of the city are spectacular and part of Fenway park is visible so, you won't even miss the game! 

Our Chapter's premier fall event to showcase and celebrate exceptional green buildings conceived, designed, built & operated by our community of practitioners over the past year.  

Come together with event sponsors Boston Properties, National Grid, Eversource, Turner Construction, Elkus Manfredi, Arup, View Glass, AHA Consulting Engineers and others! 

 

 

 

W.T. Rich and Massachusetts Maritime Academy Achieve LEED Platinum Certification

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

W.T. Rich Company, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Modernization
project received LEED® Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

W.T. Rich constructed at the Mass Maritime Academy an $18.7 million, 43,000 sq. ft. library, known as the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons, with unique architectural features including limestone veneer, glass flooring at stair landings, a rooftop skylight that runs the entire length of the building, a large rotunda encased in architectural woodwork, a rooftop solar photovoltaic array, and much more. The project also includes over 50 geothermal wells for heating and air conditioning.

Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification. A building must receive at least 80 out of 110 points to achieve this status. A large number of sustainable design features were evaluated and incorporated into the final design, including water conservation, light sensors, chilled beams, geothermal energy system, radiant floor heating, rapidly renewable materials, and materials with a high recycled content.

According to the US Green Building Council's website, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification system that “provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: Sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”


The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) funded and managed the project, and Perry Dean Rogers was the architect who designed the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons building.

“W.T. Rich Company is very proud of the partnership we had with the Academy, DCAMM and Perry Dean Rogers in achieving this goal. Our firm is committed to sustainable design and construction, and the achievement of LEED Platinum is a great milestone signifying that commitment,” said Jonathan Rich, CEO of W.T. Rich Company, Inc.

“Achieving LEED Platinum status for the new library is a major milestone in our modernization program. With the new state of the art library Mass Maritime can better prepare our cadets for careers at sea,” said Rear Admiral Francis McDonald, President of Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Flashback Friday: Mayor Menino Announces that Atlantic Wharf, Boston's First Green Skyscraper, Receives LEED Platinum Plaque

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that Boston Properties’ Atlantic Wharf, Boston’s first green
skyscraper has been designated LEED Platinum under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Core & Shell program.  Roger Platt, Senior Vice President, Global Policy & Law for the USGBC presented the LEED Platinum plaque to Bryan Koop, Senior Vice President & Regional Manager of Boston Properties and Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino at a ceremony at Atlantic Wharf located on the Fort Point Channel near Boston’s Innovation District.

“This LEED Platinum designation marks not only a great milestone for Boston Properties, but also for the City of Boston and our innovative work in green building and development,” said Mayor Menino, “The City of Boston has long been a champion of greening our built environment, from first-in-the-nation green building zoning to the Building Energy Disclosure Ordinance announced today.  I look forward to continuing our great work with partners such as Boston Properties to ensure a greener, more sustainable, and more prosperous future for Boston.”

A collaborative development between the City of Boston and Boston Properties, Atlantic Wharf is located on Boston's Waterfront, bordering Boston’s Innovation District and Fort Point Channel.  A shining example of the Mayor’s transformative green building policies in Boston, sustainable design was applied throughout the development, including innovative rainwater storage and reuse systems, energy conserving mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, green roofs and daylighting design.  

“We are thrilled to have achieved the LEED Platinum designation at Atlantic Wharf,” stated Bryan Koop of Boston Properties. “We have been inspired by the Mayor’s vision to make Boston the greenest city in the country and our customers’ commitment to a sustainable workplace.  Atlantic Wharf is a model proving that development can be done with a conscious regard for the environment.”

Atlantic Wharf received the USGBC LEED Platinum rating for Core and Shell which is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers, and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core and shell construction, covering base building elements such as structure, envelope and HVAC systems.

“Atlantic Wharf is a prime example of community sustainability, and evidence of just how much mixed-use projects can achieve in the realm of green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council.  “With a LEED Platinum rating, Atlantic Wharf is a real-life model that other mixed-use and neighborhood projects can learn from.”

At the event, Mayor Menino also announced the City’s steps to create the ‘Next Generation Green Building Policy,” that will include a Building Energy Disclosure Ordinance that will have all large commercial and residential buildings (above 50,000 square feet) report energy use annually, with the results published online.  In the coming summer months, City staff and key sector leaders and stakeholders will work draft an ordinance to be reviewed by Mayor Menino in the fall.

SGH, a Chapter Sponsor of Ours, Doing Big Things!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


We are thrilled to report that bronze-level Sponsor Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) received the 2016 Gold Engineering Excellence Award from The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA). This award was for their work on the China Pavillion Expo at the 2015 Milan Expo held in Milan, Italy.  The Expo was themed “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” and focused on sustainability and agriculture. 


Simpson Gumpertz & Heger was the structural engineer and consulted on the schematic building enclosure design for China Pavilion. The pavilion celebrates the Expo's theme, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” by focusing on sustainability and the coexistence of nature and city. The structure's 4,000-sq-m undulating roof transitions from sharp angles on its northern side replicating the urban skyline, to flowing curves on the southern side symbolizing China’s rolling landscape. 

ACEC/MA President David Vivilecchia said: “The winning projects exemplify ingenuity and professionalism and represent the breadth of engineering’s contribution to our everyday lives”. “They are outstanding examples of how engineers connect communities, provide safe and reliable water and energy, and make our buildings safe and efficient. The professional engineers and their colleagues at our member firms are dedicated to working on quality infrastructure, which wouldn’t otherwise exist. These outstanding projects are but a few examples of the quality work designed by Massachusetts (and Rhode Island) engineering firms.”

See more about SGH on their website.

Photos taken from SGH's website. 

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.