GBS ’18 Sneak Peek #2

As we approach our Green Building Showcase on the 25th, we will be releasing a series of project spotlights that will be shown at the event! Check out three from Gensler, Elkus Manfredi, and HDR.

Don’t forget to buy a ticket or register your board for the event!


Partners HealthCare: Submitted by Gensler

Energy consumption is expected to be 51% lower than comparable buildings in the region, and the campus is the first New England building certified as LEED Gold V4 BD+C.

Partners HealthCare approached its administrative campus as an opportunity to transform a brownfield site in an urban, mixed-use development into a healthy and environmentally-responsible campus that reflected its values as a healthcare industry leader. Each aspect of the design was carefully considered for its impact on employees, the community, and the environment. The resulting campus embodies Partners’ commitment to holistic wellness. Floor-to-ceiling windows deliver abundant natural light and offer views of a thoughtful landscape design that incorporates native planting and manages rainwater retention. Spacious staircases and sit-to-stand workstations encourage employee movement. Expansive roof terraces and accessible balconies provide easy access to fresh air, and the full-service cafeteria offers a wide variety of healthy choices.

The campus’ energy performance was also a priority for the project team. Energy consumption is expected to be 51% lower than comparable buildings in the region, and the campus is the first New England building certified as LEED Gold V4 BD+C. A 0.64-acre green roof absorbs water and lowers heat absorption. Atop the garage, an approximately 2-acre solar array offsets 40% of peak campus demand. To address long-term resiliency, the project team elevated the flood zone site by three feet and placed critical equipment on the roof.

In addition, this site was selected for its connectivity and access to public transportation. The campus entrance is less than 500 feet from an MBTA subway station, providing an easy link for employees and visitors. Bicycling is encouraged through on-site locker rooms and showers, parking for over 150 bicycles, and an easy connection to a nearby bike path network. The campus design also includes generous public outdoor spaces that further contribute to the community’s green space network.


Ink Block: Submitted by Elkus Manfredi

Siena’s exterior architecture is inspired by Italy’s famous Duomo di Siena – the cathedral of Siena

Siena joins Sepia as the next condominium project at Ink Block in the South End neighborhood of Boston. Siena is a collection of 76 new, luxury condominiums at the six-building, superbly located, urban mixed-use development. Siena combines high-style architecture and design with luxury amenities and access to a Whole Foods Market, restaurants, and shops.

Siena’s exterior architecture is inspired by Italy’s famous Duomo di Siena – the cathedral of Siena – which is marked by alternating horizontal white and green-black marble stripes. Interior common areas include a fitness center, library lounge, minibar, communal dining table, catering kitchen, lounge with fireplace, bike room, and sky lounge. The sky lounge includes an indoor area with a fireplace and a bar with a pass-through window to the exterior roof terrace, which in the warmer months offers additional seating, a firepit, and a grill station.

All six completed buildings at Ink Block have achieved LEED Gold status, and include more than 50 percent underground parking, bike racks for 15 percent of the residents, water-efficient landscaping, and low-flow fixtures. More than 75 percent of the construction waste was diverted from disposal and employed regionally sourced and green construction materials such as recycled structural steel, gypsum board, low-VOC paint, adhesives, and flooring.


HDR

Innovation Square [iSQ]: Submitted by HDR

The design intent for the two buildings is a contemporary interpretation of the established maritime “head-house and tail” vernacular.

Uniquely situated within Boston’s Marine Industrial Park, iSQ (Innovation Square) has emerged as the avant-garde micro life science cluster, a natural first choice to Cambridge’s saturated bio-pharmaceutical market. Combining contemporary design with planning to promote operational efficiencies, the project aims to attract global entrepreneurial companies with the goal of enhancing productivity, promoting collaboration and enabling transformational discoveries.

HDR helped develop the master plan for iSQ and is responsible for the shell and core design of both Phase 1 and Phase 2. The design intent for the two buildings is a contemporary interpretation of the established maritime “head-house and tail” vernacular. The new “head-house” has a chiseled glass expression where the C-suite resides, symbolizing the commitment to cultural transparency and the exchange of ideas. The “tail” has a highly articulated pre-cast concrete expression where lab research occurs.

In response to the vulnerability of the site to flooding due to increased rainfall events and storm surge, the ground floor elevation was raised 2’ above the current FEMA 100 year storm flood projections. The electric switchgear was raised an additional 1’ and the majority of mechanical and electrical systems were placed in the rooftop penthouse.  

Phase 1 is designed to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification. It incorporates a number of strategies to reduce energy and water use, reduce transportation emissions in accessing the site, manage stormwater, and create an environmentally responsible and healthy environment through conscientious materials selection. Construction completion of the Core and Shell is anticipated in February 2019.

GBS ’18 Sneak Peek

GBS ’18 Sneak Peek

As we approach our Green Building Showcase on the 25th, we will be releasing a series of project spotlights that will be shown at the event! Check out two from our friends at HMFH, and Goody Clancy.

Don’t forget to buy a ticket or register your board for the event!


Goody Clancy: LEED Gold-certified Integrated Sciences Complex

The 225,000 GSF, LEED Gold-certified Integrated Sciences Complex brings together all university departments involved in laboratory research in a dynamic, new environment for teaching and research. It raises the bar for the design of a sustainable laboratory, and sets a new precedent at UMass Boston for integrating architecture and landscape. The existing circa-1974 campus buildings are elevated on a concrete parking podium, separated from both the natural ground-plane and the water’s edge. By contrast, the ISC embraces its waterfront site and restores a former brownfield (the entire campus is built on a former landfill) to a natural harbor island habitat. Two plazas on either side of the building’s atrium connect activity indoors and out. An outdoor amphitheater allows teaching to occur out in the landscape adjacent to the physics labs, while a Science Walk now leads from the Boston Harborwalk at the water’s edge through the project site to the campus plaza. A meadow and constructed sand dunes deploy indigenous plant species requiring little or no irrigation. These site elements become educational opportunities, as the pedestrian pathways in the meadow form a Botanical Walk with plaques highlighting the geology and botany of the site.


HMFH: Emergency Housing, Cambridge MA

During the late 19th century, a stately two-family home was erected at 859 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. The handsome building was subsequently converted into offices and, unfortunately, stripped of its period detail. Things began to look up again when the City of Cambridge purchased the property and engaged HMFH Architects to restore the dilapidated building and convert it into emergency housing for up to 30 occupants. As part of this conversion, the building systems and exterior envelope were completely rebuilt to meet the City’s new guidelines for net-zero construction, and the architects worked with the Historical Commission to recreate the original exterior detailing and materials as closely as possible.

 

 

Careers In Sustainability Recap: The Evolution of the Sustainability Professional

By Andrew Breiter-Wu October 9, 2018

Last week, the USGBC MA Chapter’s Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts committee (EPMA) and the Boston Architectural College (BAC) came together to co-host the second Careers in Sustainability panel event entitled The Evolution of the Sustainability Professional. The event was well attended with a diverse group of emerging professionals, individuals switching careers, and students.

The panel was moderated by Andrew Breiter-Wu, the President of Breiter Planet Properties, a commercial solar energy consulting firm based in Massachusetts. He worked closely with the EPMA event team to compile a rockstar panel of six speakers: Carrie Havey, Senior Project Manager at The Green Engineer, DiAnn Mroszczak,  Project Architect & Sustainability Leader at Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Ellie Hoyt, Sustainability Consultant at Linnean Solutions, Jennifer Taranto, Director of Sustainability at Structure Tone, Oliver Bautista, Designer III at Turkel Design, and Wendell Joseph, Neighborhood Planner at the City of Cambridge.

The event was structured around four questions that each panelist went down the line to answer. I have summarized some of the highlights from each of the speakers below. If you have any questions for the speakers, definitely attend future USGBC MA events where you may run into them or other members within our network with similar backgrounds.

It was great having Carrie, a USGBC MA board member, bring her experience of being in a similar place that many of our audience members are at and discuss how she landed at The Green Engineer, a sustainable design consulting firm. She discussed a few of her projects, such as a school in Worcester that she is working on. The biggest point she drove to the audience is to be your own advocate. We will all face adversity and challenges throughout our career but it’s crucial to be your own advocate and sell yourself to your future or current employer, to a customer, or even to the world.

DiAnn is also an EPMA alum and she helped emphasize the importance of communication, collaboration, curiosity, and drive. All of them are skills that she developed as she evolved in her career. Communication and collaboration was a common thread emphasized among all of the panelists. You can have an impressive educational background with a resume full of experience, but if you can’t effectively communicate your ideas, present your project, or articulate your value, you will have a difficult time in the business and professional world. On the point about collaboration, it was great to see that DiAnn and Wendell were collaborating on a project together. With the network of the MA USGBC, there is a lot of human capital available to learn from and work on projects throughout the region.

Ellie agreed with the importance of communication but also chimed in on the importance of self-motivation and not being “pigeon-holed” with your career. Go out and try as much as you can while you are young and find your passions and interests. This allows you to set your goals to align yourself with your interests and will keep you self-motivated to direct your life and career in a direction you are excited to live.

Jennifer brought a much-appreciated perspective of a seasoned sustainability professional. She spent the early portion of her career working for a West Coast Developer and was very money driven early on and worked extremely hard. She eventually needed to take some time off in Europe but was able to find her new firm Structure Tone which brought her back to the states. She advocated for sustainability within her firm and was able to get their commitment to invest into sustainability and allowed her to create her own role as Director of Sustainability. Now, every project they work on, they are always looking through a sustainability lens which has been much appreciated and even asked for by their clients.

Oliver discussed how his early interests for architecture came from seeing his father work as an active engineer for his whole life. Oliver also discussed a high-level overview of a few of the projects he is working on at Turkel Design where they create high quality modular prefabricated panels for new homes. He discussed how policy is driving a lot of the projects in California with their new legislation requiring solar and other energy efficient elements of new construction buildings.

Finally, Wendell’s story was a great story that many in the audience could relate to. When he graduated architecture school around the time of the economic recession, he had challenges with finding a career or employment opportunities related to his education. He took the initiative to skill up and went to graduate school. By interning and going to grad school, he was able to make himself attractive to his current employer and landed a career in the public sector. It shows the importance of always being adaptive to your environment and being willing to change courses in your career.

We finished the night off with food, drinks, and networking. For me, it was great to engage directly with a number of people from our audience and give some advice on next steps into their own career. I enjoy helping emerging professionals at every stage of their career because I know how confusing life can be and receiving different perspectives and advice is always helpful when taking your career to the next level. Thank you to everyone that attended our event and we look forward to seeing you at future EPMA and USGBC MA events!


Excel Dryer partners with Boston Latin School and EcoImpact to develop groundbreaking sustainability course curriculum for students

Excel Dryer partners with Boston Latin School and EcoImpact to develop groundbreaking sustainability course curriculum for students

Massachusetts-based Excel Dryer has long expressed its commitment to environmental sustainability. One way to perpetuate that commitment is by educating students on greening initiatives and approaches to reducing their own carbon footprint.

In collaboration with Boston Latin School and EcoImpact Consulting, Excel Dryer developed a curriculum of study for grade school and high school students. In addition to real-world sustainability lessons, the innovative project offers hands-on experience in field research, energy auditing, project management and more. The curriculum features two worksheets for student use.

A leading purveyor of products that help facilities qualify for the most LEED® v4 Credits of any hand dryer, as well as Green Globes and other essential certifications, this initiative was an opportunity for Excel Dryer to demonstrate its commitment to furthering education on sustainability.

The perfect partner for Excel’s educational endeavor was a mere few hours east in Boston Latin School, a centuries-old yet forward-thinking secondary institution. Administrators and students at the school took part in developing the initial run of curriculum and provided feedback to fine-tune worksheets.

Students at Boston Latin School in the YouthCan Program recently completed the curriculum, through which they calculated the environmental and financial savings of switching from paper towels to high-speed, energy-efficient XLERATOR® Hand Dryers in two high-traffic restrooms.

The curriculum was just one of the many sustainability initiatives implemented by Boston Latin School in the recent past. The institution notably collaborated on plans for a Shared Green Roof and Community Learning Center, which would place vegetation areas, wildlife habitats, renewable energy installations and more on the school’s rooftop.

For more information about the course curriculum, visit exceldryer.com/greencurriculum.

Edge Conditions: Valuing the Marginal – A Living Shorelines Case Study

Edge Conditions: Valuing the Marginal – A Living Shorelines Case Study

Written by Aminah McNulty

The edge effect is one of the twelve principles of Permaculture Design, or the designing beneficial relationships. Originally termed as an ecological phenomenon, the edge effect describes the increase in biodiversity in a region where two adjacent ecosystems overlap. Species exist here from both ecosystems, as well as unique species adapted to this transition zone. We see this effect manifest throughout the built and natural environments, as well as our social and financial systems.

The edge effect is one of the twelve principles of Permaculture Design, or the designing beneficial relationships. Originally termed as an ecological phenomenon, the edge effect describes the increase in biodiversity in a region where two adjacent ecosystems overlap. Species exist here from both ecosystems, as well as unique species adapted to this transition zone. We see this effect manifest throughout the built and natural environments, as well as our social and financial systems. A state-funded project along the Massachusetts’ North Shore is a product of the edge effect. The project address both the deteriorating shoreline and the overlap of social groups and political organizations. It is likely that this project will support a living shoreline demonstration, making it the first state-funded project of its type to date. Living shorelines are a system of soft or “green” engineering that utilizes natural reinforcement and strategic plant communities to buffer and stabilize estuarine coasts. Through a system of partial seawall reconstruction, rock and coil log edge buffers and low and high tide wetland planting, our team hopes to build precedent for natural shoreline treatments in the face of rising sea levels and climate change.

*Image credit: Florida Living Shorelines

Miss our Bike Tour? Check out our Photo Tour!

Over mighty hills and across coursing rivers, the 2018 USGBC EPMA Bike Tour rode from sustainable site to sustainable site across Somerville Saturday, August 25th. Our multi-generational band of bikers rode all morning and into the afternoon to visit several sites through the city, starting in Davis Square and ending at Aeronaut Brewery. If you weren’t able to make it this year, please enjoy this virtual tour through our route. 

The route started along the Somerville Community Path, a mixed-use path and part of the growing bike-friendly infrastructure of Somerville. 

Our first stop was at the Saint Polycarp Village apartment complex, built and managed by the Somerville Community Corporation. SCC CEO Daniel LeBlanc spent some time with us and offered his insights as a long-term Somerville resident and 30-year veteran of Massachusetts not-for-profits. The Saint Polycarp Village complex has been developed by the SCC as sustainably constructed low-income housing. This LEED Silver certified housing complex not only made use of sustainable construction materials, its energy and water efficient design directly supports SCC’s mission by keeping utility costs down for their residents.

Next we visited the Blessings of the Bay Park and spoke with Landscape Architect Kate Kennen, Owner of Offshoots Inc. In partnership with The Mystic River Watershed Association Offshoots Inc is designing an ambitious revitalization plan for the park, informed by a comprehensive a community engagement including public meetings, surveys, and knocking on doors to directly contact community members. Kate walked us through their future plans to reduce the impact of invasives, include plantings that support bioremediation of the shoreline, and develop better river views and river access for the community.

After a very enjoyable ride through the Mystic River Reservation, making use of their well developed bike paths and community spaces, we stopped to visit the Capuano Early Education Center. The first Somerville public school to pursue ambitious sustainability goals, the CEEC made extensive use of recycled materials in its construction, houses solar panels that cover 10% of its energy needs, and uses a rainwater collection system to irrigate its school fields. Somerville has continued its support of sustainable schools with the East Somerville Community School and Somerville High School.

We ended our tour visiting Artisan’s Asylum and their neighbor the Aeronaut Brewery. At Artisan’s Asylum (also known as A2), EPMA’s own Aliza Vaida gave a tour of the largest makerspace on the east coast. Tired and sweaty, our riders relaxed at Aeronaut for food, beverage, and conversation.
Many thanks to BlueBikes for supporting the tour with vouchers for free rides, and Aeronaut Brewery for hosting our end-of-tour reception.

4 Predictions for Healthy Buildings in 2019

In 1984, the World Health Organization (WHO) coined the term “sick building syndrome.” That same year, a WHO Committee report suggested that up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings worldwide might be the subject of excessive complaints related to indoor air quality.1

As times change, so does the way people think about buildings. Today, the focus has shifted from concerns about sick buildings to creating healthy environments for buildings’ occupants. This focus on wellness was on display at last week’s USGBC-Massachusetts Healthy Building Summit.  Advances in building science, more certifications that evaluate the life cycle impact of building products, and even shifts in workforce demographics are shaping how the AEC community approaches the relationship between a building and its occupants.

And while no one can predict the future with certainty, following are some predictions for how the healthy building conversation may continue to evolve in 2019.

 

  1. Increased Focus on the Occupant Experience – By their nature, buildings serve occupants engaged in varied experiences and with differing environmental concerns. For example in a hospital environment, privacy, indoor air quality, acoustics, and access to nature are being evaluated in context with patient experiences and even outcomes.  Viewed in this context, insulation used in the enclosure should be considered in terms of its acoustic as well as thermal performance and ingredient composition. Acoustics and indoor environmental quality are also top concerns for school districts.
  2. A System Approach to the Building Enclosure – Strategic design and mindful materials will continue to converge into a system approach to the building enclosure.  From below-grade garages to green rooftops and throughout the wall system–a system approach can manage the potential for moisture accumulation, meet energy expectations and support indoor environmental quality efforts. The system approach also applies to the life safety systems within the enclosure.

 

With nearly a half-century of experience, the Owens Corning® and Thermafiber® Insulation teams continue to be one of the pioneers in passive life safety systems. Thermafiber® recently became the first insulation to earn the SAFETY Act designation, providing powerful liability protection to architects, OEMs, fire stop contractors, building owners and other stakeholders in the unfortunate event of an act of terror.  

 

  1. Green Without Compromise –In 2011, Owens Corning changed the manufacturing platform to remove formaldehyde from commercial and residential fiberglass insulation, replacing it with a bio-based binder, and continues to do so in the Thermafiber product line.  As a product’s energy efficiency and environmental profile should not come at the expense of product performance, Owens Corning pledges that new products will perform at the same level or better than earlier versions. This philosophy is referred to as “green without compromise.” More information on this approach to sustainability is available here.

 

  1. Appealing to Generation Z – Competition for top talent is especially rigorous in a tight labor market. Generation Z workers just entering the market have a strong desire for authenticity, presenting an opportunity for manufacturers to provide transparency and describe products in terms of their life cycle impact. The recently launched Owens Corning Building Science Solutions Center’s “Sustainability” section makes it easy for AEC professionals to access research and white papers on product health and safety.

 

Owens Corning is proud to be a sponsor of the USGBC Healthy Building Summit. More information on Owens Corning’s  commitment to sustainability – including an online learning center is available at the Building Science Solutions Center.

1 United States Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation (6609J) Research and Development, Environmental Protection (MD-56) Agency February 1991

© 2018 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved.

EPMA Meeting Recap: The Envision Rating System

EPMA Meeting Recap: The Envision Rating System

Written by Lindsey Machamer

As a civil engineer, I feel proud to be contributing to the development of our public infrastructure which will be around for 25, 50, or even 100 years. The state of the US infrastructure is at a critical point where significant investment is needed to redevelop degraded roads, water and wastewater utilities, and energy systems. New systems need to be built to address the needs of today without jeopardizing future generations’ needs.

In my work at Pare Corporation, I have been learning and working with Envision, a rating system for infrastructure projects, similar to the LEED rating system for building projects. I was thrilled to share what I’ve learned about this system with the Emerging Professionals meeting in July. The rating system, which was released in 2012, was developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), a group founded by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the American Public Works Association. The system comprises of 60 credits in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Risk.

Envision is uniquely qualified for the challenges inherent in infrastructure development. Infrastructure, being a public feature, is not owned by a single developer. It is owned, operated, used, regulated, and funded by a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Envision is designed to create a consistent approach to measuring as well as guiding a project’s contribution to economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability. One of the hallmarks of the system is its focus on stakeholder collaboration. The credits in the “Leadership” category are structured to facilitate input early and often to best meet the needs of all parties involved (including the natural world).

The American Society of Civil Engineers, in a statement on sustainable infrastructure, compels designers to be “the bridge between science and society.” The Envision rating system is a tool that helps us live up to that responsibility by helping to guide sustainable decision making and provide clear communication for all involved.

To learn more about the Envision rating system and to find examples of local Envision Verified Projects,  visit sustainableinfrastructure.org.

Meet our HBS 18 Sponsors

Meet our HBS 18 Sponsors

At USGBC MA, we are proud to work with a diverse community of leading companies in the Massachusetts area. Take a look below to learn a little bit more about out Healthy Building Summit 2018 Sponsors.


At SmithGroup we work to create a legacy of inspiring places that enhance the environment and enrich the human spirit. We deliver sustainable solutions to create a healthy and prosperous future for our clients and communities. Designing for the overall health of people is a fundamental responsibility.  As stewards of future generations, our work seeks to balance the needs of a thriving society, economy, and environment.

With our multidisciplinary expertise and integrative design process, SmithGroup teams collaborate with clients to identify innovative solutions, seeking synergies that can accomplish multiple goals. The integrative design process achieves sustainable community solutions that improve health and the human experience. By incorporating biophilic design elements, natural daylighting, and views to nature in our work, we seek to create a healthier human environment and design a better future.


Over the past several years, Bergmeyer has been extremely involved in the building design and construction industry’s push for increased product transparency and material ingredients reporting, and the firm is committed to eliminating the use of products and materials containing hazardous chemicals in our projects. In 2014, Bergmeyer – along with other firms across the country – issued a letter to product manufacturers pushing for greater transparency regarding chemicals and other potentially harmful substances in the materials and products architects specify. The letter served to make manufacturers aware of our preference for products with Health Product Declarations (HPDs), which provide information on building product content and associated health information. That same year, Bergmeyer’s president Mike Davis was invited by the American Institute of Architects to participate in a national task force called the AIA Materials Knowledge Working Group (MKWG). Twelve nationally-recognized architect- leaders in sustainable design were joined by an equal number of representatives from the USGBC, Architecture 2030, the Health Product Declaration Collaborative, the International Living Futures Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, attorneys practicing in design and construction law, and senior AIA staff. This working group had three charges: 1) to create an educational curriculum for architects around building materials and human health; 2) to plan a communication and advocacy approach around materials transparency and disclosure documents; and 3) to develop a position statement for the AIA National Board of Directors that would endorse the pursuit of greater knowledge of building materials’ content in support of human and environmental health (adopted by the AIA Board of Directors in December 2014). Mike later went on to lead the AIA’s Materials Risk Task Group, chairing a 2015 summit on Materials Transparency and Liability Risk, and his continued involvement with the materials transparency movement has put Bergmeyer at the forefront of the product transparency and healthy building materials movement.


Building design, engineering, and architecture is a constantly evolving frontier. A greater focus on energy efficiency and  human health charges building owners to collaborate with progressive manufacturers that proactively keep on the cutting edge. Beyond this, the transparency of products is essential in ensuring the maximum health outcomes for occupants.

ASSA ABLOY, a worldwide provider of door opening solutions, is driven to provide safe, convenient, and secure products, in addition to products that reflect a sustainable, positive impact on a changing industry.

 In the spirit of education, advocacy, and product optimization, a variety of transparency documents (like EPDs, HPDs, and Declare labels) are provided by ASSA ABLOY to help their stakeholders understand where a product was made, how it was made, and what it is made of.

Further, ASSA ABLOY shows dedication to the improvement of health and wellness of building inhabitants by certifying door and accessory products for low levels of harmful chemical off-gassing. In addition, their products can be used with open architecture design, using glass solutions to provide access to daylighting and quality views.

Join ASSA ABLOY at the Healthy Building Summit to learn more about how they can offer optimal door opening solutions for your building.


ReVision Energy, your local clean energy transition company, is 100% employee owned and operated. They are always striving to find new ways to encourage their employees to be happier, healthier, and more productive every day. This past year, they became employee-owned to help give employees a greater sense of ownership for their work. With flexible work hours and management of their own schedules, the work-life balance is great for employee-owners ?.

With their team of in-house solar and heat pump specialists (engineers, designers, installers) they have built over 7,000 solar energy plus systems in the region. They also are a Certified B Corp, striving to be one of the best businesses for the world, and are always hiring. Just recently announced, ReVision Energy became #1 in New England for rooftop solar systems for the second year in a row. ReVision Energy is helping to educate and empower business owners to create healthier environments in their workplaces through energy-efficient technologies. To learn more about their work, stop by their booth and talk with Malcolm or Brittany at the Healthy Building Summit.


Today more than half of the world’s population, over 54%, is living in urbanized areas. On average we are spending around 80%-90% of our time indoors and, astonishing though this may sound, this is estimated to only increase. No wonder there is a growing focus on the quality of our indoor environment, while the attention given to green architecture and healthy buildings also continues to increase in prominence. Not single products, but the building as a whole, is now in the center of environmental rating systems like LEED or the WELL building standard.

As our floors are part of the indoor environment in which people live, meet and work, it is our mission to design and offer products that contribute in a positive way to the health and comfort of the individual. “Committed to the health of one” introduces our commitment to sustainability that centers around all aspects that concern your health, well-being and comfort in relation to our products and services today as well as for future generations.

Learn about Structuretone

 


Learn About Ellenzweig

 

Learn about DriTac

 

Learn about The Green Engineer

Baseball and Rooftop Farms: A Tour of Fenway Park

Baseball and Rooftop Farms: A Tour of Fenway Park

Written by Julie Salvatoriello

USGBC EPMA, alongside Net Impact Boston, took a tour of the Fenway Rooftop Garden lead by Jessie Banhazl from Green City Growers and Brendan Shea from Recover Green Roofs.
The 2,400sqft Fenway Rooftop Garden is in its fourth year of operation. It grows 30+ types of produce, and produces 6,000lbs of organic, food safe certified produce annually, making up approx. 35% of the produce used by the Dell EMC club (with overflow going to other places in the park food network, including the concessions stands). Everything in this rooftop container garden is grown in Vermont Compost Company soil who were generous sponsors of this event.

This garden gets exposed to 1/2 million people every year, including the 15,000 that take a Fenway tour each week. In fact, Fenway is the #1 tourist attraction in New England. Jessie noted that many tour goers have never seen urban agriculture systems in person and the rooftop garden inspires people to question, investigate and act upon their food sources and supply chains.

Green City Growers and Recover Roofs also showed us the adjoining Vineyard Vines Club. This open-air rooftop space was also built upon a previously underutilized rooftop space and transformed into a gathering and socializing area filled with edible landscaping. Center planters were planted with Kale and with some cucumber vines hanging over the side. Produce grown in the Vineyard Vines Club is donated to local food rescue: Lovin’ Spoonfuls, based in Brookline, MA.

If you love all of this, Jessie and Brendan also told us a bit about how we could create some of these systems in our own backyards and rooftops (if it’s sturdy enough and not too slanted). The Fenway Rooftop Garden is planted entirely in standard square milk crates lined with 13x13x13in square pot planter liners; all sitting upon an artificial turf roof. The milk crates are set up with a drip irrigation system with irrigation spikes to send water straight to the roots. The garden is highly productive, light and easy to move. The liners are filled with The Vermont Compost Company’s Fort Light mix and amended with their Compost Plus.

We learned from our tour that Fenway is committed to sustainability. It is the oldest ballpark in the country and the first ballpark to install solar panels. It was been lowering its electricity load over the past decade, reducing it by 11% since 2011.

The USGBC Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts are so grateful to Fenway for their sustainability efforts and for leading these tours. Thank you to Jessie and Brendan from Green City Growers and Recover Green Roofs for your work and the wonderful tour. This was my first tour of Fenway and now I absolutely have to go back and bring my family.