Join Us at Massachusetts' Newest Living Building– The Kern Center

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Join us this Friday, April 29th at Hampshire College for the school's ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of its flagship newest building: the R.W. Kern Center.  The college’s first new building in three decades, it was built with the goal of becoming only the ninth building certified under the world’s most rigorous green building standard, the Living Building Challenge (LBC): operating net-zero energy, water, and waste; built using materials mainly from local and regional sources; and avoiding toxic “red list” materials, right down to the duct tape allowed on site.

This is a very impressive accomplishment! The Center will house the offices of admissions and financial aid, classrooms, student lounges and social areas, and a coffee bar. It was also built as a living laboratory for ongoing studies of the building and its systems.

The Kern Center is one of the major projects of Hampshire’s broad sustainability initiative. The college has committed to making campus operations carbon neutral by 2020, and is also planning for the campus to go 100 percent solar this year. The building was constructed by Wright Builders – a Chapter Sponsoring Partner – and engaged many members of the Living Building Collaborative which works as part of the Chapter to advance buliding performance throughout the Commonwealth.

Read more about the Kern Center on Hampshire's website, and learn about their commitment to sustainability

This event will be on April 29th at Hampshire College (893 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002).

Photos taken from Hampshire's website. 


Building Tech Forum 2016: Recap

By Grey Lee


What a great evening – what a gathering of luminaries!

It was epic, massive and hearty. When our people come out of the woodwork, they really come out. It was over 250 people from all aspects of the industry, design to construction to operation of buildings.

 

Connecting the innovation economy to the real estate world.

Greentown Labs was the perfect place to catch the vibe of good old New England innovation and Yankee ingeneuity.

 

Championing the building tech part of clean tech.

Clean tech gets a lot of attention. And yet I'll bet 90% of all cleantech is on, in, or attached to a building.

 

Acknowledging the inherent connection between green buildings and the dynamics of innovation.

Green buildings and our practitioners are and have always been at the forefront of innovation in the construction and real estate industry. It's a long-term legacy.

 

Celebrating the growing strength of our industry in moving toward sustainability in the built environment.

It was great to celebrate and make connections.

 

All this and more – happened and the Building Tech Forum last night.

 

Thank you to all who came out to create a thriving critical mass of interaction.

 

Thank you for supporting our mission for MORE GREEN BUILDINGS!

 

You can take a look at some pics on Flickr here.



 


 



 


 

A Special Thanks to all our Sponsors who helped us put on the event: 


 


We also want to thank all of our displaying sponsors, who demonstrated innovative and sustainable new technologies, products, and services: 





A huge win for a low-carbon future: Kinder Morgan suspends Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline!

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow

On Wednesday, April 20th 2016, Kinder Morgan announced the cancellation of the planned natural gas pipeline to Massachusetts.  Kinder Morgan was working as part of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company for the past two years to extend a pipeline through Massachusetts and lower New Hampshire.  The pipeline would have brought natural gas up from Pennsylvania to meet the anticipated demand for more natural gas for home & building heating and for electricity generation. Approximately half of the state's electricity generation is from natural gas.  

However, due to massive political and community opposition, the project is no longer moving forward.  This is a landmark victory in the effort to de-carbonize Massachusetts's energy supply, as well as protecting the environment from the impacts of constructing the pipeline itself.  The Mass Pipeline Awareness Network has led a coalition of groups in opposition to this pipeline. 

Kinder Morgan said the reason for cancellation was that the market for the natural gas is not ready, with gas distributors, power companies, and other market players not biting on contract commitments for the supply of natural gas.  “Unfortunately, despite working for more than two years and expending substantial shareholder resources, TGP did not receive the additional commitments it expected…As a result, there are currently neither sufficient volumes, nor a reasonable expectation of securing them, to proceed with the project as it is currently configured.  In addition, innovations in production have resulted in a low-price environment that, while good for consumers, has made it difficult for producers to make new long-term commitments. Further, current market conditions and counter-party financial instability have called into question TGP's ability to secure incremental supply for the project. Given these market conditions, continuing to develop the project is not an acceptable use of shareholder funds.”

 


Source: Boston Globe, Kinder Morgan, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company

The Environmental League of Massachusetts has stated that “Kinder Morgan is stopping the pipeline simply because it is both expensive to ratepayers and simply not needed…Massachusetts has the capacity to develop its own energy in solar, wind and hydro and create new industries and jobs here, rather than importing energy and exporting our dollars and jobs.”

The study “Power System Reliability in New England” performed by Attorney General Maura Healey's office in November 2015 found that gas pipelines are not needed, as the power grid will not meet a substantial shortfall until 2030.  The report concluded that the best method to approach investments in future power supply are incentives for homeowners and businesses to reduce electricity use and voluntary demand-response programs. The report said that the $101 million investment into such programs would result in $247 million in savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.86 million tons.  On the other hand, the report has found that expansion of the Northeast’s natural gas pipeline capacity to meet the future potential energy shortfall would cost $66 million and provide savings of $127 million, while resulting in an increase of greenhouse gas emissions by 80,000 tons.

There are still other pipelines…well…in the pipeline.  Spectra Energy is planning a pipeline project which will likely face similar market and grass-roots political challenges.

For Resi Real Estate Pros: Understanding LEED for Homes

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

AP Homes

Don't miss out on this great workshop taking place April 26th! 

This international based residential green building system helps residential professionals make their projects better. Learn how to ensure your next project is healthy, efficient, built to last and affordable through using the LEED rating system and 3rd party performance testing during the construction process. Click here to register.

 

Project types include 

Affordable Housing, single family, duplex, multifamily, midrise and mixed-use buildings up to 12 stories tall.

 

By the end of this online education series, you will be able to:

* Identify the types of projects which are eligible for certification
* Recognize the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the LEED certification process.
* Recognize goals, intents, and requirements of prerequisites and key credits, and strategies to meet them
* Identify synergies between LEED credits
* Understand how to navigate the LEED checklist and online Submittals Portal
* Meet Requirements for LEED AP Homes Credential
* Know Steps to take your Exam

 

Who should attend?

  • Green Raters in Training
  • Builders
  • Developers
  • Architects / Designers
  • Remodeler
  • Policy Makers
  • Homeowners – DIY
  • HERS / BPI Raters
  • Appraisers
  • Home Inspectors

Learn how to apply the LEED for Homes rating system to a real project by walking through the phases of a typical project and the key decisions that project teams must make, including key stakeholder considerations. Engage in interactive, case-based activities that enable you to work hands-on with LEED implementation strategies and rating system tools.

Bonus – Learn more about Boston’s commitment to LEED certifiable requirements in residential buildings as a building code

InstructorJason: Jason La Fleur, Principal at Eco Achievers – LEED AP+Homes, BD+C, PHIUS Rater, HERS and LEED Green Rater

Jason LaFleur is a long time champion, advocate and educator for better residential building in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Jason formerly from the appraisal institute trainings home construction and valuation professionals on how and why green buildings are important. Jason’s company provides consulting, plan review, energy & LEED inspections/test and overall marketing for project teams. Jason currently is the chair of the USGBC-IL residential committee.

This event will be on Tuesday, April 26th, from 8 AM to 5 PM.  Click here to learn more and register!

The Living Building Challenge: Learn More About Green Building's Most Rigorous Performance Standard

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

The Living Building Challenge is a revolutionary new green building certification program. It calls for the creation of building projects that operate as cleanly, beautifully and efficiently as nature's architecture.  There are seven sets of criteria that the Challenge uses, referred to as Petals: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty.   Each Petal is divided into a total of twenty Imperatives, which have their own specific spheres of influence. 

This compilation of Imperatives can be applied to almost every conceivable building project, of any scale and any location—be it a new building or an existing structure. For more info, download the Living Building Challenge 3.0 Standard document.

On May 11-13, The Living Future Conference will be held in Seattle.  Come for a conversation about what inspired us, and what we learned while we were there, and an introduction to the Living Building Challenge. The Living Building Challenge is the built environment's most rigorous performance standard. It calls for the creation of building projects that operate as cleanly, beautifully and efficiently as nature's architecture.  

Participants will gain a basic understanding of the Living Building Challenge – a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that addresses development at all scales. To be certified under the Challenge, projects must meet a series of ambitious performance requirements, including Net Zero Energy, Waste and Water, over a minimum of 12 months of continuous occupancy. Participants will learn to describe the key components of the program and discuss the rationale for restorative design principles.

On May 17th from 8:30 to 10 AM, USGBC MA will be hosting an Introduction to the Living Building Challenge and Conference Update.  The goals of this event are to:

1. Understand the basic philosophy of the Living Building Challenge
2. Describe the key components of the program
3. Discuss the rationale for restorative design principles
4. Identify and locate the resources provided by the International Living Future Institute for deeper engagement

Register for the event here

National Report: World green building trends 2016: Focus on China

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


In February, USGBC announced the results of research by Dodge Data and Analytics, with which USGBC has partnered, in the World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report. In a brief series, USGBC has highlighted specific aspects of the report. 

Although China is still emerging as a green building market, the respondents to the World Green Building Trends survey expect rapid growth in the industry. Only 5 percent report that the current majority of their projects are green; however, 28 percent also report that they expect to be doing over 60 percent of their projects as green building within three years. The market in China is also differentiated by the extent to which protecting natural resources, improving indoor air quality and enhancing health and well-being through green building are seen as priorities.

 

Sectors with expected growth

China, like India, anticipates growth in the sectors of new commercial and high-rise residential. Communities was also reported as a sector with high expected growth: 

  • New commercial buildings (office, retail, hotel): 55 percent of respondents from China expect to build in this sector in the next three years, compared with 46 percent worldwide. 
  • New high-rise residential buildings (four or more floors): 45 percent of respondents from China expect to build in this area over the next three years, compared with only 25 percent globally.
  • Communities (mixed-use development combining residential and commercial buildings): The highest percentage of any responding nation, 36 percent, expects to work on green building in communities. The only other countries that come close to this are Singapore and Brazil.

In contrast, many fewer respondents anticipated doing existing building retrofits (19 percent) than the global average of 37 percent. 

Top drivers for green building

Market demands are a main driver of green building for 43 percent of respondents, compared to 30 percent globally. In addition, environmental regulations and client demands came in with 36 percent and 34 percent of respondents, respectively, listing them as key drivers. Healthier neighborhoods were also a priority, with 30 percent calling them a top trigger, compared to only 15 percent worldwide.

 

Social benefits

Forty-nine percent chose encouraging sustainable business practices as the top social reason for green building in China, below the global average of 58 percent. But 33 percent of respondents in China considered the ability to create a sense of community a top social reason for building green, compared to 29 percent worldwide. The same percentage selected support of the domestic economy as a reason to build green.

Notably, respondents from China were more likely than those of other nations to choose several environmental reasons for building green as being important, beyond just reducing energy consumption (49 percent)—protecting natural resources (49 percent) and improving air quality (42 percent) were also seen as vital. 

Business benefits

One hundred percent of respondents from China reported using metrics to track green building performance. However, the results are conservative compared to global medians. In particular, the reduction in operating costs over one year for both new buildings and retrofits is listed as 4 percent, although the global median is 9 percent. On the other hand, low initial construction costs also result in shorter payback periods for projects in China than what is typical worldwide, which may help encourage green investment.


 

 

 

 

See the full report here

Want Green Building-Related Experience, Contacts, and Knowledge? Volunteer with Us!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Are you passionate about sustainability, efficiency, and the environment?  Do you have familiarity with green building and understand how the built environment affects all of us and the world? 

If yes, then you should consider joining our volunteers!  We have a variety of open positions with different responsibilities, qualifications, and time commitments, and all positions receive some kind of benefit!

Throughout the year, we also have special posts.  Some examples include Boston's Greenfest and the Northeast Building Facility Managers Show coming up this summer – if any USGBCMA friends or members are planning on attending the exposition, we are looking for volunteers to serve as ambassadors at our booth.

We also hold service project volunteer opportunities – usually in the fall with our Green Apple Day of Service – so stay tuned for those programs.

With any of our short-term or long-term volunteer positions, you will be an integral component of our operations and gain a greater understanding of our organization, its mission and its goals, and how we organize our events, advocate, and conduct outreach.


Volunteer assignments include LEED Study Jam Group Instructor, Webinar Proctor, Green Building Analyst/Reporter, USGBC Ambassador, Green Building Tour Coordinator, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, and Committee Leadership

Each position has its own details and specifics, but with any of these opportunities you will get to know the ins-and-outs of our organization, green building, and more!

If you're interested, you can learn more from our volunteer page or fill out our volunteering questionaire form.  We are very flexible with time commitment, the window of time in which you would want to volunteer, and prior experiences and qualifications.  

Volunteering with the Chapter will qualify for credential maintenance hours for GBCI – up to half of your required hours can be earned through volunteering with us. Usually this is much more engaging than sitting through a webinar late at night!

 

 

Green Building Tour: EMD Serono Research & Development Institute

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow

Our next Green Building Tour event will be on May 26th at 6:00pm at EMD Serono Research & Development Institute in Billerica, MA.  

Come join your green building colleagues for a tour of the EMD Serono Research & Development Institute in Billerica in the Unity and Sagamore buildings. The Unity building, containing 140,000 gsf of laboratory and support space, is connected to the newly renovated office space of the Sagamore building by a an enclosed pedestrian bridge. The Unity building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2011, the Sagamore building achieved LEED Platinum certification in 2015. The Unity building is a state-of -the-art biology and chemistry research facility which houses 200 scientists dedicated to research in cancer biology, cancer immunotherapy, oncogene signaling, medicinal chemistry, molecular modelling, protein engineering, therapeutic antibodies and manufacturing cell lines across its key therapeutic areas. The Sagamore building is a former pilot scale Protein Production Laboratory which has been transformed into an open concept office space where project teams can collaborate, communicate and share knowledge, while further having the access to private project rooms for heads down work. The combined building space comprises 237,000 sf of laboratory and office space housing 450 employees in total.

Both projects received high ratings for indoor environmental air quality, water efficiency, and innovation in the LEED rating system. The Unity building was the sixth research lab in Massachusetts to achieve its level of certification. The Unity building’s green design features include, efficient energy lighting and controls, low flow water systems, grey water system, low flow fume hoods, and maximized natural light throughout the building with a solar array that generates electricity for the main lobby area. The Sagamore building’s sustainable design features include floor and wall treatments of 100% sustainable and/or recycled material, locally sourced low emitting materials, and adaptive use of existing building MEP equipment and systems to optimize energy performance. EMD Serono prides itself on environmental responsibility and cutting edge technology which are driving factors for the facility design.

The presenters from EMD Serono include Tony Meenaghan, Senior Director Facilities EHS & Engineering, Jeff Hyman, Senior Manager, Environmental Health & Safety US, and Jack Conway, Project Manager Facilities.  EMD Serono, is the U.S. biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. And special thanks to our Emerging Professionals committtee for coordinating the event. Chapter members, who are connected to the project, from Ellenzweig, BR+A and The Green Engineer will be on hand to help answer questions.

The event is sponsored by JLL Construction. JLL Construction offers comprehensive services as a construction manager, general contractor and design/builder, completing over 300 diverse assignments annually. With a service reach throughout New England and in Philadelphia, JLL Construction delivers construction solutions to an extensive roster of Life Sciences, Higher Education, Government, Corporate, Industrial, Technology, Hospitality, and Residential/Retail clients. Assignments range from smaller interior fit-outs to $100 million mixed-use developments. Their online portfolio can be viewed at http://jll.com/boston-construction.

The tour will take place from 6:00-7:00pm. EMD will host us for a social event afterwards with drinks and appetizers from 7:00-8:00pm. For carpooling purposes, please include the town from which you will be coming to the tour. EMPA will help facilitate ride sharing for those who are interested.

Register for this tour here!

Check out a co-sponsored event with the French & US Innovators & Entrepreneurs

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow

If you can't make it to our Building Tech Forum this Thursday (which is going to be awesome!), you should check out this “Efficient Buildings And Sustainable Urban Development Techmeeting” event we are co-sponsoring tonight at 6:00pm, Tuesday, 4/19 with the French & US Innovators & Entrepreneurs. 

From their website:

“During this Open Innovation Club Techmeeting, startups and large corporations will get together to discover the latest innovations and develop business relationships around: 

  • Sustainable building solutions for resilience, health and safety. 
  • Smart and connected building technology for energy efficiency”

 

Upcoming Workshop: Understanding LEED for Homes!

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow

On April 26th, the Green Home Institute will be hosting an online workshop entitled “Understanding LEED for Homes.” This is a great opportunity for aspiring LEED APs to learn the ins and outs of LEED Homes in preparation for your AP exam!

From their website:

“This international based residential green building system helps residential professionals make their projects better. Learn how to ensure your next project is healthy, efficient, built to last and affordable through using the LEED rating system and 3rd party performance testing during the construction process. By the end of this online education series, you will be able to:

  • Identify the types of projects which are eligible for certification
  • Recognize the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the LEED certification process.
  • Recognize goals, intents, and requirements of prerequisites and key credits, and strategies to meet them
  • Identify synergies between LEED credits
  • Understand how to navigate the LEED checklist and online Submittals Portal
  • Meet Requirements for LEED AP Homes Credential
  • Know Steps to take your Exam”

Register here for this online workshop on Tuesday, April 26th!