What Does “GOOD” Look Like?

By Communications

The Living Building Challenge asks us to imagine a building that answers the question: “What does good look like?”

As a green building certification program and sustainable design framework that visualizes the ideal for the built environment, the Living Building Challenge (LBC) sets out to create buildings that are:

  • Regenerative spaces that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community.
  • Self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site. Living Buildings produce more energy than they use and collect and treat all water on site.
  • Healthy and beautiful.

Greenbuild is kicking off its Green Building Tours series with “Green Day Out” at 8:00am on Monday, November 6. Green Day Out will bring participants to see three buildings designed to meet the Living Building Challenge, and a fourth that uses the most advanced cross laminated timber construction in the United States! This tour will take you to Western Massachusetts, where you be able to see the application of and implementation of sustainable design frameworks that have resulted in cutting edge projects that are changing the building industry. Here's a sneak peek at the projects:


The R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, designed by USGBC MA Chapter Sponsor Bruner/Cott & Associates, is a 2-story, 17,000 SF registered LBC project & 2017 COTE Top 10 Award winner. It generates 100% of its energy on-site and reduces water consumption by 95%. To reach the desired self-sustaining goals, the eco-friendly center has been outfitted with solar panels, composting toilets and a rainwater harvesting system. The Kern Center now functions as a hub for student life with a “community living room” and cafe, and it also serves as a welcome center for parents and staff. Moreover, it also houses a learning and teaching laboratory for both students and visitors. This green building is aiming to bring Hampshire closer to its goal that is to be completely carbon-neutral in coming years.


The Hitchcock Center for the Environment is a single story, 9,000 SF environmental education center and registered LBC project. Designed to be a teaching tool, The Hitchcock Center offers free tours twice monthly to the community. The net zero energy building harvests and recycles its own water, uses composting toilets, and was constructed with responsibly sourced, nontoxic materials. The Hitchcock Center includes educational displays for Pre-K through adults, explaining composting toilets, potable rainwater harvesting & treatment, and greywater systems. The project supports a new approach to achieving environmental literacy in the 21st century.

 


The Bechtel Environmental Classroom, a 2,300 SF single story building designed as a field station for Smith College, was the fifth Certified Living Building in the world and first in New England. Designed by Coldham & Hartman Architects, the classroom is a wood-framed building that serves as a field station for a 233-acre forest and pasture property. It doubles as a classroom and seminar space. The building uses solar panels and an innovative septic system involving composting toilets to fit the consumption imperatives. Since the building’s opening in September 2012, students have monitored a range of data points of electricity and water usage to demonstrate that the building operated over its first year of occupancy as a net-zero facility. “The design and construction of this remarkable building has been a great way to engage our students’ cross-disciplinary abilities and put them in a position where they were making production decisions,”  said Drew Guswa, professor of engineering and director of Smith’s Center for Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability (CEEDS) in a press release. “The building has been, and will continue to be, an invaluable teaching tool.” 


The University of Massachusetts Amherst Design Building is a 4-story, 87,500 GSF building pending LEED Gold. Its heavy-timber wood structure demonstrates how the industry can address climate change by building with wood. UMass says its new Design Building is the largest modern wood building in the U.S. – and the most advanced cross-laminated timber (CLT) building in the country. Designed by Boston-based architects Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the $52 million building is among the first in the U.S. to use a wood-concrete composite floor system. The building saves the equivalent of over 2,300 metric tons of carbon when compared to a traditional energy-intensive steel and concrete building, says the university.

 

Join us! Monday, November 6 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Meet at Tour Meet Desk (Lobby). This is a tour you just can't miss! Upon completing the tour, you will be able to discuss 1) why building with wood is critical for the building industry and addressing climate change; 2) the fundamentals of mass timber buildings and structural systems; 3) the basic requirements of the Living Building Challenge; and 4) the collaborative approach and engagement strategies used in Living Building Projects to ensure goals are met. 

Greenbuild is just around the corner. Register today and take a look at the schedule for all of the exciting events Greenbuild 2017 has to offer!

Massachusetts: A Spark in the Net Positive Revolution

By Communications

We are amidst a paradigm shift in the building sector– a shift that is completely necessary in the face of our changing climate. One significant tool in the emerging design strategies toolbox for sustainable building construction and operations is the principle of “Net Positive”. A positive energy building is one that produces more energy from renewable sources than it consumes.

Why is this significant? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption was consumed by the residential and commercial sectors in 2016. From space heating and cooling to electricity use, addressing energy consumption at the building level has the potential to make a significant impact on reducing total national energy consumption and thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Massachusetts is very much a part of this movement!

As a part of Greenbuild 2017, the Green Building tours program is showcasing Massachusetts net positive efforts in a full day tour on Monday, November 6 from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. The tour, “Net Positive Revolution” will explore LEED-certified, net positive and passive house buildings that clearly show revolution is afoot again in Massachusetts! Attendess will gain insight on the philosophy and design attributes of the Passive House certification system as well as the building site design, envelope, MEP and renewable energy systems that contribute to net zero building design. In addition, tour attendees will be able to better define how the use of wood as a sustainably-sourced and local material can enhance a project's sustainability.


The tour visits include: an office in Newton MA, with a passive and net positive design that confronts the challenge of retrofitting an existing building to meet Passive House standards; a passive house in Wayland MA which can be heated and cooled by the equivalent of a single burner on a stove; a net positive farmhouse in Lincoln, MA; and Walden Pond Visitors Center (image at right), a net zero energy building that also demonstrates what can be achieved with locally sourced materials and integrating a building into its landscape. Process and detail strategies will be shared by both design professionals and contractors responsible for these projects.

Green Building tours are one of Greenbuild's most popular and exciting features, providing the opportunity to explore green buildings ranging from higher education facilities to sports venues. In addition to the tours, Greenbuild has a whole week of exciting events (Nov. 6 – Nov. 10) including workshops, education sessions and networking opportunities. Be sure to check out the schedule and sign up today!

“A Building and a Landscape Should Work Together”

By USGBC Communications

Levi + Wong Design Associates (LWDA) have embraces an approach to landscape architecture that is grounded in holistic observation. LWDA creates healing gardens, courtyards, and campuses that bring landscape and building together. The firm's mission? Design with purpose, solve spatial problems with imagination, and implement solutions that are both beautiful and sustainable. LWDA works in harmony with existing natural conditions so that building and landscape work together.



The firm is able to unite building and landscape to serve as extensions of one another, creating smooth transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.

For example, the adult day living courtyard at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital was inspired from an idea to use the outdoors as an extension of the hospital’s physical therapy program. A former overgrown and little-used side entrance yard was transformed into a new garden that integrates everyday outdoor activities into a patient’s rehabilitation The garden now serves multiple functions including therapy, meditative, and family gathering, and the space successfully mixes patients, families and caregivers in an equitable outdoor environment. A variety of New England pavement types, sidewalks curbs, garden gates and latches, and ramps become activities patients can use to rehab and relearn everyday outdoor living: mailboxes, benches, curbs, curb ramps, outdoor handrails, plant potting, basketball, and miniature golf. Offering comfortable venues of outdoor seating and rehabilitation activities, the garden has become the centerpiece of the hospital.

#BtheChange: Haley Belofsky Sails with Special Olympians

By USGBC MA Communications


ReVision is proud to be a Certified B Corp, a business that has been independently verified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. But B Corps are more than just a certification – they are part of an international movement to demonstrate that businesses can be an instrument of positive change.

This new series, #BtheChange, celebrates the employees at ReVision Energy who live out B Corp values on a daily basis.

Today’s feature: Haley Belofsky, of our North Andover, MA branch. Read the Boston Globe article here.

[special olympian sailors in boston harbor]

Haley (Second from right in the photo above) has spent every Wednesday night from May through September sailing with the Special Olympics in Boston Harbor to help them prepare for the annual Regatta. Jay Nothnagle, to Haley’s right, has been sailing since he was a toddler. The athletes vary in social skill and physical ability, but all are determined competitors, and are graceful in victory or defeat.

 

2017 Board Elections are Going on Now!

By Alexander Landa


As of this morning – Friday, January 13th – 2017 Board elections are now going on.

For members of the US Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter, you should have received an email this morning asking you to fill out a short survey and to decide who you want to see as a member of the 2017 Board of Directors.

If you didn't receive this email, please check your spam folder, or contact us at info@usgbcma.org.

If you aren't currently a member but would like to get involved, please join as a member now, and we will be sending a follow-up email with voting instructions next week for any new members.

For more information on each candidate and to read their statements, please go here.

1/26: Introduction to the Living Building Challenge

By Alexander Landa


The Living Building Challenge is still a new concept to many, and to those folks, it can be quite confusing. What makes this building standard unique is the time devotion needed – you can't just make a building, have it look good day one, and then let it go. You need to keep this design Net-Zero (energy, waste, water) for a year before it even has a chance at being qualified. 

Interested now? Get the primer from us on January 26th – register here!

During this 3-hour morning session, we will cover projects in Massachusetts, including a presentation followed by a discussion, answering any remaining questions you may have.

Learning objectives:

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

2016 Retrospective – USGBC MA Year in Review

By Alexander Landa


2016 was a huge year for our Chapter. We won major advocacy victories: passing PACE legislation, renovating the building code and stretch code, and improvements to net metering.

We surpassed 600 dues-paying members and tripled the size of our Emerging Professionals Committee. We rolled up our sleeves for service projects in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan, and along the Charles River.

We continue to connect sustainability-strong professionals to work together to create more green buildings and smart cities. We have over 900 LEED certifications and 2 Living Buildings in Massachusetts. We're proud of our community and our successes. 

We are energized to drive sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operations of buildings. We want net positive results for our communities through a better built environment.

Thank you

Now that 2016 is coming to a close, we again want to say how thankful we are for such a passionate community of green building leaders and advocates! 
We would genuinely appreciate an end of the year donation to help us strengthen our advocacy campaigns, educational opportunities, and to connect more industry leaders to make Massachusetts that much greener of a state. For the remainder of 2016, PayPal is matching 1% of all donations to our chapter, and any support you can give us truly does make a difference.

Donate now.

There are other ways you can help! One of our primary objectives is of course advocacy. Between contacting legislators directly, attending our meetings, and anything in between, you can help shape our environment. Learn more about advocacy.

Another great way to get involved is in our mentorship program. If you have knowledge to pass on, please consider mentoring a future green building leader. Those looking for guidance themselves can be matched with one of the volunteering mentors. Learn about mentoring.


 

Annual Meeting

The beginning of the year started off in a big way. We celebrated our victories, planned out the rest of 2016, elected new board members, and had a really fun evening aside. If there's any time to see what being a member of our Chapter is like, then this is the event to attend. Our next Annual Meeting is January 26th, and you can register for the big day here, and see the full recap of the 2016 meeting here.


 

 

Policy Podium for Net Metering

One of our most pivotal advocacy campaigns involves net metering, and aiming to grow solar development and work with legislation directly. In effort to eliminate net metering caps, we brainstormed that we need to modernize the grid, focus more on transparency, and decide what steps building developers can do directly. Full recap.
 

Building Tech Forum

This was a really exciting night for everyone in our community. We're all about innovation and trying to raise the bar for what green building professionals can do, so we decided it was time to take a deeper dive into emerging technological advancements to support sustainable design. This unique event focuses on smart cities, and what can be done now to work towards a more advanced future and what steps we can take now to make it happen. Full recap, and sign up for 2017's Building Tech Forum.


 

 

Charles River Cleanup

We get out there and we get our hands dirty. If we're going to help make more green buildings, we should be surrounded by a greener surrounding environment. It's only fair to make everything healthy! Full recap.


 

 

 

 

Green Building Showcase

Obviously, a major component of what we do is supporting designers and architects who create more sustainable buildings. At the Showcase, we shine the spotlight on those who are willing to put the extra effort in to create a healthier building for the environment, and for the inhabitants. Read the full recap, see the winners, and read more about the Building of the Year award winner, Elkus Manfredi for their New Balance HQ design.


Healthy Materials Summit

The building as a whole is incredibly important, but we need to start paying more attention to the materials that go into creating them, and ensuring more transparency is disclosed regarding the materials. The Healthy Materials Summit focused on materials transparency, and what developers can do to work with it. Full recap.


 

 

 

Greenbuild

We're sure you already know, but Greenbuild is coming to Boston in 2017! This year, Greenbuild was in Los Angeles, so we flew out there to enjoy the world's largest green building conference with our peers. We went to educational sessions, networked with like-minded individuals, and learned how we can make 2017's event that much better. Full recap.

 

ABX

In November in Boston, we attended the Northeast's largest architectural expo, and learned quite a lot from a wide variety of industries in the world of architecture. We met with materials manufacturers, designers, green building advocates, and people from all around the world. On Monday, we held our own little pre-mixer with ILFI's Amanda Sturgeon, and on Wednesday we worked with the Quebec Delegation to have an engaging party, celebrating our new partnership with them. Full recap.


Greenbuild Kickoff & Volunteer Night

Just last week, we held our kickoff party for Greenbuild 2017. We're going all-in for the next year to make sure this is the biggest one yet! We set up working groups and volunteers of eager, enthusiastic green building professionals to work together to make magic happen. Full recap.


 

 

Let's start making 2017's retrospective

Our journey and mission will never end. We have some really exciting events coming up that we'd love to see you at. We want to imagine ourselves at the end of 2017 and say “Wow, we really started off the year well!”

 

 

– Arc – is here: connecting the building performance

By Marisa Long, USGBC

Arc’s mission is to connect all actions through a single platform that delivers a higher quality of life

Washington, D.C. — (Dec. 1, 2016) — A new technology company, Arc Skoru Inc., officially launched today by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). This new venture will be the official host for Arc, a state-of-the-art digital platform available at arcskoru.com. Arc allows any project — whether a single building, a community or an entire city — to measure improvements and benchmark against itself and projects around it.

Scot Horst, who has overseen and led the development of LEED since 2005, has been appointed as the CEO of Arc.

“GBCI developed Arc as a way to provide new and more transparent ways to share information,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “Scot Horst brings many years of leadership and expertise to Arc, and we celebrate him in his new role as the CEO. For the past 11 years, Scot has led the evolution of LEED through LEED 2009 and LEED v4. He was also the chief inventor of the LEED Dynamic Plaque, a system designed to tie ongoing building performance to initial certification.”

The goal of Arc is to support the missions of USGBC and GBCI. LEED-certified buildings can use Arc to improve and benchmark against other certified buildings around them. Existing buildings that have not certified can use Arc to make incremental sustainability improvements to eventually achieve LEED certification.

“Arc allows buildings, communities and cities to compare their performance against their peers and also connect to vetted green building strategies,” said Scot Horst, CEO, Arc. “Over the last two decades LEED certification has become a symbol of leadership, signifying that a project is saving energy, resources and water, and is healthier for occupants and the community. A LEED building has become the mark of a high quality building. Now through the Arc platform, all buildings can improve and work toward LEED certification.”

Today more than ever before, the green building movement relies on technology and data, and the future of green buildings is focused on performance. Arc represents a new era for green building; the platform takes LEED to the next level through the shared use of technology, feedback and recognition of excellence.

About the Arc platform:

  • Arc is a simple digital platform for all projects pursuing LEED certification and will eventually include other green building rating systems, standards protocols and guidelines.
  • Arc is inclusive of all projects, even those not pursuing certification, so that all buildings can measure performance and make incremental improvements.
  • Arc facilitates connections to people and projects globally. It encourages innovation, enabling informed decisions on building design, operations and maintenance.

Features of the current Arc platform include:

  • Existing buildings can use Arc to earn LEED Operations + Maintenance certification and precertification using the O+M performance path.
  • Projects that are currently pursuing and planning to register for the LEED for Existing Buildings standard path can also use Arc for performance data reporting.
  • Cities, communities and districts can use Arc to start tracking data and earn LEED pre-certification.
  • All registered and previously certified LEED projects have access to Arc to keep their LEED certification up to date. Project leads can also use Arc for performance data tracking and reporting as per the initial requirements in LEED for data sharing.
  • Projects previously using the LEED Dynamic Plaque will be included in Arc.

The O+M performance path was approved by the LEED Steering Committee in January 2016 and the LEED for Cities Pilot was approved by the LEED steering committee in October 2016. LEED for Cities will be submitted for USGBC member approval following input from pilot users.

Over time, Arc will continue to add rating systems into the platform. The platform provides an entry point for all buildings with the goal of eventually certifying them to LEED or to other GBCI rating systems such as GRESB, WELL, PEER, SITES, Parksmart, etc. As GBCI adds new rating systems, the introduction of Arc makes the certification process as streamlined as possible for the end user. Projects pursuing certification under more than one rating system will realize efficiencies in places where the rating systems share the same or similar requirements.

About Arc

Arc Skoru Inc. was created by GBCI to make USGBC, GBCI and their partners’ visions a reality by connecting people all over the world to actions and inspiring them to make the most informed decisions. This empowers people to connect and collaborate toward a collective higher quality of life. Arc Skoru is the go-to place to track all of the inspirations, connections and actions related to the sustainability of our built environment.

Arc Skoru uses its Arc platform to allow users to measure performance, make improvements and benchmark against other projects. Arc is a complement to LEED and other green building rating systems, standards, protocols and guidelines and allows buildings and spaces to compare performance metrics and connect those metrics to green building strategies. Arc enables incremental improvements and can put a project on track for LEED or other rating system certification. arcskoru.com

“Plus des Batiment Vert!” – les Quebecois Rock!

By Alexander Landa


The USGBC MA Chapter has many partnerships across the state, the country, and even the continent. We work with architects, schools, product manufacturers, and more – including the Quebec Delegation – who has an office here in Boston. This past Wednesday during ABX 2016, we worked together with Quebec to throw an awesome party, celebrating our partnership, architecture, our mutual mission for a better tomorrow, and more green buildings!

In between networking sessions, we saw Grey Lee, Yann Lamarche, Keith Kalinowski, and a couple of heartening testimonials by customers who are picking up the accent. We also brought back the showboards from our Green Building Showcase in September – lots of cool projects to share with the community encore!

We look forward to working with Quebec here in Boston more!

See more photos from the event here.

2016 Charles River Cleanup

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


The EPMA's had an great turn out at the 17th Annual Charles River Clean-Up on Saturday. We were blessed with the elusive Boston spring sun! The Esplanade was packed full of strolling families, runners, cyclists and roller bladers all enjoying the fine weather. We were assigned to the river section between the Boston University and Massachusetts Ave Bridges, along with three other volunteer groups. We gathered at the Exercise Course on the Esplanade to pick up our Charles River Clean Up t-shirts, trash bags, and pick up tools, then headed off to get to work.


It was great to be alongside volunteers from all over Boston. There were retirees, school children and even some toddlers helping out. We split up to gather trash along the Storrow Drive fence line and by the water. The volume of trash was noticeably lower than past years due to our mild winter. We found a lot of broken glass in the rip rap along the shoreline, some car accident detritus along the road, and some old clothing by the water that had become a home for algae and small fresh water mollusks. 


The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup brought over 3,000 volunteers together, highlighting the impact of community empowerment, teamwork and environmental stewardship. It was really inspiring to see the turnout and help contribute to the health of our city. 


After the clean-up, we gathered at the Hatch Shell for a group picnic. As music played over the loud speaker, people took over the lawn with picnic blankets, frisbee games and dancing. It was a great wrap up to an awesome day of service! 
Thank you to all of our volunteers, and we look forward to seeing you at our Earth Day Clean Up next year!