What's WELL and What's It Mean for the Building Industry?

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

To get back in the loop with your building standards, come to our Introduction to WELL

Register here or below.

Tuesday, July 19 from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
50 Milk Street, “Aristotle” Room

The WELL Building Standard was recently created to help design buildings that are better for human health. We anticipate that this building standard will greatly impact the building process and the types of buildings that are constructed in the future.

To bring as many people up to speed with this new standard, we have organized an introductory session at our headquarters. This session will be beneficial for professionals from all sectors of the building industry: owners, engineers, builders and occupants interested in the new standard are encouraged to attend!

Advocacy Update: Senate bill seeks bigger strides toward renewable energy base

By Matt Murphy

Click here for the full article.

STATE HOUSE — The Massachusetts Senate plans an aggressive approach to bolstering the state’s power supplies with renewable resources like hydropower and offshore wind, proposing legislation on Friday that would go further than the House to require the purchase of 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind and roughly 1,500 megawatts of other clean energy resources.

The bill, which has been scheduled for debate in the Senate thisThursday, would also encourage utilities to purchase energy storage systems to maximize the value of the new clean energy generation, and includes provisions to support improved energy efficiency in homes.

Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka and Sen. Benjamin Downing, the co-chair of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee, held a briefing on the bill on Friday, June 24 as it was being polled through committee.

The bill (S 2372) would require utilities to solicit long-term contracts of between 15 years and 20 years for 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030, well beyond the 1,200 megawatts proposed in the House bill.

Spilka said the bill would also encourage the offshore wind industry to make Massachusetts a base of operation, fostering job growth and economic development in parts of the state and creating new advanced manufacturing opportunities for energy storage systems. “It’s written to really foster open competitive bidding and especially in the case of offshore wind to encourage economic development,” Spilka said.

In addition to offshore wind, Senate leaders are proposing a separate procurement of roughly 1,500 megawatts of clean energy generation from other sources, including hydropower, onshore wind, energy storage, anaerobic digestion, solar and others.

The push on Beacon Hill to diversify the state’s energy portfolio comes at time when policymakers are trying to prepare for the loss in coming years of 10,000 megawatts of power generation from the closure of fossil fuel plants and Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

With the state heavily reliant on natural gas for its energy, lawmakers are trying to shift the market towards clean energy to help meet pollution reduction mandates under the Global Warming Solutions Act without driving up already high New England energy prices.

“I think if we do not act, prices will continue to be incredibly volatile in Massachusetts. We’ve seen this over time that prices are very weather-dependent and our over-reliance on natural gas leaves us exposed to that,” Downing said. The Pittsfield Democrat said the bill should “stabilize” costs in the short-term.

Environmental League of Massachusetts President George Bachrach, who has been promoting a bill that would embody what Gov. Charlie Baker refers to as a “combo platter” of energy options, offered his support Friday morning.

“New reports show Boston will be drowning as temperatures and sea levels rise. We urgently need more energy, but it must be clean energy. The Senate bill will increase energy from offshore wind with sufficient scale to reduce costs for customers while creating manufacturing and high-tech jobs in our state. It ensures onshore wind, hydro and local renewables will make up a big part of our energy portfolio,” Bachrach said.

It will likely be challenging for House and Senate leaders to agree on a consensus energy bill prior to the July 31 end of formal sessions since there are already many differences with between the House and Senate bills, with the Senate likely to tack on more differences during floor debate next week. Branch leaders sparred for months this session over solar energy policy, but leaders have also identified this larger energy bill as a priority for passage this year.

What's Happening in July? Tours, Educational Sessions, and a BBQ!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

Interested in WELL, LEED, BREEAM, or all three?? We're hosting educational sessions and exam prep on these building standards– check them out below!

Want images and helpful descriptions? Read the full newsletter here!

WELL Intro + Discussion (Tues, 7/19, morning)

BREEAM in the USA (Wed, 7/20, morning)

LEED GA Exam Prep (Wed, 7/27, full day)

WELL AP Exam Prep (Thurs, 7/28, full day)

 

We're also hosting tours and events in green buildings! You could tour and network in 75 State Street, and celebrate green building in the Living Building Challenge-certified Old Oak Dojo!

75 State Street Building Tour + Networking Night (Thurs, 7/21, evening)

Old Oak Dojo Tour ( Sun, 7/24, afternoon)

 

Coming up in August, September, and October are some other events to check out!

Living Building Challenge Tour: Hampshire College + Hitchcock Center (Fri, 8/12, afternoon)

Green Building Showcase 2016 (Thurs, 9/22, evening)

Greenbuild 2016 (Wed 10/5 – Fri 10/7)

 


Want images and helpful descriptions? Read the full newsletter here!

Transforming What it Means to be Green in Affordable Housing

By Mike Davis, Boston LISC

Deploying energy solutions so all Massachusetts residents benefit from a clean energy economy.

Earlier this spring, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC) Massachusetts Green Retrofit Initiative reached a milestone as 10 of our 20 multifamily affordable housing partners signed onto the Better Buildings Challenge (BBC). Started by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the BBC provides ongoing technical expertise and support for building owners who commit to a 20% portfolio-wide energy reduction over 10 years. Combined, our 10 leaders own and operate over 22,000 units of housing across Massachusetts, and are transforming what it means to be green for the rest of the affordable housing sector.

But how did we get here? Thanks to the support of the Barr Foundation, more than six years ago LISC created the Green Retrofit Initiative, a program with a goal to accelerate Massachusetts’ multifamily affordable housing owners toward an efficient, clean-energy future. Through this initiative, LISC connected owners to energy efficiency and renewable energy funding options and provided them with technical expertise. Our building science partner, New Ecology, Inc., helped owners analyze their housing portfolios’ baseline energy use, and develop and implement strategic plans to accomplish their desired energy savings goals.

The results have been impressive. Through the Initiative, owners have successfully navigated Massachusetts’ complex utility programs to realize consistent and predictable energy efficiency improvements. From 2012 to 2015, participants experienced average savings of 29% for electric projects and 23% for gas projects. Overall, we have worked with 50 multifamily affordable housing owners across the state to benchmark 17,000 units, retrofit more than 5,000 units, and leverage more than $17 million in financing.

The experiences of participating building owners have also informed LISC’s work to inform smart policies for energy efficiency and renewable technologies for low- and moderate- income housing. We believe that the golden moment to achieve deeper energy efficiency savings and to incorporate long-lasting clean energy technologies is when an affordable housing project is slated for a substantial rehabilitation. This happens only every 15 to 20 years. So, the critical policy question is, how can we make sure it’s easier for affordable housing owners to pursue deeper energy efficiency savings and clean-energy technologies during this window of opportunity?

We believe the golden moment to achieve deeper energy efficiency savings is at the time of an affordable housing project’s substantial rehabilitation.

Our current work is dedicated to answering this question. We believe the first step is for owners to know exactly which efficiency and clean energy measures will work best for them and their specific projects. This requires comprehensive energy audits in the design process to illuminate what is possible. The second step is to collaborate with the state’s housing finance agencies, utilities, and other partners to make sure that, once owners know the best options for them, they will have a predictable source of funding to implement those deeper efficiency and clean energy measures.

LISC applauds all its Green Retrofit Initiative owners for their leadership and efforts in greening the affordable housing sector across the state. We look forward to continuing this work—supporting owners on the ground, while also ensuring that policy discussions are informed by their stories and experiences, so that all Massachusetts residents benefit from a clean energy economy.

In the photo above, Clifton Geissler, director of maintenance, Maloney Properties, Inc., and Dariela Maga, housing project manager, Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, are pictured in their Allston–Brighton green retrofit project.

The Green Retrofit Initiative (GRI) is a program designed to help affordable housing owners navigate our state’s utility programs to achieve energy efficiency savings. In partnership with our building science expert,New Ecology, Inc., LISC Boston has worked with over 50 multifamily affordable housing owners statewide to benchmark a total of 17,000 units, retrofit more than 5,000 units, and leverage over $17 million. The Green Retrofit Initiative’s approach has demonstrated that energy and water retrofits can consistently result in 20 percent energy savings.

Read the original article here: https://www.barrfoundation.org/blog/transforming-what-it-means-to-be-gre…

Next Month: WELL and LEED Exam Prep Courses!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

Need help preparing for the WELL AP or LEED GA Exam? You're in luck! We're hosting day-long exam prep courses. Learn with us and meet potential study partners!

LEED Exam Prep will also have time at the end for questions about specific LEED AP Exams.


WELL Exam Prep:

July 28 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

WELL is the newest building standard to arrive in the building industry! Get ahead of the curve by getting your Accredited Professional (AP) certification. This day-long course will cover in depth all you need to know for the exam.
Register here.

 


LEED Exam Prep:

July 27 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

The LEED Exam Prep Course is a comprehensive course which will prepare attendees for the Green Associate and other specialty exams. The day long curriculum is designed to cover the segments of the Green Associate Exam and to lightly cover the AP specialty exams.
Register here.

 

If these workshop times don't fit in your schedule, check here for future course times.

LEED in Motion: Industrial Sector Prioritizes Sustainability

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

USGBC released its LEED in Motion: Industrial Facilities report, which highlights the collaborative efforts across the manufacturing sector to design and implement LEED and prioritize environmental stewardship for industrial facilities. Currently, there are more than 1,755 LEED-certified industrial facilities worldwide, totaling more than 496 million square feet, and an additional 2,710 projects registered that total nearly 737 million square feet. The report also showcases the most impressive LEED-certified industrial facilities in the world.

The report also features LEED-certified projects from international brands, including:

  • Colgate–Palmolive Facility Expansion, Swidnica, Poland: LEED Gold
  • Diageo/Guinness Brewery at St. James’ Gate, Dublin, Ireland: LEED Platinum
  • FCA US LLC Trenton South Engine Plant, Trenton, Mich.: LEED Gold
  • Intel Israel IDPJ Certification, Jerusalem, Israel: LEED Platinum
  • Liberty Property Trust: Tasty Baking Co., Philadelphia, Pa.: LEED Silver
  • L’Oreal Florence North Project, Florence, Ky.: LEED Certified
  • Method Southside Soapbox, Chicago, Ill.: LEED Platinum
  • Prologis Park Tres Rios, Cuautitlan Izcalli, Estado de Mexico: LEED Silver

Read the full press release here, and the full report here.

Summer BBQ A Success!

By Jenna Dancewicz & Aminah McNulty


Last Thursday, professionals of all backgrounds met at the North Point Park to enjoy the summer sun and learn about Permaculture!

The lively discussions were fueled by the delicious and local food provided by Farmer's Market Kitchen. Nothing goes better with networking and green building than grilled eggplant and haloumi burgers! 


We've posted our full photo album on Facebook!


The evening culminated in a fun DIY self watering planter project. We cut used plastic bottles in half, drilled a hole through the cap and threaded absorbent string through. Using recycled newspaper, we lined the bottle to protect the roots from light exposure and filled the top half of the paper lined bottle with organic potting soil. As we filled, we coiled the string in concentric circles up to the top so that water will absorb from the bottom and soak up through the soil. Less than a week out, Aminah has signs of life in her up-cycled self watering basil planter! 

Thank you to Eva Leung, Co-Founder of Terra Cura Inc., for providing insight on Permaculture and its application in the field of sustainable design. Eva gave us an introduction to Permaculture, articulating the scalability and wide set application of the mindset, framework and ethos of the movement. She was thrilled at the opportunity to engage in a conversation with professionals in the green building industry, as “people capital” and sharing information and knowledge are integral parts to her practice. Please visit their website to learn more!

Thank you to our event sponsor, Brightview Landscape Development!

RDK Understands Workplace Engineering

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

Today’s work environment can have a significant impact on the productivity and general well-being of the building’s users. Indoor air quality, life safety, appropriate lighting levels, and efficient HVAC systems are critical for ensuring these comforts. As such, workplace design, especially on the part of the MEP/FP Engineer, has become increasingly important. RDK has extensive experience in the design of core and shell office space, open workspace environments, tenant improvement projects, kitchen/cafeterias, conference centers, and training rooms, for a variety of client types. They understand the number of challenges that come with engineering these spaces. Balancing the needs of the tenant with the project’s financial realities; adhering to aggressive construction schedules; configuring the space to the specific needs of the client; and designing in compliance with the latest ASHRAE/NFPA standards, are tasks we address head on. Their approach to workplace design involves:

• Working closely with the client to fully understand their needs

• Ensuring that the design is integrated with the existing base building systems

• Integrating telecom/audio visual/electronic security systems and equipment

• Maximizing comfort while balancing the need for energy efficiencies

• Providing flexibility to accommodate changing tenant requirements as time passes

 

It is great to have knowledgeable allies like RDK Engineers as Chapter Sponsoring Partners, helping to ensure the achievement of more green buildings in Massachusetts, and beyond!

Read more about RDK on their website and our blog!

GRESB and WELL: Complementary Tools to Promote Transparency and Leadership on Health and Well-being

By Chris Pyke, PhD

Health and well-being has emerged as an important issue for real estate companies and funds. Investors and tenants have expressed interest and there is increasing recognition that the promotion of health and well-being can contribute to competitive differentiation, value creation, and risk management.

GRESB and its partners explored this with a series of events in major cities around the world. During these events, we are often asked how GRESB works with the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL). This blog provides highlights of connections between the systems.

First, GRESB and WELL assess different things. GRESB is an assessment of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of real estate companies and funds. Consequently, the unit of assessment is anorganization, and GRESB’s focus is on entity-level business strategy, management practices, and performance. WELL is a performance-based leadership standard for building projects. It can be applied to guide and recognize leadership in the promotion of health and wellness for interior fit-outs and whole buildings, and in the future will be applied to neighborhood-scale development. This means that GRESB and WELL are natural complements, with GRESB focusing on organizational practices and performance and WELL defining project-scale leadership and performance. [Screenshot (244)]

GRESB and WELL have strong synergies. We can describe two different types of connections: building certifications and, more broadly, individual indicators. Of course, WELL is a project-level certification, and, as such, it can receive partial recognition within GRESB’s Building Certifications Aspect. The partial recognition reflects GRESB’s long-standing criteria that green building rating systems must address energy performance along with additional factors. By design, WELL doesn’t address energy since its intention is to work alongside green building rating systems as a complementary certification. GRESB will provide partial recognition for WELL Certification this year and give this issue more consideration before the release of the 2017 Real Estate Assessment.

Equally or more importantly, GRESB and WELL have complementary requirements for individual WELL Features and GRESB indicators (questions). This means that entities familiar with GRESB are likely to have management practices and systems that make it easier to achieve WELL Certification. Conversely, many WELL Features contribute directly to GRESB indicators. For example, the GRESB Health & Well-being Module has a new indicator for leadership. This GRESB indicator provides information about the specific individual (or individuals) responsible for directing health promotion activities. Existence of leadership for health and well-being at the company or fund level is likely to facilitate achievement of the over 100 discrete, project-specific health promotion strategies or features recognized by WELL. To take this a step further, implementation of individual WELL Features provides easy answers for GRESB Health & Well-being Module questions 4 and 7, related to strategies promoting health and well-being. Although it is challenging to compare WELL and GRESB side-by-side given the difference in scale and approach, there are clear instances of alignment. For example, both GRESB and WELL recognize the importance of monitoring outcomes using tools such as occupant surveys. A highlight summary of connections is shown in the accompanying table.

The bottom-line is that the WELL Certification and its underlying strategy to promote health and wellness contribute positively to GRESB. In turn, GRESB and the new GRESB Health & Well-being Module provide an organizational “wrapper” around the WELL Certification to understand portfolio-level issues, such as how leadership and business strategy contribute to successful implementation of health-promoting strategies at the project scale. Together, WELL and GRESB provide an effective platform to promote health and well-being and provide transparency for investors and other stakeholders.

Original article: http://insight.gbig.org/gresb-and-well-complementary-tools-to-promote-tr…

Building Tour + Networking Night for the Price of One (or FREE)!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

Our Outreach Committee has organized a joint building tour and networking night! Free for Members and $25 for Non-Members!

Thursday, July 21 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
75 State Street, Boston

Register here or below!

During the tour, we’ll explore the building, including tenant spaces and the roof deck. After the event, we'll be discussing all things sustainable!

Schedule:

5:30 PM – Initial Gathering in Lobby
5:45 PM – Project Presentation
6:00 PM – Building Tour
7:30 PM – Chapter Networking

About the Venue:

75 State Street, Boston, MA (Brookfield Properties)
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Gold Certification in 2009
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Platinum Re-Certification in 2014

The building is also Energy Star Certified.