Don't Miss May's Building Tour at EMD Serono Research R&D Institute!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Come join your green building colleagues May 26th for a tour of the EMD Serono Research & Development Institute in Billerica in the Unity and Sagamore buildings. The former achieved LEED Gold certification in 2011, while the latter attained LEED Platinum certification in 2015. 

The Unity building is a state-of -the-art biology and chemistry research facility which houses 200 scientists and research labs. The Sagamore building is a former pilot scale Protein Production Laboratory which has been transformed into an open concept office space.

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.

JLL Construction will be sponsoring this event. JLL offers comprehensive services as a construction manager, general contractor and design/builder, completing over 300 diverse assignments annually from New England all the way to Philadelphia.

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.

Special thanks to JLL Construction Services for sponsoring this event!

This event will be May 26th from 6 PM to 7 PM at 45 Middlesex Turnpike, Billerica, MA. 

Read more and register here!
 

May 31st (Tuesday): Learn More about WELL

By Ryan Duffy


Join us Tuesday, May 31st, from 8:30-10:30am for the next installment of our Building Blueprint series.  This round we will introduce the groundbreaking new building standard WELL. We will follow the introductory session with a roundtable discussion. We are excited to welcome professionals from all sectors of the building industry–owners, engineers, builders and occupants interested in the new standard. 

 

Sign up here to join us for this class. Qualifies for GBCI credit.

 

We will be watching a segment from the USGBC's Education platform to bring all in the room up to speed on WELL and then having a moderated discussion on the future, impact and evolution of the standard.

This is part of our ongoing effort this year to learn more about green building's newest rigorous building standard. Previous events we've hosted about well featured conversation with owners' reps, architects, and contractors who are considering using the WELL building standard on an actual project – everyone benefited.

Come to this month's presentation to be a part of this exciting new development in the green building movement!

Below, find some information on the WELL content that will be covered: 

 

About


The Introduction to the WELL Building Standard presentation provides an overview of the WELL Building Standard ideology, structure, and certification process. The medical basis for the concept categories is introduced along with design and construction strategies to create healthy buildings. The time has come to elevate human health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvent buildings that are not only better for the planet—but also for people. This presentation will introduce how to do this using the WELL Building Standard as the framework.

Objectives

  1. Articulate the financial, societal, and environmental benefits of WELL certification
  2. Identify the role of the International Well Building Institute and the WELL Building Standard
  3. Recognize the structure of the WELL Building Standard
  4. Explain the 7 concepts of the WELL Building standard, the strategies to achieve them, and the health impacts they address
  5. Summarize the certification process of the WELL Building Standard

The event will be at 50 Milk St, 18th Floor- “Hemingway” Room, Boston, MA 02109. Register here and find more about WELL here!

New Mass. Green Buildings in the Month of April

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Massachusetts, as well as Boston in particular, have time and again shown their status as pioneers in the green building and energy efficiency movement.  At the beginning of this year, U.S. Green Building Council announced Massachusetts was third state in the nation for LEED, measured in square feet certified per person in 2015. 

Also check out this story about Boston making the Top Dozen list of U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings!

Are you aware that Massachusetts is a leader in the production of Living Buildings? We just recognized a new Living Building Challenge attaining building – the Old Oak Dojo in Jamaica Plain! Congratulations to the project team at Next Phase Studios for their hard work to attain this distinction.

Also, this past April alone, 24 building projects were involved in some kind of LEED or Energy Star certification in the state of Massachusetts! 14 buildings were Energy Star certified and 2 projects received LEED Silver certification. One project–Charles River Community Health– received LEED for New Construction certification, and another–a multi-family residential construction project– received LEED for Homes certification. 


5 projects attained Gold Certification 

LEED was developed to address all buildings everywhere, regardless of where they are in their life cycle. From hospitals to data centers, from historical buildings to those still in the design phase, there is a LEED for every building.


New Balance's brand new headquarters in Allston (with 297,332 square feet of office space) became Platinum certified.  The LEED benchmark of Platinum is very impressive and difficult to achieve.  This building is Platinum because it has 2 green activities that achieved outcomes of energy efficient design, water use reduction, sustainable site selection and development, responsible materials selection and waste management, and enhanced indoor environmental quality.

Read more about New Balance's recently completed headquarters, and the larger projects planned for this area of Brighton and Allston in Bostinno and Boston.comSee photo at right, taken from Bostinno.com

Stay tuned for future green building reports in 2016 — It's an exciting time to be a green building enthusiast or professional in the state of Massachusetts!

Exciting (but not Surprising) News– Boston is Leader in Green Building

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


This just in from the EPA New England Regional Office: Boston Makes the Top Dozen of U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings!

BOSTON – Today the EPA released its a list of U.S. cities that had the most certified Energy Star buildings in 2015. As you could probably expect, Boston is included in this list, and “recognized for its continuing commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money through energy efficiency.”

In 2015, we were number 11 position among the list of top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas.  Boston had 157 buildings that were Energy Star certified. This is equivalent to cutting greenhouse gas emissions from 38,000 passenger vehicles, and saving more than $75 million in annual utility bills.

The cities that triumphed over us were Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York City, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Denver and Phoenix. 

“Every year, more cities are turning to energy efficiency not only to protect the environment, but also to strengthen their local economies.  Boston is demonstrating that energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to improve public health and build a brighter future for their youngest residents,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

From the EPA

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Since 1999, more than 27,000 buildings across America have earned EPA’s Energy Star certification, which signifies proven superior energy performance. On average, these certified buildings use 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings. These buildings have saved more than $3.8 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the annual electricity use of more than 2.6 million homes. Many common building types can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, hotels, and retail stores.

For more than 20 years, American citizens have looked to EPA’s Energy Star program for guidance on how to save energy, save money and protect the environment. Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions that contribute to climate change. Today, Energy Star is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by two billion metric tons since 1992.

You can view the report here!

Quotes taken from EPA New England Office, photo taken from Energy Star website.

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: 





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!

The Countdown Begins– BTF '16

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Building Tech:

 

Join colleagues in the real estate industry who are passionate about solving the problems of building performance. 

 


 

Gold Sponsors Boston Properties will share how they connect to the tech scene in Massachusetts and how they incorporate innovations into their projects to drive improvements to building performance. Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager for Boston Properties, will keynote our event.

 

The Building Tech Forum is also sponsored by the NECEC – Northeast Clean Energy Center and MassCEC – the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and Fraunhofer, the non-profit building science R&D laboratory.

 

Kurt Roth of Fraunhofer will share his insight into trends and lines of research and development that he sees in building tech.

 

You may want to join our roster of sponsoring organizations! See below for details.

 

Come to our Building Tech Forum. Connect with firms who are leaders in innovation in real estate.

A second speaking session will include panelists from: 

St Gobain
The Green Engineer
Ogletree Deakins

 

Buildings are fundamentally about technology. Innovation in the building sector is driving improvements in performance and enhancements to the user experience.

We're less than 3 weeks away! Join us April 21st for this exciting investigation in to the intersection of buildings and innovative technology. 

If you want to attend, please register here.  If you want to display your technologies, learn more here and email us.  If you want to sponsor the event Learn more here and email us

Building tech is the intersection of the innovation economy and real estate. The green building industry is right here in the middle of it – creating new ways to increase the value of real estate and improve the sustainability of our building stock and our communities in general. Buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gases globally, and approximately 40% in the US. Recently, at the COP21 negotiations, the UN convened a “Buildings Day” to explore the ways the real estate sector can support improved environmental performance through better buildings. USGBC is committed to the creation of 5 billion square feet of certified green buildings in the next five years: this will require deployment of technology on a massive scale. The results will be better buildings, healthier occupants, more vibrant communities and a thriving industry connecting technology to real estate. 

We at the Massachusetts Chapter are here to champion that effort in our Commonwealth and we need to bring all the parties together.  You can read more about the ambitions of global leaders and recent agreements here. It is an exciting time to be a part of the high performance segment of the building industry!

Agenda:

5:30 – Orienting Remarks

6:00 – First Program begins; Keynote & Industry Observations

6:20 – First Program ends; games ensue

7:20 – Second Program begins: Panel

7:40 – Second Program ends

8:15 – Final Remarks and Appreciations

8:30 – End

At the Building Tech Forum you will:

  • meet people who will help you on your next high performance building project

  • encounter inspiring new technologies and solution strategies

  • hear from industry leaders about where things are going

  • connect your business to the innovations going on in the building sector

​The event will fill up quick, so register now!

Don't Miss Your Chance to Apply for the EBie Awards!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


The EBie Awards are an annual opportunity for green building and sustainable pros from all over the nation.  The criteria for the competition are developing impressive sustainability solutions for existing buildings, from waste reduction and energy savings to improved water use and lighting efficiency.  Don't miss your chance to submit an innovative retrofit project before entries close on April 4, 2016!  


The EBie Mission

The EBies take a fresh approach to improving the sustainability of buildings across the country, celebrating the unsung heroes of the retrofit market.  The annual national juried competition recognizes improved environmental performance in existing buildings among building operators, facilities managers, owners, engineers, retro-commissioning agents and other professionals who conceived and implemented the work. Focus areas include energy, water, operations, materials use, lighting, portfolio-wide improvements, and tenant engagement.

Award Categories

1. THE ALL-ROUNDER: PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES– The most improved building across multiple sustainability categories. Key Metrics: Source Energy Intensity, potable water, storm water runoff, waste, materials, indoor environmental quality, and occupant engagement. Suggested Team Members: Owner, Operator.

2. ALL TOGETHER NOW: PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE ACROSS A PORTFOLIO– The most improved portfolio across multiple sustainability categories.  Addressing more categories improves the portfolio's chances of winning. Key Metrics: Energy, water, waste management, stormwater, materials use, indoor environmental quality, and tenant engagement. Suggested Team Members: Owner or Third-Party Manager, Director of Operations.

3. THE SMOOTH OPERATOR: OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE EXCELLENCE– The most improved building across multiple sustainability categories achieved solely through improved operations and maintenance and/or retrocommissioning. Key Metrics: Source Energy Intensity, potable water, waste, materials, and indoor environmental quality. Suggested Team Members: Operator and/or Retrocommissioning Agent, Owner.

4. POWER TO THE PEOPLE: EXCEPTIONAL ENERGY SAVINGS– The greatest percentage reduction in building energy use. Key Metrics: Source Energy Intensity.  Two awards will be considered in the category: one for greatest percentage reduction; and the other for a reduction of 30% or more where the project finishes with a Portfolio Manager Rating of 90 or above (or qualifies for LEED EBOM EA Credit 1 for 15 points). Suggested Team Members: Operator or Engineer, Owner, Operator.

5. SHINE A LIGHT ON ME: THE BEST LIGHTING RETROFIT– The greatest percentage reduction in building lighting energy consumption or lighting power density. Key Metrics: Lighting energy consumption, power density, and qualitySuggested Team Members: Lighting Designer, Owner.

6. TAKE ME TO THE RIVER: WINNING WATER SAVINGS– The greatest percentage reduction in indoor and outdoor potable water use. Key Metrics: Per capita potable water use. Suggested Team Members: Operator or Plumbing Engineer, Owner, Operator.

7. IT TAKES A VILLAGE: COMMERCIAL TENANT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS– The most improved commercial tenant space across multiple sustainability categories. Key Metrics: Source Energy Intensity, waste, materials, indoor environmental quality, and employee engagementSuggested Team Members: Your Choice.

8. VERDANT BRAINIAC: GREEN RENOVATION INNOVATION– The most scalable green renovation project, particularly one that is innovative and overcame significant challenges.  Demonstration of scalability may include implementation across a portfolio of buildings. Key Metrics: Source Energy Intensity, potable water, storm water, and indoor environmental quality. Suggested Team Members: Your Choice.

The deadline for submission is next Monday, April 4th, so act swiftly!  Click here to learn more about the contest in general.  For rules, follow this linkFor info about the jury, click here. And finally, if you have questions– see the FAQs