Join us in welcoming our 2026 Summer interns: Amanda Xu, Alexander Orth (returning to BE+ for another season), and Michael Pirozzi. Already making an impact across the BE+ community, Amanda is helping us prepare for Building Tech Forum while supporting our Communities program. Alexander and Michael are working together to expand Built Environment Connects by adding new companies, professionals, and projects. We look forward to their contributions this summer as they help advance our mission to foster a more sustainable and regenerative built environment.

Amanda Xu

Hi, my name is Amanda, and I’m so excited to be working with the BE+ team this summer! I’m a rising senior at Tufts University, studying Biopsychology & Environmental Studies. In my spare time, I love to be in the great outdoors – or curled up at home with a good book. While I am still exploring my passions in the environmental fields, I’m eager to learn more about the systems, policies, and people that shape our built environment and advance sustainability. I look forward to contributing to and learning from the Community team at BE+!

Connect with Amanda Xu on LinkedIn

Michael Pirozzi

My name is Mike, and I am thrilled to work as an intern for BE+ this summer! I am going to be a senior at Northeastern University studying Environmental Science and Economics with a Business Administration minor. I love working out and thrifting in my free time. I am so excited to get the opportunity to work for BE+ and create a balance between the environment and human benefit through sustainable developments, and I look forward to learning more about the community through this opportunity.

Connect with Michael Pirozzi on LinkedIn

Massachusetts continues to demonstrate strong and consistent growth in high-performance building development, according to our new statewide report, Massachusetts is Going Net Zero: Spring 2026 Update.

From Cost Concerns to Market Transformation
We started this research in 2021 by collecting real project data to demonstrate that despite a strong narrative about cost fears, there was little to no cost premium for net zero energy buildings. Since tracking began in 2021, documented Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock in Massachusetts has grown from 7.2 million GSF to 66.1 million GSF, with an increase of 17.7 million GSF since 2024 alone and a nearly tenfold expansion in just five years. This data doesn’t even capture single family homes or multifamily residential buildings under 15k GSF or 15 units. Of the 19.3 million GSF with reported cost data, 71% reported <1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready.

“At a time when energy prices are soaring from political instability, it’s more important than ever that we invest in highly efficient buildings that cut out fossil fuels and rely on renewable, low-carbon sources,” said Meredith Elbaum, Executive Director of Built Environment Plus. “Fortunately Massachusetts has had the foresight and leadership to embrace high performance buildings, with improving standards, forward-thinking energy codes, and extensive investment in clean energy infrastructure, a thriving climate tech ecosystem, and vital support through incentives. We should be doubling down, not taking our foot off the pedal.”

Massachusetts Is No Longer in the Early-Adopter Phase
The data collection for the report happened exclusively through Built Environment Connects, a dynamic discovery tool bridging the people, companies, and high-performance buildings represented in this report. With over 500 projects, 220 professionals, and 200 companies, the report concludes that Massachusetts has moved beyond early adoption and is now firmly in a phase of large-scale implementation.

Key findings from the report include:

• The Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock exceeds 66.1 million GSF, across 500+ projects, and continues to expand.
• Multi-family and affordable housing’s combined 20.9 million GSF are leading the way for Net Zero development in Massachusetts
• Lab/Tech/Science grew by 20% since 2024 up to 16.5 million GSF, making up the majority of the found Net Zero Ready space
• Of the 19.3 million GSF with reported cost data, 71% reported <1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready.
• Adoption of heat pump technology across all building types
• Since 2024, nearly twice as many projects have reported being all-electric for domestic hot water, totaling 39.7 million GSF.

The Policies Behind the Progress
The report attributes much of this momentum to Massachusetts’ strong combination of climate policy, utility programs, and market adoption strategies that continue to lower operational costs and support electrification at scale. The majority of this data was shared before the adoption of the current Massachusetts Energy Code. In municipalities that have adopted the current Stretch and Specialized Energy Codes, Net Zero Ready is the new baseline, effectively eliminating the existence of a cost premium. In 2024, we added an option, “We didn’t calculate the cost premium.” Of the projects that did not calculate cost, over half said Net Zero was necessitated by code or client preference.

The Impact of Energy Efficiency Programs
Programs such as Mass Save have played a critical role in reducing energy demand, improving building performance, and helping projects transition away from fossil fuels cost-effectively. These incentives generate $3.50 in energy cost savings for every $1 invested and they have created the new standard for building. However, industry leaders caution that this progress could slow if proposed cuts to Mass Save move forward.

“It would disrupt planned investments, strand ongoing projects, and break commitments to households and businesses that have already begun upgrades,” said the Alliance for Climate Transition.

Experts warn that weakening Massachusetts’ nationally recognized energy efficiency infrastructure could increase energy costs, reduce demand-side efficiency gains, and disrupt the growing pipeline of electrification projects that are driving the Commonwealth’s Net Zero transition.

What’s Next?
As Massachusetts continues to scale high-performance building development, the report makes it clear that Net Zero is no longer a niche market, but it is rapidly becoming the standard for new construction and major renovations across the Commonwealth. At the same time, we are helping building owners tackle the decarbonization of their existing buildings through a new program, the Building Performance Exchange, in partnership with the Mass Clean Energy Center. By taking on new construction and existing buildings together, Massachusetts can ensure that high performance buildings are the norm rather than the exception.

The following post was provided by Turner Construction.

Boston exhibit shows low-carbon construction is ready now

A temporary pavilion was constructed as part of the Structural Engineering Institute’s Structures Congress, “Reframing the Future: With Low-Carbon Construction.”  It brought together a nationwide collaborative team to demonstrate that high-performance, low-embodied-carbon building systems are no longer theoretical, they are ready for commercial use today.

The exhibit serves as a physical example of how sustainable construction can be achieved using materials and systems that already exist. It incorporates principles of a circular economy – reuse, biogenic materials, and design for deconstruction, offering a practical roadmap toward a more sustainable built environment.

Organized in partnership with Buro Happold, Cambium Carbon, Forma Systems, Second Structure, Turner Construction Company, and MIT, the project comes five years into the SE 2050 Commitment and stands as both proof-of-concept and a call to action.

The idea and strategy: At its core, the pavilion-like structure highlights three key strategies for reducing carbon in construction: material optimization, circularity, and biomaterials, visually demonstrating how these approaches can work together to deliver meaningful impact.

Reused steel: The structure also showcases reclaimed steel sourced from a nearby deconstruction project. While steel is commonly recycled, reuse eliminates the need for energy-intensive melting and recasting, preserving the material’s embodied carbon and reducing demand for new resources. All steel used in the exhibit traveled just over 60 miles, and every connection was designed to be demountable, allowing the structure to be disassembled and reused in future installations.

Optimized precast: At the center of the exhibit is a shape-optimized, reinforced concrete floor slab developed by MIT spinoff Forma Systems. Designed to deliver the same structural performance as conventional systems while using significantly less material, the slab is lighter, shallower, and can reduce carbon emissions by up to 70 percent. The multi-ribbed slab is just 6¾ inches deep and weighs roughly half as much as a comparable system – reducing foundation demands, transportation costs, and installation time.

Salvaged wood: The project also incorporates salvaged wood supplied by Cambium Carbon, sourced locally and manufactured into glued-laminated timber beams by Tridome Structures. The approach supports local jobs, reduces waste, and stores carbon all while maintaining a strong connection to place.

The final assembly: Together, these strategies form a fully code-compliant, permitted, and insured prototype that demonstrates what is possible today.

Weighing approximately 3.5 tons, the structure is more than 50 percent lighter than a comparable cast-in-place concrete system and is estimated to reduce its carbon footprint by two-thirds.

Perhaps most importantly, the exhibit underscores that achieving low-carbon construction at scale requires coordination across the entire supply chain, from material sourcing to final assembly.

Built Environment Plus successfully leverages significant Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund grants to make a wide variety of Passive House education more accessible. We offer Phius, Passive House Network/Passive House Institute, and Passive House Massachusetts trainings to help architects, engineers, and construction professionals gain in-demand skills in energy-efficient design and construction. In 2025, we supported 45 professionals in earning passive house credentials. With grant funding available for all BE+ trainings, let this be the year that you become that passive house expert at your firm!

Learn about the different passive house learning pathways depending on your profession and experience level.

You can take any of the following trainings for free or for a reduced cost through BE+:

📐 Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC) Training

The CPHC training includes self-paced learning modules and live learning sessions that are delivered either virtually or in-person. The course is designed for architects, engineers and design professionals who already have a basic understanding of building science, an architectural background or hands-on building experience. Topics covered include building science fundamentals, high performance enclosures, cost-optimization, climate-specific design and detailing, high performance MEP systems, ventilation strategies, quality control strategies, Phius Certification requirements, renewable energy systems, and passive building physics. BE+ offers open enrollment every month under the Express Grant.

🛠 Phius Certified Builder (CPHB) Training

The CPHB training includes self-paced learning modules and live learning sessions that are delivered either virtually or in-person. The course is designed for construction professionals who want to understand the application of passive house building techniques. Topics include airtight enclosures, high-performance window installation, passive design strategies, field quality assurance, and site management. BE+ offers open enrollment every month under the Express Grant.

“The Phius courses from Built Environment Plus are both rigorous and practical, helping our team achieve Passive House Builder Certification (CPHB). The strength of their curriculum and instructors inspired us to expand certification across all operational roles—from planners to field superintendents, and even the CEO.

We’ve gained deep, practical fluency in Passive House that is already making a real impact on our jobsites. For us, PHIUS goes beyond environmental responsibility—it’s a model for high-performance execution that aligns with TOCCI’s mission: Building Harmony, Maximizing Results.”

John Tocci, CEO, Tocci Construct, LLC

🏢 Phius WUFI® Passive Advanced Multifamily

This live, online course is intended for multifamily WUFI Passive users who have basic prior experience with the software and want to fully understand WUFI’s capabilities and ensure they are utilizing this tool to the fullest extent. Attendees will learn how WUFI “can enhance, streamline, and optimize the design and certification of passive building projects if integrated into the design process properly.” BE+ offers this course several times a year.

🏚 Phius WUFI Passive Single Family

This live, online course is intended for architects, engineers, and design professionals without WUFI Passive experience or those who have had some exposure through Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC) training, but have not explored application yet. BE+ offers this course several times a year.

📏 Phius Certified Rater Training

This course includes self-paced learning modules and live learning sessions that are delivered either virtually or in-person. The training is intended for RESNET HERS Raters and other testing and commissioning professionals with experience working on single-family homes, townhomes, and low-rise residential buildings.  While this training does not have prerequisites, the credential exam does, including that participants are fully certified as a RESNET HERS Rater (excluding: CA and AK). View Phius Rater exam prerequisites here, as they vary by location. BE+ offers this course several times a year.

📋 Phius Certified Verifier Training

This course includes self-paced learning modules and live, online learning sessions and is intended for testing and commissioning professionals with multifamily and non-residential building experience. Participants will learn how to guarantee quality assurance, including on-site inspections and performance testing throughout all stages of the construction process. Topics include building science, enclosure systems, high-performance mechanical systems, large building air-tightness testing strategies and protocols for Phius certification compliance. BE+ offers this course several times a year.

🖥 Phius Introduction to THERM Workshop

This course is delivered live, either in-person or virtually and is intended for a broad spectrum of building industry professionals. Basic understanding of thermal bridging and thermal bridging modeling is recommended, however there are no previous training requirements. If you are interested but don’t feel confident in these foundational topics, there are supplemental pre-course materials provided to students free of charge. BE+ offers this course several times a year.

📐 Certified Passive House Designer (PHI) Training

This course is delivered live, either in-person or virtually and is intended for a broad spectrum of building industry professionals. This course is specifically designed to teach the international Passive House Standard (PHI) to design and construction professionals in the U.S. and is required prior to taking the CPHD/C professional certification exam. BE+ offers this course several times a year.

🏚 Passive House 101: An Introduction To Passive Buildings

This course is delivered live, either in-person or virtually and is intended for a broad spectrum of building industry professionals. This training introduces a performance-first design and construction model that optimizes buildings for durability, health, comfort, and low operational costs while minimizing energy demand. We explore the core principles of Passive House delivery—from airtight construction and thermal bridge-free design to balanced ventilation—and demonstrate how an integrated process makes these goals both achievable and financially viable.

📐 PH 120: The Architect’s Role in Passive Building

This course is delivered live, either in-person or virtually and is designed for architects and design professionals looking to expand their expertise into passive building. The focus of this course is the foundational knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of Passive House delivery, including the mindset and technical awareness to effectively support a collaborative Passive House team. Participants will gain a high-level roadmap to help identify and avoid common design pitfalls while gaining a clear understanding of the attention to detail necessary to successfully deliver passive buildings.

👷 Phius Certified Trades Professional

This course includes self-paced learning modules paired with 3 days of in-person instruction and live virtual class sessions. The training is intended for construction professionals with foundational carpentry skills and a desire to learn about advancing their understanding of building science and related construction techniques. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of passive building and how to implement passive house designs into projects. Certified Trades Professionals may go on to earn specializations to become Enclosure, MEP or Master Trades specialists.

“The Workforce Training Grant has supported Payette staff in learning new tools and skills that enables us to continue to push our designs in order to create better buildings.”

Andrea Love, Principal and Director of Building Science, Payette

💲Securing Funding:

If you are interested in taking advantage of available funding opportunities, follow the process below to learn more about available opportunities and the application process.

Funding Opportunities:

Express Grant
Nearly all BE+ training is Express Grant eligible for companies with 100 or less Massachusetts employees. Confirm your eligibility and submit an Express application now to receive up to 100% reimbursement for applicable BE+ courses

Step 1: Submit Express Grant Application
All you need to complete the application are 20 minutes of your time, a few documents, and the course information listed on our website. You’ll have one full year from grant approval to take your course(s).

Step 2: Register for Training
If you’re looking for a different passive house course, check our course catalog and complete the training interest form. Learn more about the registration process from our Phius Roadmap.

MassSave Incentives
Those who are ineligible for the Express Program may be eligible for 50% reimbursement via Mass Save’s Passive House & All-Electric Homes Training incentives.

General Grant
If you’re not eligible for the Express Grant, consider pursuing the General Grant program. Learn more.

Questions about these trainings, the grant application process, or your eligibility to participate? Contact us at education@builtenvironmentplus.org or schedule time with our Education Director here.

View our trainings page to see upcoming BE+ courses. If there are other sustainable design, construction or operations courses that you are interested in, but do not see listed, reach out to our education team.

NESEA’s 2026 BuildingEnergy Boston conference, themed “Don’t Stop Us Now”, is set to hone in on the challenges and barriers building professionals are facing while reinforcing that we are not alone in solving them. That’s especially true for existing buildings where technical, financial, and operational challenges can stall projects or deter it from success.

Existing buildings account for 35% of Massachusetts emissions, making retrofits an essential step towards decarbonization. With new building performance standards in effect in Cambridge, Boston, and Newton, building owners are under pressure to reduce their emissions and energy use while improving health, resiliency, and comfort.

BE+ has launched the Building Performance Exchange to bridge the gap between owners and practitioners with the primary goal of connecting stakeholders with helpful resources, tools, and expertise to make retrofits easier and more successful.

Here are 11 sessions at BuildingEnergy Boston this year that highlight crucial aspects of retrofitting existing buildings, from planning to implementation.

Building Science Best Practices
Two crucial components of retrofitting are holistic system-wide planning and granular component-specific upgrades. Building science practitioners with diverse backgrounds and expertise in these areas gather at BuildingEnergy to present their latest discovery or demonstrate tested and viable strategies.

These two sessions focus on the difficulties found among existing buildings and the best practices for a better solution.

• • Retrocommissioning For Existing Buildings
  • More Good through Less Bad

Misalignment between an energy model and reality can be frustrating when budgets are built around projected savings. This is why investigating potential causes is a valuable first step. Retrocommissioning can reveal why systems are not living up to their expectations, often providing straightforward solutions, such as educating staff on proper use of a building management system or fixing imbalances and leaks in a distribution system. Reducing the building’s operational and embodied carbon impact within the existing building shell may be challenging, but it’s achievable with guidance from the experts.

Making the Budget Work
Financing remains one of the biggest barriers in retrofit projects, especially with sudden program cuts and expensive electric rates. These sessions dedicate their time to navigating the complexities of capital and the art of financing in finer detail.

• • Decarbonizing Non-Profit Buildings via No-Cost Planning and Financing Resources
  • Who Pays and Who Saves? How Electric Rates Shape Equitable Multifamily Electrification
  • Deep Energy Retrofits, Round 3: A Holistic Cost Analysis

Learning the functions both behind and in front of a utility meter empowers owners to make the best financial decisions for their buildings. Moreover, finding the right electricity rate structure and dodging peak demand charges with smarter equipment use can help balance operational expenses. Analyzing the hidden health and societal costs of these financial decisions is vital to thoughtful and equitable improvement of the built environment.

Learning by Example
Case studies demonstrate project experiences, shortcomings and barriers, but also shed light on replicable strategies that are proven to work. These sessions showcase case studies of commercial and large portfolio decarbonization projects—sharing both positive and negative experiences.

• • Onward to 2050! Two Existing Commercial Building Decarbonization Case Studies
  • From Building Decarbonization to Campus Decarbonization: Lessons, Pitfalls, Results

Show us the Data!
In an industry of performance-based policy, data is essential. These presenters dig deep into energy, emissions, and cost data, finding trends, and paving the way for others to learn from both success and failure.

• • Proof over Promises: Cold Climate Multifamily Retrofit Results
  • From Model to Meter: What Can We Learn from the Massachusetts LBER Data?
  • Building Better with What We Have: Balancing Carbon, Cost, and Housing

Tracking past and modeling future data is the best strategy to monitor building performance. There are more efforts than ever to prove that energy conservation measures and building upgrades are on the right path. Building Performance Standards illuminate the fruits of our labor, as a policy-driven approach to measuring building performance.To identify opportunities for improvement, data-driven decisions support wider and more effective technology use.

BuildingEnergy Boston marks its 51st year with a robust selection of sessions, highlighting the innovation in existing buildings. Out of the 45+ sessions, these 11 sessions offer insight into the important pieces of the puzzle of retrofitting existing buildings. Join us at MassCEC’s sponsored session, “Scope vs. Carbon: Stories of Decarbonizing Multi-Family Buildings,” to hear from project teams as they share insight on scope, timeline, and key decisions. Explore our other sessions and find us tabling just outside the trade show floor!