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BSA Forum on Sustainable Public Policy
As a member of the BSA Committee for the Advancement of Sustainability, I had the good fortune to help plan the Forum on Sustainable Public Policy last June. The summary of this event is available now to view and download on the BSA website, here. The intent of the forum was to share with community leaders, citizens, and practitioners the current public and private sector policies that foster and promote sustainable endeavors including buildings, infrastructure, transportation, and planning…
LEED Project Showcase with USGBC – Part II
The USGBC MA Chapter’s 2014 LEED Project Showcase was a great success. More than 150 people representing all aspects of the green building industry including designers, engineers, contractors, owners, and policy makers came out for the event in celebration of the past year’s achievements in green building. It was an amazing night to share our collective talents and wisdom as we continue to make Massachusetts the #1 most energy efficient state in the country.
Brooke Mattapan – Off To a Positive Start
We recently finished the Brooke Mattapan Charter School (as chronicled in an earlier blog post). One of our favorite times at the conclusion of any project is when we go back to take final, professional photography; in part, because it allows us to see the users of the building enjoying their new space, and also so we can enjoy capturing images of the buildings we have thoughtfully designed and managed through construction…
LEED Project Showcase with USGBC
Over the last few months I have been planning the USGBC Massachusetts chapter’s annual LEED Project Showcase. The showcase highlights buildings throughout the state that have achieved LEED certification in the last year. Massachusetts is the #1 most energy efficient state in the country, and these projects have helped to achieve that distinction…
Volunteering at Brooke Mattapan Charter School
Last Tuesday, I participated in a Green Apple Day of Service event with my colleagues, Will Su and Katie Ferrier. The Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) began in 2012 as a chance for schools, organizations, and communities to participate in a day-long service project aimed at creating healthy, safe, and productive learning environments. GADOS projects occur around the globe on a day in September every year. This year, the Massachusetts chapter of the USGBC helped organize events and raise money to provide grants to projects; Arrowstreet provided grants to support four local GADOS projects. Find out more on the Green Apple website…
LEED v4 Part 1
I wanted to follow-up on my post about Greenbuild 2013, with a closer look at the new version of the LEED rating system, LEED v4. This new version is perhaps the most thorough overhaul in the rating system to date. LEED v4 includes new market sectors such as hospitality and data centers, an increase in the number of prerequisites, an increase in the credit criteria for several credits, new impact categories such as climate change and the addition of new credits such as Demand Response.
PACE Bill Update
I wanted to give an update on my previous post: Property Assessed Clean Energy. PACE is a way for property owners to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The PACE bill, now retitled Senate Bill No. 2255, has been voted in favor by the MA state Senate and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. It is…
Daylight Hour
Arrowstreet participated in Daylight Hour today by joining thousands of other organizations in turning off the lights in their day-lit office spaces for one hour from noon-1:00. With the beautiful sunny weather in Boston today we went even further and kept the lights off all day in most of the office. Arrowstreet has a highly energy efficient LED lighting system that uses 42% less power than typical offices. But when there is ample daylight in our open studio we want to take advantage of turning of the electric lighting system and saving even more energy.
Community Strategies for Sustainable Development
As a participant on the BSA’s Committee for the Advancement of Sustainability, I wanted to share some information about a free forum on June 19th. The committee promotes a sustainable agenda beyond the immediate focus of architectural practice, and engages other organizations in a dialogue that promotes sustainable principles. This year our task has been to organize a forum which will focus on empowering municipalities across Massachusetts to develop sustainable strategies for buildings, infrastructure, and planning…
Governor Forum on Energy, the Environment and the Innovation Economy
On March 23rd, I attended the Governor Forum on Energy, the Environment and the Innovation Economy at Faneuil Hall. The forum set the stage for Massachusetts Gubernatorial candidates to provide their position on sustainability topics affecting the Commonwealth as well as discusses opportunities to elevate sustainability goals…