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Earth Month “Fivers”
Our staff always has something to teach us, and Earth Month is no exception. Our Friday afternoon beer hour had a new twist last week as we enjoyed a series of five-minute presentations on a variety of Earth Month topics while enjoying refreshments and snacks. We learned about: water use, urban farms, COP 21, sustainable culture in Germany, green roofs,…
The Roots of Passive Housing
Green Month has provided the opportunity for designers to share insights in sustainability with the wider design studio community. Last month, Lee Morrissette attended a conference on Passive Housing and used this occasion to inform the rest of the office about what he had learned and what we as a studio can take from the concepts of passive housing and…
Going Veggie for Earth Month
As a part of our Earth Month celebration, Arrowstreet’s staff gathered in the kitchen to enjoy a vegetarian potluck and traded ideas incorporating more vegetables in our daily meal plans. The impressive array of dishes included Vegetarian Gumbo and African Peanut Soup; there was something for everyone. As the line to sample dishes extended down the hall, Kate Bubriski and…
What is a Net Zero Building?
There are several different definitions that are used for net zero energy buildings. Late in 2015, the US Department of Energy came out with a definition to help create a uniform language. The DOE definition states: “An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported…
Smart Tips for E-newsletter Design
We’ve received a number of compliments on our quarterly e-newsletter, which is a way for us to directly share some of the news and expert content we produce on our blog with our contacts. When designing it, I used these helpful tips from the experts at Emma.com: 80% of people will delete an email if it doesn’t look good on…
April is Earth Month!
Arrowstreet is upping the ante once again here in our office and celebrating Earth Day for the entire month of April. Throughout the month, we will be incorporating staff presentations, forum discussions, guest speakers, movie night, a sustainable potluck, and a green trivia challenge into the festivities. Stay tuned as we share information and tips on how you can incorporate…
MIT CoLab: We Need Your Vote!
Arrowstreet is one of three finalists in the MIT CoLab competition attempting to harness the power of MIT alumni to address climate change. Voting is open for your favorite idea, and we would appreciate your help! Winners will be chosen by both the judging panel and people’s choice, so every vote counts. Both winners will then be invited to present their ideas…
ULI Spring Meeting
The Urban Land Institute’s annual Spring Meeting is less than a month away! We will be joining other ULI members in Philadelphia from April 19th – 21st to learn and connect with our peers about the challenges facing the real estate and design industries today. See you there!
Fire Code Changes Coming to Boston
BIFMA (Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) has just announced that the Boston City Council has unanimously voted to amend the city’s fire code to permit the use of TB-117-2013 (smolder test method) instead of the currently mandated TB-133 (open flame test method). What does this mean for us at Arrowstreet and our clients? With the mayor’s approval, this means that Boston…
Innovation in Kendall Square
When Vertex announced it was leaving Cambridgeport for Boston’s Seaport District in 2011, there was some initial concern in the city over the loss of a major tenant in this vital life sciences district. However, our client, BioMed Realty, had a vision for the vacant buildings: to create space for start-ups and up-and-coming life sciences companies that had previously been…