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Since 2010, rapid development of the Boston Seaport District has shaped a vibrant neighborhood of accessible, year-round activity between Fort Point Channel, South Boston, and the Marine Industrial Park. On the Seaport’s eastern edge, Ora Seaport & Hyatt Place established a gateway that set a new standard for community- and transit-oriented urban design highly tuned to the resiliency challenges of…

Arrowstreet worked with PKF Consulting on the Healthy Base Initiative for the Department of Defense, which studied innovative and affordable ways to make military installations healthier places to live and work for service members and their families. The project included pilot studies of initiatives that focused on aspects of healthy living, including the availability of healthy food, active recreation, active…

How can land use professionals help to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands (UHIs) on the built environment while simultaneously helping the most vulnerable segments of the population deal with public health issues created by extreme heat? Arrowstreet participated in the Living With Heat design charrette focused on developing mitigating solutions to extreme heat in our urban environments. Arrowstreet…

As climate change causes sea levels to rise by as much as 6’ over the next century, our cities will be required to redefine their relationship with water. Architecture, circulation networks, and green space must all be designed to be resilient and to expect frequent inundation. Sponsored by the Urban Land Institute Boston and The Kresge Foundation, Arrowstreet took lead…

In 2015 the City of Cambridge adopted the Net Zero Cambridge plan aimed at achieving net zero emissions over a 25 year period for all public and private buildings. Leading by example, the King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School & Community Complex that was started earlier in 2015 was the pilot project to design to the plan. It was the first…

Seaport Circle is designed to achieve the highest level of electrification, resilience, wellness, and equity of any life sciences project in the Boston Seaport. The project is seeking LEED Platinum, WiredScore, and SmartScore certification and has already received Fitwel 2 Star certifications and the core and shell are ready for tenants to seek WELL certifications. The net zero carbon building…

This redevelopment of a vacant parcel into affordable housing for the Mattapan neighborhood is leading the way in the next generation of healthy, zero carbon housing. The building features a, first in the region, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) facade that, along with a rooftop array, generates a majority of the building’s annual energy. Utilizing the facade cladding to also produce…

Town of Acton adopted a Climate Emergency Declaration to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Like many towns with early adoption of future proofing goals, they were faced with the task of understanding how to carry out this goal, where to concentrate their efforts, and what to tackle first. Arrowstreet was hired to assist in answering these questions through…

The study and planning tool allows MIT to develop campus strategies and prioritize improvements that lower greenhouse gas emissions, maximize energy savings, improve storm water management, increase biodiversity, reduce the urban heat island effect, increase energy production, and provide more educational/research opportunities. Consistent with MIT’s Plan for Action on Climate Change, Arrowstreet developed a tool that evaluates options for making…