Transparency is the foundation for making informed decisions about the products we specify. The AEC industry is familiar with sustainability goals related to energy efficiency, but holistic discussions related to material goals across the entire team are still rare. Large strides have been made in interior product disclosure, but much less so for building envelope, MEP  and lighting systems. Without transparency our ability to quantitatively convey the magnitude of decisions made across the project team, and track progress as the design progresses, is limited.

The climate benefits of using timber are becoming better understood by owners committed to sustainability goals, but the procurement and implementation process still present challenges. Hear from practitioners from three newly constructed Mass Timber projects: the Dept. of Unemployment Assistance building in Brockton, MA; a 7-story Passive House multifamily building at 11 E. Lenox, Boston; and the Bristol County Agricultural High School.

This session will share insights from three research projects focused on greenhouse gas impacts of efficiency-related measures. How does the choice of insulation materials in new construction affect the building’s carbon footprint? What do five years of weatherization data tell us about GHG impacts of insulating existing buildings? What is the lifecycle carbon impact of using heat pumps to offset fossil fuel boiler heat when considering the electric grid, embodied carbon of new heat pumps, and heat pump fugitive emissions from refrigerant leaks? 

Many cities in New England and beyond have carbon neutrality goals and are actively addressing new construction to hit the goals. What about all the existing buildings? How will those be addressed to reduce energy and carbon? What creative enclosure approaches can be used to achieve these goals? Preservation of Affordable Housing has new construction projects in design to PHIUS standard. POAH also has rehab projects that never hit a passive house standard but go as deep as possible.

Consider the qualities of startup culture: Continuous improvement, learning from our work. Valuing staff, treating them as our prime asset. Agile development with fast iterations and innovations. Reliance on specifications that are central to workflow. Why don’t typical firms – yours? – have these qualities? And what would happen if they did? Owners are demanding increasingly high performance and firms won’t be competitive if they can’t pivot and transform and adopt the habits and disciplines of startup culture.

Beach Green Dunes I and Beach Green Dunes II are two of the largest multifamily Passive Houses in the country. They are adjacent to each other in the Rockaways in NY (in the flood zone) and were completed two years apart. Although they look almost identical, they are very different under the hood. Each has a different structure, envelope (ICF vs Block), ventilation strategy (Unitized vs Centralized), and heating and cooling system (VRF vs. ground source heat pumps) along with several other differences due to changes in city regulations and varying site conditions.

What factors contribute to optimizing human health both indoors and outdoors within the built environment? Creating equitable and healthy communities is a product of multi-level interventions in policy, places, and people. This panel discussion will feature Steven Winter’s Sustainability Director & LEED/WELL/EGC expert highlighting public health research implementation into project designs throughout the building sector.  With “boots on the ground” experience, she will present key strategies for protecting and promoting health in a socially equitable and cost-effective manner.

High performing buildings consume considerably less energy and water than conventional buildings. Through energy modeling and water use projections, design teams have been able to calculate the amount expected to be saved during the design phase. However, not much has been done to circle back and compare these projections to actual performance. This pilot study compares actual operating results to predicted in 21 public buildings in Massachusetts to learn how accurate these projections are.

This session details the design and construction challenges inherent in a net zero energy remodel and addition to a modest single family residence in Arlington, Massachusetts, completed in winter 2021. The project team sought practical, low cost, and reproducible solutions to meet project goals of net zero energy, minimizing embodied carbon, and electrification. We aspire to broaden the toolset of owners, designers, and builders by sharing our approaches to permit approval, structural design, building envelope, window specification and installation, and HVAC.