Welcome to the MA LEED Project Showcase SPOTLIGHT Edition of the New England Real Estate Journal

Welcome to the MA LEED Project Showcase SPOTLIGHT Edition of the New England Real Estate Journal (http://nerej.com/SP USGBC). For over 50 years, the Journal has put the light on the best real estate in the region. Click to view the SPOTLIGHT This edition highlights the sponsored projects at the inaugural "Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase," produced by the Massachusetts Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC MA). The state is a leader in the world of green buildings. There are 682 LEED certified buildings in Massachusetts and many more under construction. In 2012, the state was noted for achieving the 4th-most new LEED space built in the US at 13,395,597 s/f certified. On a per capita basis, this is about 2 s/f per person - just behind DC, VA and Colorado in that year. This aggressive build-out of green buildings is a testament to many institutional and commercial leaders who have embraced LEED as a way to ensure they have the best built and operated buildings in their portfolios. Green buildings save money and increase the value of owners' real estate. The State of Massachusetts is in on the game - with their Leading by Example program which has pushed for major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Through the related Executive Order No. 484, the State requires buildings over 20,000 s/f to obtain LEED certification and exceed the requirements on certain points related to energy and water. The state has 29 LEED buildings so far, including the LEED Platinum William X. Wall Experiment Station in Lawrence. The MA Chapter of the USGBC wanted to celebrate the many parties that have supported the creation of these green buildings. The Showcase is an opportunity to make connections between the strongest proponents of high-performance buildings in Massachusetts, and a great way for teams and owners to be recognized for all they've accomplished. As of Oct 1, 2013, 220 building projects have earned LEED certification in Massachusetts since Jan 1 2012. Each of these is a significant accomplishment and we want to celebrate the effort of all the green building professionals and other involved parties. Many have come to connect through the Showcase. In this Spotlight, we have solicited the stories of the teams that participated in the live MA LEED Project Showcase on 10/17/13 at the LEED Gold Google offices in Kendall Sq, Cambridge. We heard from each other about the challenges, solutions, partners, and products that made these LEED projects come together. In addition to the live event, the Showcase will live on in our website as LEED Project Directory and enable visitors to see the many aspects and team members of each project. Over 40 businesses came to show off their projects, with special presentations from our Platinum Event Sponsors: National Grid (Headquarters in Waltham), Chapman Construction (InterGen HQ in Burlington), Tomasietti Homes (the Mallett Toaster), Dimella Shaffer et. al. (North Shore Community College), and Sterritt Lumber (multiple projects). We had two Gold sponsored projects: The Perkins School Grousbeck Center for Students & Technology (The Green Engineer, Gund Partnership and Shawmut Construction) and UMass Medical School Albert Sherman Center (Suffolk Construction) and ten, count 'em Silver level projects: Clarendon and Berkeley Buildings - John Hancock Boston University Student Services Ctr - Boston University TD Bank West Roxbury - Entegra RE Private Residence - Wolf Architects Cambridge Rindge and Latin School - HMFH Architects William X Wall Experiment Station - Perkins + Will Nitsch Engineering Fit Out - WB Engineers UTEC Lowell - UTEC / CBT Architects NE VA Training & Rehab Center - The Green Engineer Stop and Shop Roslindale - VHB Inc. Old Colony - The Architectural Team Thank you to everyone who participated in the Showcase and for all the hard work to achieve the best green buildings in Massachusetts. Your efforts continue to prove that our state is a leader for the transformation of the built environment toward ever better performance and value. Grey Lee, LEED AP, is the executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council-Massachusetts Chapter.