USGBC Mass. to host 2015 Green Building Showcase and Green Building Awards on October 1, 2015

Cambridge, MA USGBC Massachusetts will host its 2015 Green Building Showcase, the chapter’s premier annual event to showcase and celebrate exceptional green buildings conceived, designed, built & operated by our community of practitioners over the past year, on October 1 from 6:30pm-8:30pm, at the Calderwood Courtyard in the newly-renovated Harvard Art Museums. Over 75 projects will be on display. More than 250 leaders in our industry will be in attendance for this open bar reception and entertaining collection of green buildings.

The Green Building Showcase is a gathering for exceptional green buildings completed in the New England region between October, 2013 and October, 2015. Project teams are given the opportunity to display information about their buildings, highlighting the project team members and their successes. Attendees are invited to critically browse the projects and review the displays while networking over cocktails and appetizers. The hall will be full of display boards of awesome green buildings.

This year, the Showcase will also host our annual Green Building Awards. In the past, these were announced during our Earth Day event. This year they have matched the Green Building Awards with the Green Building Showcase happening in the fall season.

You do not have to enter the awards contest to participate in the Showcase - they encourage project teams to highlight their building(s) in the Showcase, and optionally enter the awards competition.

The Awards is sponsored by the USGBC-MA chapter to promote, publicize, and recognize exceptional sustainable practices in Mass.

The aim of these awards is to further stimulate and advance innovation in green building in Massachusetts and inspire the community to engage in even greener practices.

There are two entry categories for the awards competition. These categories are the “Innovation in Green Design Award ” and the “Exemplary Building Performance Award.” In addition, the judges for this year’s competition will select the best green building out of the two categories for the award titled the “Mass. Green Building of the Year.”

The Awards include:

Exemplary Building Performance Award for Existing Buildings  - Last year’s winner: One Beacon St. (Boston); CBRE NE

Innovation in Green Design Award

• Whole Building

• Project Component/Feature

- 2014 winner: Waltham Watch Factory - Rainwater Management; Richard Burke Associates.

- Special Recognition: Factory 63 (Boston) - Energy Performance of Historic Building; BH+A.

- Special Recognition: Colby College Co-Generation Plant - Biomass for carbon neutrality; ARC.

Why Should I Enter?

There are many benefits to entering your building or project for an Award.

• Recognition– submissions will be put on display at the Green Building Showcase. Award entrants and winners will all be highlighted on the chapter’s website.

• Feedback– The submissions will be judged by a panel of 3-5 judges and a summary of responses will be available to entrants upon request.

• Inspiration– The Exemplary Building Performance Award honors the building that best lives up to its green design and shows outstanding water and energy performance. It helps raise the performance bar for future buildings. The Mass. Innovation in Green Design Award recognizes a building, innovative technology or product, or policy/program that best exemplifies the chapter’s passion for sustainable design.

Who attends this event?

In prior years, the presented projects were exclusive to LEED certified buildings, but this year we are opening it up to the broader community of “green buildings.” Attendees include architects, engineers, contractors, developers, owners, facility managers, building users, lenders, suppliers... this is a celebration of green buildings and all stakeholders are invited to join!

We are selling general admission tickets and offering sponsorship opportunities.

Where will it be?

At the Calderwood Courtyard in the newly-renovated Harvard Art Museums at 32 Quincy St., Cambridge (This location was formerly known as the Fogg Museum).

How is this happening?

Our events committee has pulled together the many components of this showcase - the event logistics, the awards program and the outreach process. Special thanks go to co-chairs Tiffany King and Alana Spencer, and Carrie Havey, Chris Meier and John Picard. Thanks also to Celis Brisbin, our programs manager, for staff support of this event.

If you are interested in participating in the organizing team, let us know at events@usgbcma.org - Thank you!