{"id":4816,"date":"2015-09-30T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consigli.com\/?p=4816"},"modified":"2020-12-09T11:06:07","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T16:06:07","slug":"still-ahead-of-the-green-curve-green-builders-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consigli.com\/still-ahead-of-the-green-curve-green-builders-boston\/","title":{"rendered":"Still Ahead of the Green Curve: Green Builders"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n BOSTON, MA\u00a0– <\/strong>Highly efficient, sustainable buildings are always Consigli\u2019s concern\u2014whether a project formally pursues a green building certification program, or not.<\/p>\n The benefits of our \u201cgreen builder\u201d thinking comes in many shapes and sizes. From our pre-construction planning for Clark University\u2019s first targeted net-zero-energy building, to managing the ultra-rigorous building material requirements for Williams College\u2019s \u201cLiving Building Challenge\u201d project\u2014Consigli\u2019s sustained commitment to sustainable construction continues to yield valuable environmental, financial and building-user benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just part of our service.\u201d<\/p>\n This is how Consigli\u2019s Kathleen MacEwen, LEED AP BD+C, Sustainability Coordinator, sums up both her unique industry role. It is also a good summary of Consigli\u2019s overall approach to sustainability. Responsible for keeping Consigli\u2019s LEED-track projects on track since the early years of green building, Kathleen\u2019s role is not typically found in-house at construction management firms. Also responsible for making sure the firm\u2019s 75 LEED-accredited-professionals\u2019 training is up-to-the-minute, Kathleen\u2019s focus is just part of the story of how Consigli, almost two decades since the launch of the USGBC\u2019s LEED program, continues to earn its reputation as a top \u201cGreen Builder,\u201d year after year.<\/p>\n The larger story of Consigli\u2019s early and sustained expertise in green construction is seen in many ways\u2014from our construction of one of New England\u2019s first LEED-Platinum projects, Harvard University\u2019s Blackstone Office Building, from the firm\u2019s study for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the efficiency and value of source separation that the agency used as a model for other companies, and in the company\u2019s role on the Massachusetts\u2019 Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force, providing recommendations for the state\u2019s report \u201cGetting to Zero.\u201d And the company has long chosen renewable energy for its own needs, with the Milford, Massachusetts\u2019 headquarters powered entirely with renewable energy purchased from a local, solar power vendor, as well as with solar panels atop the office.<\/p>\n The firm\u2019s deep commitment to environmentally sound construction is reflected in distinctive staff roles. Sustainability Coordinator, Kathleen MacEwen, LEED AP BD+C, and M\/E\/P Manager, Ed Dubois, LEED AP, are among key staffers who keep sustainability in the forefront on Consigli\u2019s projects.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a firm, we were one of the front-runners on the LEED program and pursued initiatives like efficient waste management processes early on, even before LEED,\u201d says Dubois.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pre-construction phase is my favorite part of a project\u2014it\u2019s when we have the best opportunity to have an impact on a project. From how energy efficient a building is, to identifying cost savings for our clients,\u201d says Dubois. Dubois, another of Consigli\u2019s many LEED Accredited Professionals, is a member of the firm\u2019s Project Services Group, with expertise in both geothermal and solar energy systems.<\/p>\n One of Dubois\u2019 many charges during a recent project\u2019s two-year pre-construction phase was assisting a client team to analyze Building Management System (BMS) options, to assure their building, once its renovation is complete, maintains the optimal energy efficiency of its new mechanical, electrical, plumbing and heating systems, through their on-going monitoring and fine-tuned adjustment. Dubois reviewed the BMS options from a variety of vendors in great detail, ultimately helping to identify the best system for the owner\u2019s needs, at a significant cost savings. The chosen system will monitor the building\u2019s new M\/E\/P systems, from lighting to heating, fine tuning temperature and illumination in response to the building\u2019s use, day to day, moment to moment.<\/p>\n The firm\u2019s management of the LEED process also begins early for each project. MacEwen explains, \u201cWe partner in the beginning to make the project go smoothly, the schedule stay on track and the relationship with the client really work.\u201d She embraces the whole team accountability of LEED and the Integrated Process (IP) credit. \u201cWe also often recommend \u2018submittal summits\u2019 for complex systems and assemblies, where all the stakeholders come together, including the architect, to review everything, minimize misunderstandings and provide a better quality installation. This process is also an essential part of our Lean management practices. Our Lean practices inherently support our sustainable construction in many valuable ways.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The new Student and Alumni Engagement Center<\/a>, across the street from Clark\u2019s main campus, is the latest, and largest, project Consigli has undertaken for this Worcester, Massachusetts university\u2014well known for its inclusion on Princeton Review\u2019s \u201cGreen Colleges\u201d list. The project, underway this past spring, is a candidate for LEED Platinum certification. It is another example of how Consigli\u2019s early involvement, begun during project design, contributes toward a project\u2019s vision. In this case, a vision toward net-zero-energy use.<\/p>\n The 35,000-gross-square-foot, four-story new center at Clark is heralded as a \u201cGateway Project,\u201d because with it, the campus extends across Main Street for the first time, providing an anchor and catalyst for new economic development within the city.<\/p>\n The project\u2019s most ambitious environmental goal involves solar power generation, which the college hopes will eventually lead to its net-zero-energy output. To achieve this, Consigli is building the university\u2019s first solar canopy atop the new building. This cantilevered canopy will host a 140kW photovoltaic array, the company\u2019s largest solar installation to date.<\/p>\n Consigli\u2019s collaboration with the project architect, Boston-based Architerra Inc.\u2014recognized as one of the leading sustainable architecture and planning firms in the Northeast\u2014is a valuable aspect of the firm\u2019s pre-construction work for the University. During pre-construction Consigli\u2019s team reviewed the early design and provided the design team with key contacts and advice about the triple-glazed curtainwall\u2014which is fundamental to the building\u2019s sustainable design and function.<\/p>\n In the equation of how to build for net-zero-energy use, enclosing a building tightly is a key first step. When designed and built well, the right curtainwall system significantly reduces a building\u2019s energy use, often lowering consumption by as much as 70%.<\/p>\n On the road to building sustainably, project managers also need to be vigilant about product and materials transparency and waste management. For Clark, the team\u2019s vigilance on product and materials transparency involves verifying and documenting that building materials have recycled content, are manufactured and extracted with 500 miles and avoid product ingredients that emit volatile organic compounds\u2014which are often identified by odor producing off-gassing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe aren\u2019t just building the project, we are the guardians of the gate on materials verification,\u201d said Rich Scopelliti, LEED AP, Consigli Project Manager. This involves everything from using as much recycled materials as possible to avoiding millwork fabricated using urea formaldehyde resins.<\/p>\n Clark\u2019s Chief Investment Officer, Jim Collins, inspired the design team by telling them, \u201cGo further, be bolder.\u201d Ellen Watts, LEED AP, President of Architerra, explained \u201cThe alumni center at Clark is a project for the future with energy goals that will actually exceed platinum status.\u201d<\/p>\n Watts also noted that the Clark project was the recipient of a \u201cLeading by Example\u201d grant award from the state\u2019s Executive Office of Energy and the Environment for its renewable energy standards. \u201cClark, Consigli, and the Commonwealth are indeed leading by example by showing that sustainability and renewable energy are not just nice ideas, they are the way of the future and will be imperatives in growing our institutions and our economy,\u201d said Watts. \u201cProjects like this one say to the world, \u2018See? We can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Kathleen MacEwen, LEED AP BD+C, is another important part of Consigli\u2019s team, shepherding the project through the LEED process in support of Clark\u2019s goal for a LEED Platinum-certified building. Consigli digs in early, which MacEwen feels is the best way to ensure success.<\/p>\n It is here that the goals of sustainable building benefit from Consigli\u2019s collaborative, pre-construction planning ability. \u201cOur goal is to exceed expectations whenever we can. It\u2019s our early involvement during pre-construction that also allows us to assist the design team with research and identification of the materials and systems we\u2019ll be installing and documenting for LEED during construction. If we can say, \u2018The client was going for Silver and we were able to steer it to Gold,\u2019 we take a lot of pride in that.\u201d MacEwen said.<\/p>\nGreen Thinking, Front and Center<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Collaborating Toward a Net-Zero-Energy Vision:
\n<\/strong>Clark University\u2019s New Student and Alumni Engagement Center<\/strong><\/h3>\nGreen, Greener, Greenest:<\/strong>
\nWilliams College\u2019s Environmental Center Takes on the Living Building Challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n