Green
Buildings Initiative
Design & Construction Grant Recipients
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4
| Artists
for Humanity – Fort Point Arts District, Boston
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Project Summary: Artists for Humanity is a non-profit organization that offers paid apprenticeship programs in the arts to inner-city teens. The new headquarters of Artists for Humanity will be located in an existing building in the Fort Point arts district and will include 45 kilowatts of roof-mounted photovoltaic cells, a glass curtain wall for daylighting benefits, and energy efficiency measures. |
| City
of Cambridge – City Hall Annex
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Project Summary: The City of Cambridge plans to renovate the currently unused City Hall Annex as a green building. The Annex will include 28 kilowatts of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, a ground source heat pump, daylighting, and numerous energy efficiency measures. Tens of thousands of citizens will pass through the building annually, making it a valuable public showcase of renewable energy technologies and green building. |
| Genzyme
Corporation – Cambridge
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Project Summary: Genzyme Corporation, an international biotechnology corporation, is now constructing the Genzyme Center, a 12-story office building in the Cambridge Technology Park that will include 2,800 square feet of roof-mounted photovoltaic cells, a double façade of exterior glass for thermal benefits, and a 12-story atrium for daylighting. The Center will also include numerous energy efficiency and air quality features. |
| MATCH
School (Media and Technology Charter School)
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Project Summary: A 20 kW photovoltaic array will be mounted flat on the roof of the MATCH School. A data acquisition system will track a number of variables associated with the solar array and will be used for educational purposes. MATCH also conducted energy modeling to assess the cost-effectiveness of various energy-efficiency measures. The MTC design and construction grants will help to finance some of the proposed features, such as high-efficiency lighting, high performance windows, and occupancy sensors for the lighting system. |
| The
Trustees of Reservations, Doyle Conservation Center, Leominster
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Project Summary: The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit organization that preserves land with ecological and historical significance throughout Massachusetts. The administrative and exhibit building at the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster will include 4,600 square feet of roof-mounted photovoltaic shingles, ground-coupled heat pumps, and numerous energy efficiency and ventilation features. |
| Tufts
University, Tufts Solar Residence Hall, Medford
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Project Summary: Tufts University’s new Solar Residence Hall will act as a showcase for renewable energy technologies in the university setting. The residence hall will include 32 kilowatts of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, as well as a curtain wall with integrated photovoltaics. The residence hall will also include a solar hot water system, numerous energy efficiency measures and green building features. |
| Woods
Hole Research Center, The Gilman Ordway Campus, Woods Hole
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Project Summary: The Woods Hole Research Center conducts research and policy development on numerous environmental issues, with a primary mission to combat global warming. The Center’s new headquarters will include 26.4 kilowatts of photovoltaics, an energy monitoring system for educational purposes, and a ground source heat pump. The project also includes numerous energy efficiency and green building elements. |
| Maverick
Gardens
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Project Summary: East Boston’s Maverick Gardens is slated for redevelopment as a model of affordable housing by a partnership between the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), Trinity Financial, Inc., and several other organizations. The project’s comprehensive plan includes the restoration of existing street patterns and the creation of 396 mixed-income housing units. A unique feature of the project is its focus on green building and energy efficiency elements, including efficient lighting, appliances, and structural elements and certification under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. Through its grant, Maverick Gardens will feature 40.8 kW of solar photovoltaics and a 75 kW microturbine to provide a significant amount of the development’s electricity supply, as well as a solar hot water system. These features were determined to be feasible in a study previously funded by the MTC. Maverick Gardens will serve to educate both the building industry and the community about the green building process, and the project will act as a model for future green affordable housing developments. |
| Massachusetts
Innovation Center
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Project Summary: The Massachusetts Innovation Center is an ambitious redevelopment of a 300,000 square foot mill building in Fitchburg to create a home for the North Central Charter School, as well as office, retail and residential space. The Center will feature numerous green building elements including reuse of building materials, an innovative stormwater management system, and a ground-coupled heat pump. Through its grant, the Center will include 48.6 kW of solar photovoltaics to meet a significant amount of the building’s electricity needs. This installation and other green building elements will be featured in educational programs for charter school students and the public. The Center will act as a valuable demonstration of renewables and green building elements in large-scale commercial developments. |
| Massachusetts
Audubon Society: Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
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Project Summary: As the largest conservation organization in New England, the Massachusetts Audubon Society conserves land throughout the state and provides education and advocacy on environmental issues. Mass Audubon is planning a renovation and addition to its Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to create needed classroom and office space. The renovated Sanctuary will be a model of green design and energy efficiency, featuring passive heating and cooling, innovative water management, daylighting and environmentally sound materials. The project is expected to achieve a Gold rating under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. Using its grant, Mass Audubon will install 18 kW of solar photovoltaics, a solar water heating system, and additional energy efficiency elements, as determined in a previous feasibility study funded by MTC. The Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary will serve as a valuable example of minimized building energy loads coupled with advanced renewable energy technologies. |
| Nature’s
Classroom
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Project Summary: Nature’s Classroom provides environmental education to students throughout New England and is planning the construction of a new facility, Greylock Lodge in Adams, to provide classroom and dormitory spaces for its Massachusetts students. The project will be a leading example in green building and energy efficiency and is expected to achieve a Gold rating under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. Through its grant from MTC, Nature’s Classroom will install 60 kW of solar photovoltaics and a 10 kW wind turbine to provide 55% of the building’s energy needs. These elements were determined to be viable in a previous feasibility study funded by MTC. The project’s renewable energy and green building elements will be featured in the organization’s educational programs, and will serve as valuable demonstration of renewable energy functioning as the primary source of a building’s electricity. |
| New
England Wildlife Center
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Project Summary: The New England Wildlife Center (NEWC) operates a respected wildlife hospital in Weymouth and provides education and advocacy on environmental issues. The Center is planning to construct a new 25,000 square foot facility to expand its hospital capabilities and create new educational spaces. The facility will include numerous green building and energy efficiency elements and is expected to achieve certification under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. In addition to such features as a sod roof for water management and a ground-coupled heat pump for heating and cooling needs, NEWC will use its RET grant to install 25 kW of roof-mounted photovoltaics and a 4 kW fuel cell to provide a significant amount of the building’s energy needs. NEWC previously received a feasibility study grant from MTC to evaluate the integration of these elements into the project. The completed project will serve as a valuable demonstration of the use of renewables in an energy intensive facility. |
| North
Adams Public Library
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Project Summary: The North Adams Public Library is planning an addition and renovation to its 100 year old library using green building techniques. The project will feature numerous green building and energy efficiency elements, including efficient fixtures, significant reuse of building materials, lighting controls, and a ground-coupled heat pump for the building’s heating and cooling needs. The project is expected to achieve certification under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. Using its grant from MTC, the library will install 12 kW of photovoltaics to provide 20% of the building’s electricity needs. The library plans to gather data on the building and performance of the photovoltaics for use in its educational efforts. This project will serve as a valuable example of the integration of renewable energy in existing buildings. |
| Allston-Brighton
CDC, Boston
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Project Summary: The Allston-Brighton CDC (ABCDC) is a community development corporation that has served the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston for over 20 years. In its current initiative to convert a former Allston warehouse site into 70,747 square feet of low-income housing, ABCDC has focused on the inclusion of energy efficiency and used a feasibility study grant from MTC to identify the innovative use of a bio-diesel-fueled microturbine to provide efficient electricity and heating to the development and produce significantly lower emissions than the use of conventional diesel fuel. Using its current grant, ABCDC will first complete pre-development and permitting tasks, establish a purchasing agreement with a local bio-diesel provider, and further develop the project’s green features. Upon completion of these steps, ABCDC will be authorized to install a 30 kilowatt micro-turbine and additional energy efficiency measures. This project will act as a key example of green affordable housing and will provide a valuable case study on the emerging use of bio-diesel. |
| Alternatives
Unlimited, Northbridge
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Project Summary: Alternatives Unlimited is a non-profit organization providing a wide range of services to people with disabilities throughout central Massachusetts. Through a planned restoration of the 36,742 square foot John Whitin Mill Building Complex in Whitinsville, Alternatives Unlimited will establish its new headquarters and provide commercial and office space to downtown Whitinsville. The results of an MTC-funded feasibility study will guide the restoration of the complex which will include numerous green building and energy efficiency measures and is expected to receive a Silver rating under the LEED Rating System. Using its current grant, Alternatives Unlimited will first undertake pre-development and permitting work associated with the rehabilitation of a defunct, on-site hydropower facility. Upon completion of these tasks, Alternatives Unlimited will be authorized to construct the facility which is anticipated to provide 330,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity to the site each year. The project will act as a prominent case study of hydropower facility restorations, with potential for replicability across Massachusetts. |
| Lawrence
Community Works, Lawrence
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Project Summary: Lawrence
Community Works is dedicated to the revitalization of Lawrence neighborhoods
and is currently focused on the development of the Our House Family
Learning Center near the city’s downtown. The 10,700 square
foot rehabilitation project will provide a home for adult and youth
education programs and will include significant green building measures,
contributing to a LEED Gold rating for the building. Through a feasibility
study funded by MTC, Lawrence Community Works identified numerous
energy efficiency measures and a photovoltaic system to be included
in the project. Through the current grant, the project will include
8 kilowatts of photovoltaics, providing 16.5% of its electricity supply.
Additional energy efficiency measures will further reduce the building’s
heating needs by 86% and overall energy needs by 47%. This highly
energy efficient renovation will serve as a valuable resource for
other developers seeking to improve energy performance at minimal
costs. |
| MITRE
Corporation, Bedford
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Project Summary: The MITRE
Corporation, a prominent research and development corporation focused
on projects in the public interest, is planning a new 96,000 square
foot, state-of-the-art employee center and gateway building for its
campus in Bedford. The project will include numerous green building
elements and is expected to meet many LEED criteria. Through a feasibility
study funded by MTC, MITRE expanded on anticipated green building
measures to develop an integrated plan for energy efficiency and renewable
energy elements in the project. Using its current grant, MITRE will
construct a 12.5 kilowatt photovoltaic canopy marking the building’s
entrance and will install 16.5 additional kilowatts of photovoltaics
on the building’s roof. This project will serve as a pioneering
example of integrated renewable energy and energy efficiency in corporate
headquarter projects. |
| River
Valley Market, Northampton
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Project Summary: The River Valley Market is a cooperative market in Northampton with a longstanding commitment to sustainable practices, specifically promoting the use of renewable energy to its customers among other initiatives. In the construction of its new 13,500 square foot market facility, River Valley will incorporate numerous green building and energy efficiency measures for an expected Gold rating under the LEED Rating System. Through its grant, River Valley will install a 30.4 kilowatt photovoltaic system and include additional energy efficiency measures in the project. A primary function of the photovoltaic installation will be to serve as a physical example of renewable energy systems for River Valley customers and act as a focal point for the market’s outreach efforts. The completed project will further inform the development of green retail projects served by on-site renewable energy systems. |
| Rural
Development, Franklin County
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Project Summary: Rural Development works throughout Franklin County to develop and maintain low-to-moderate-income housing and constructs twelve new housing units throughout the county each year. Using a feasibility study funded by MTC, Rural Development evaluated its existing housing prototype, which currently meets the EPA’s Energy Star goals, to determine the potential for incorporating renewable energy into a standard design. Through its current grant, Rural Development will construct four pilot homes totaling 5,000 square feet that will include advanced heating, windows, insulation, and 1 kilowatt of photovoltaics per home. These pilot homes will be tested for both energy and cost efficiency and will inform future modifications to Rural Development’s standard home prototype. The project has significant potential for replication by low-income single family housing providers and market rate developers interested in the integration of renewables at minimal cost. |
| Urban
Edge, Boston
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Project Summary: Urban Edge is a community development corporation focused on housing and other development projects in the Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods of Boston. The organization is currently planning the redevelopment of a former brownfield site straddling the two neighborhoods to create Egleston Crossing, a combined affordable housing and commercial project totaling 89,000 square feet. The prominently located development will include numerous green building features and is expected to achieve a LEED Gold rating. Through a feasibility study funded by MTC, Urban Edge identified additional energy efficiency measures for inclusion and evaluated the potential integration of photovoltaics into the project. Using its current grant, Urban Edge will install 63 kilowatts of photovoltaics on the building’s roof which, combined with the additional energy efficiency measures, will create overall energy savings of 50% for the development. This exemplary development will serve as a key example for other organizations planning green affordable housing developments. |
| Woods
Hole Research Center, Falmouth
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Project Summary: The Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) is an internationally recognized scientific, policy and educational institution focused on studying and combating climate change. WHRC has been working on the construction of its 19,300 square foot Gilman Ordway Campus in Falmouth over the past year, which includes numerous energy efficiency and green building features and is expected to qualify for a Silver rating under the LEED Rating System. WHRC is interested in including a 100 kilowatt wind turbine as part of its construction project to ensure that 100% of its energy needs comes from renewable, non-polluting, resources. Using its current grant, WHRC will first work with the Town and all interested parties to secure all necessary siting and interconnection permits. Upon successful completion of these steps, WHRC will be authorized to procure and install the system. This project will provide valuable data on the performance of highly energy efficient buildings served entirely by renewable energy. |
| Brookline
Health Department, Brookline Building type: Municipal Technology: Photovoltaics Grant amount: $104,600 Contact: Alan Balsam, (617) 730-2300 |
Project Summary: The Town of Brookline seeks to renovate the Train Memorial Health Center, home of the Brookline Health Department. The town’s goal is to create a green building to provide a visible model for the Town and provide impetus for adoption of alternative energy initiatives thought Brookline. With this project, the Town is attempting to achieve Gold or Platinum rating under the LEED Rating System. Utilization of the this grant will allow the renovation of the 16,000 square foot building to include the installation of over 20 kW of photovoltaics – both roof-mounted and building integrated. The photovoltaic system is expected to produce 25,000kWh annually supplying the building with up to 30% of its total annual electric usage. |
| Provincetown
Art Association & Museum, |
Project Summary: Established in 1914, Provincetown Art Association and Museum is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote art in the town of Provincetown by collecting and exhibiting art collections of merit and promoting art education and artists. The museum is planning to undergo an extensive renovation and expansion project which will more than double the size of the facility. The museum plans to maximize energy efficiency by pursing green features such as photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps, and wastewater minimization. This MTC grant will allow the museum to incorporate 5 kW of roof-mounted photovoltaics which will generate over 6,000 kWh annually. The combination of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy system will assist the museum in achieving a Silver or Gold rating under the LEED Rating System. |
| Brookside
Mill Redevelopment, Westford Building type: Multi-unit residential Technology: Hydropower Grant amount: $480,773 Contact: Robert Easton, (203) 637-5125 |
Project Summary: Nabnasset Mill Partners aims to develop thirty-five (35) residential units (a mix of townhouses and flats) on 3.5 acre site in Westford. The original structure on the site was built in 1724 and used as a grist mill. Over the years, the property served several businesses and uses until it was ultimately abandoned. Nabnasset Partners is redeveloping the deteriorated property and construction is well underway. Brookside Mill Redevelopment aims to achieve the goals of the green building movement and has registered with LEED. The grant is targeting the redevelopment of the on-site hydropower potential by harnessing the flow of the Stoney Brook to generate up to 100 kW of power. This electric power output could supply all residential needs and sell the surplus to the utility or another willing buyer. The project will act as a prominent case study of hydropower facility restoration with potential for replicability across Massachusetts. |