0 Green Office Buildings Improve Productivity and Quality of Sleep

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

When considering your new office building studies show that a “green” building leads to workers scoring higher cognitively. The Massachusetts RMV building is Roxbury closed by the Weld administration due to “sick building syndrome” and had to relocate 600 workers.

From Highbeam:

Workers in certified “green” buildings score 26.4 percent higher on cognitive function tests, when compared with workers at the same companies who happen to work in a non-certified building, according to a new study out from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

The green-building workers also had sleep scores that were 6.4 percent higher than their coworkers in non-green buildings. The study controlled for job category, education and salary.

0 Somerville Efforts to Become Carbon Neutral by 2050

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The City of Somerville might be onto something here; it is efforting to become carbon neutral by 2050. If all things are equal or at least close to equal, I believe local small-to-mid-sized companies would embrace the green initiative. The challenge only really exists when being green adds measurable cost to the companies monthly overhead.

From the BBJ:

“‘Sustainability and taking care of the environment is a deeply held conviction of the community,’ said Daniel DeMaina, media manager for the city of Somerville, in an interview…The city will release a form called a Request for Information, for companies to propose their green-tech ideas at an event on Oct. 21. Companies have until Dec. 1 to submit their plans.”

0 888 Boylston Street to Bring New Office Space to Back Bay

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow

888 Boylston Street will offer the newest office space in Back Bay in 10 years. This building will have a strong green initiative that will incorporate onsite solar and wind power generation. Additionally, “those working in this mid-rise will have enough natural light 60% of the time to forgo artificial lighting thanks to 14-foot ceilings and other technology. It will use 37% less potable water and 45% less energy than a traditional office. Bryan…who has a long time commitment to sustainability, says in addition to solar-energy generated on-site, this will be Boston’s first commercial office tower to use wind turbine energy,” Bisnow reports.

Click through for additional details on the proposed newest Back Bay office building.

0 Green Office Space: How Much of a Consideration is it for You?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Wil Catlin

office space interior at 75 state street in Boston

Photo Credit: Boston.com

How important is reducing your carbon footprint when you are searching for new office space? This question does not come up with all clients that are looking for space, but I would say that most care. Being that they care doesn’t mean they would like to spend more for it; they would be most interested when their green efforts could also reduce the cost to run the building. For example, lower HVAC costs result from better insulation and more efficient building systems.

What is LEED? LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is transforming the way we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated across the globe. Comprehensive and flexible, LEED is a green building tool that addresses the entire building lifecycle recognizing best-in-class building strategies.

Landlords use LEED Certification to differentiate themselves amongst their peers. Some claim to be the first LEED Gold certification while others claim the most improved say from Silver to Platinum. Massachusetts currently ranks 4th amongst all states with 106 projects certified in 2012 or 13,395,597 square feet.

Boston.com recently noted Grant Thornton’s green considerations in its relocation to the Financial District, “Another benefit of the new office: It is designed to help reduce the firm’s carbon footprint…All workspaces have access to natural light as well as to modern conference and team rooms.”

0 Energy Disclosure Ordinance Passed in Boston

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Wil Catlin

When you are deciding on moving your office, how important is the building’s energy consumption? Mayor Menino’s new reporting and disclosure ordinance will require all buildings over 35K RSF to report their numbers.

Banker & Tradesman reports, “the ordinance, which will cover approximately 1,600 buildings in Boston, requires all commercial buildings over 35,000 square feet and all residential buildings over 35 units to annually report whole-building energy and water use. The ordinance is a component of the city’s Climate Action Plan to meet Menino’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.”

The complete B&T article can be found, here.

You can also read the City’s Climate Action Plan on the City of Boston website.

0 Boston Buildings Rank High for Energy Conservation

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Wil Catlin

Photo Credit: Boston Business Journal

The Commonwealth ranks high among its peers nationally for energy conservation.

According to a Boston Business Journal report, two Bay State buildings, the JFK Building in Boston, and the J.C. Penney in Peabody, stood above its competition in terms of energy conservation.

The BBJ details the criteria, “competitors tracked their building’s monthly energy consumption using EPA’s online energy tracking tool. Energy use reductions for each top finisher were verified. Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year.”

To read more about the JFK Building and the J.C. Penney that earned the green accolades, jump over to the BBJ online.