Computing Center in Holyoke was one of the projects certified last
year was the first university research computing center to achieve
Platinum certification.
Much praise has come to the real estate market here in
Massachusetts for the way in which our industry has persevered
through the tough economic times of late. While the real estate
business is thriving given the substantial year-over-year
improvements we have seen in prices, sales, and more, the past year
has also been marked by a decrease in the average days on the
market and lower interest rates. Now, more accolades are making
headlines for the Bay State, as according to the U.S. Green
Building Council, Massachusetts ranked fourth in 2013 among all
States for having the most LEED-certified green buildings.
Regions around the country were surveyed that are at
the forefront of this substantial movement towards more energy
efficient, green buildings. With much of the Hub being defined by
cranes due to the immense investment coming to our shores in areas
such as the Back Bay, South End, Downtown, Financial District,
Seaport District, and more, there has been a great emphasis from
developers and city officials to ensure that the building designs,
construction, and operations are all done with a green thumb.
Massachusetts came back with a result of 101 buildings
being LEED-certified, which consisted of 13.6 million square feet
of space. Virginia was in the #3 ranking just above Massachusetts
with their 160 projects and 29.4 million square feet. Next was
Maryland with 119 projects and 12.6 million square feet, while
Illinois was #1 with 171 buildings totalling 29.4 million square
feet.
Some of the notable Massachusetts projects that
received LEED certification were the following, as highlighted by
the Boston Business Journal:
The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing
Center in Holyoke, LEED Platinum
One Beacon Street in Boston, recertified at LEED
Platinum after earning LEED Silver in 2008
Boston University Student Services Center, LEED
Gold
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection Wall Experiment Center in Lawrence
The Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, LEED
Gold
Northampton Police Department, LEED Gold
The Lord Jeffery Inn in Amherst, LEED Silver
USGBC Platinum Member Perkins & Will Boston Office,
LEED Gold
150 Second Street research laboratory in Cambridge,
LEED Platinum
Grey Lee, the Executive Director at the USGBC
Massachusetts Chapter, commented on this in a statement by saying,
Massachusetts has a strong community of practitioners working to
make green buildings a reality. We have good leadership and policy
initiatives for higher-performing structures and sustainability at
the community level.
In 2012, Massachusetts also came in at the #4 ranking.
However, this survey was only first enacted in 2010, when
Massachusetts at that time did not even crack the Top 10 States
nationwide. In 2011, the Bay State made it into the upper rankings,
coming in at the #7 position.
2013 saw Massachusetts certify 101 projects representing 13.7
million square feet, roughly 2.09 square feet per resident.
Worldwide, there are more than 20,000 projects representing about
2.9 billion square feet that are LEED-certified. What is even more
impressive is that there are 37,000 pending buildings with 7.6
billion square feet currently awaiting LEED-certification. With
Massachusetts clearly on an upward trend for implementing a green
mentality for our buildings and overall way of life, the future is
brighter than ever and is one that will be defined by
sustainability and progress.
More Information: Boston Business
Journal