Thank you to LDa Architecture & Interiors - a new sponsoring partner!

Thank you LDa - you rock!

LDa came into the Chapter Community during our LEED Project Showcase with three certified projects - two homes and a residential community at a college. Great examples of important green design work enabling Massachusetts to continue to be a leader in green building.

LEED Platinum - Weston Jesuit Community Housing at Boston College

LDa is committed to finding a meaningful balance between the traditions of New England architecture and the demands of contemporary living. For the last 20 years, their award winning projects have provided clients with thoughtful and inspired residential and interior design solutions rich in detail and craft with a focus on lasting value and sustainability. LDa engages clients in a process of collaborative, responsive design, resulting in comfortable, functional, and timeless spaces. LDa is a leader in sustainable design, having completed over a dozen LEED for Homes projects.

You can find more information about LDa at their website,

and on facebook,

and at their blog!


Thank you to Douglas Dick and Peter Nobile for connecting with us, and the Amanda Hanley for coordinating the relationship. We look forward to having you on board and working with us to make more green buildings in Massachusetts!

Riverfront Farmhouse in Concord, MA - LEED Silver

The Green Giants Are Here!

Congratulations to the Green Giants of the green building community in Western Massachusetts.

The West Branch of the USGBC MA Chapter has recognized outstanding contributors to the growth of our movement.

The winners were recognized at a joint USGBC MA West Branch & AIA Western Mass. annual dinner event on Dec. 4th, 2013. Over 60 people came out to celebrate the Green Giants and to hear from a series of presenters on local architecture and planning successes.

The following is a synopsis by Laura Fitch, the organizer of the Green Giants program:

Green Giants - 2013 Green Building Local Hero Awards Program

Sponsored by the US Green Building Council Massachusetts – West Branch (USGBCMA-West)

Committee: Laura Fitch, Aelan Tierney Jon Birtwell, Lawson Wulsin

Jury: Grey Lee, Sandra Brock, Phoebe Beierle, Stephen Muzzy

The Green Giants Award Program was created by our chapter to honor the work of trades people, educators, and owners/program directors who help build, teach about, envision and fund the green buildings in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. This program is intentionally distinct from other building design awards in its attempt to look at and honor a wider range of participants behind the sustainable building movement in our region.

Buildings consume a huge percentage of our energy and resources and create a tremendous amount of waste. In this time of global climate change, the USGBC is actively promoting green buildings as part of the solution. This goal however is largely implemented by Trades People, Educators or Building Owners – the true unsung heroes in this critical movement.

We chose to award 7 people in 3 categories. The following summarizes the presentation made regarding these recipients at the awards event:

1. Trades Category

The Green Giants Program sought to recognize individuals from any building trade or maintenance program who have gone the extra mile to ensure that a building (or campus) meets its sustainability goals.

Green Giants - trades

Sean Jeffords, Beyond Green Construction and Western MA Green Consortium

Honorable Mention - trades

Michael Broad, Construction Supervisor

Honorable Mention - trades

Tom Rossmassler, President and CEO of Energia in Holyoke

2. Educational Programs Category

Green Giants sought to recognize any teacher or organization behind an innovative green building program that inspires and actively teaches the next generation of designers, engineers, and trades people who will in their turn advance our green building revolution.

Green Giant - education

Teresa Jones, Greenfield Community College

for her work in developing the Sustainable Practices in Construction curriculum at GCC

[Nice blog entry about Teresa Jones winning the award here]

Honorable Mention - education

Westover Job Corps Center, Chicopee

and Gregory Briggs, Carpentry Instructor

3. Owner Category

The Green Giant program also recognized owners and institutions that envisioned and funded an exemplary green project, knowing that without their vision and money none of this would happen.

for Private Owner

Riverstone Development

for Two Pond Farm Land Co-op and Sustainable Neighborhood.

For Institutional Owner

Bement School

For two dormitory projects (as yet un-named)

USGBC MA Chapter Co-hosts 2013 Meet Massachusetts Networking Event @ ABX

On November 20, 2013, the USGBC MA Chapter, in partnership with the Massachusetts Chapter ofthe American Planning Association, Boston Society of Architects, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, and the Massachusetts Association of Consulting Planners hosted the 5th annual "Meet Massachusetts" networking event. Neil Angus, Vice Chairman of the USGBC MA Chapter Board of Directors welcomed attendees and spoke briefly about the purpose of the event: to bring together planning, design and construction professionals. Green building is all about integrated design and no other event really brings together the multitude of disciplines that this event does. 

Neil Angus, Vice Chairman of the USGBC MA Chapter, welcomes attendees.

Over 50 planners, engineers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, energy planners and contractors came together to talk about sustainable design and development, to share ideas and meet new people. This years' event was made possible through the generous support of the New England Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association and Keith LeBlanc Landscape Architecture. This was the second time the event was held in conjunction with the ABX Conference. 

Neil Angus from the USGBC MA Chapter and Rob Henry from the New England Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association @ Meet Massachusetts.

Attendees at the 5^th Annual Meet Massachusetts networking event.

We hope to see you at next year's event!

Green Building Update - Mid November

Green Buildings continue to become the standard practice in the real estate industry. Of course, we do have a long way to go, but that is our mission and that is where we're heading. Energy-efficient, high-performance buildings are good for users, managers and owners. LEED certification is one way to achieve a green building. The GSA has concluded that LEED saves the government money. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found LEED buildings, on average, use 25% less energy and cost 19% less to operate.

In the last two months, the state has seen 17 newly certified buildings including Dassault Systemes Boston Campus in Waltham which attained LEED Commercial Interiors: Platinum and One Beacon Street earned LEED Existing Building: Platinum through Cassidy Turley. The Northampton, MA, Police Department attained LEED New Construction: Gold as did Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Recreational Facility. Congratulations to the many teams that earned LEED certifications in recent weeks.

Let's welcome new USGBC member firms in the last two months: Green Footprints Commissioning, Inc.; Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.; The Princeton Review; G.C. McGowan Design, LLC; Sustainability Services Group LLC; Mashpee High School Environmental Club; Communications Design Associates, Inc.; Paul Lukez Architecture; Derosa Environmental Consulting. Thank you for being a part of the green building community.

The Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC would like to recognize our new partnering sponsors Levi + Wong Architects, LDa-Architects, and Rubenstein Partners/CenterPoint Waltham. Together we are enhancing the real estate of Massachusetts.