Boston – Built Environment Plus (BE+) recently held its 2023 Green Building Showcase Awards Program and Celebration at the newly constructed Amazon L4 Tower in Boston’s Seaport, with over 275 in attendance.
For the second year in a row, HMFH Architects won the Green Building of the Year award for a public school project. The Annie E. Fales Elementary School in Westborough is the first net-positive energy public school in Massachusetts, capable of generating 11.6% more energy than required to operate the all-electric school. The judges commented, “This is a very strong example of holistic, integrated, thoughtful design. If school designers across the country emulated this approach, the world would be a better place.”
Arrowstreet won the Carbon and Energy Award for its work on the new Boardwalk Campus in West Acton housing two K-6 schools and an early childhood program for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. The judges commented on “the comprehensive sustainable considerations of the compact 3-story school, from net zero energy and water, to embodied carbon reductions, on-site batteries, and a passive house level of airtightness.” They added, “This is a highly replicable model for low-carbon sustainable schools that also integrates resilience principles.”
Utile’s entry for the Boston Public Library, Roxbury Branch won the Sustainable Building Renovation award as “a beautiful example of transforming Brutalist architecture into a healthy, biophilic, welcoming, and high-performing space, while respecting the original design and working closely with the community to include their perspective on the form and function. The new, bigger windows, better envelope and celebrated natural materials transforms the building into a welcoming, comfortable and engaging community asset.”
E+ Highland
Studio G Architects took home the Equity and Inclusion Award for their E+ Highland Street project being built on city-owned land in the Highland Park neighborhood of Roxbury. The judges said, “Not only are 100% of the units affordable, aiming to prevent displacement and supporting upward economic mobility in the neighborhood, but the project is also designed with ambitious sustainability goals – to achieve net positive energy, utilize energy efficient and resilient building components and systems, and materials that address the negative impacts buildings can have on the health of their occupants and the planet.”
Jane Carbone, who recently retired as the director of development at Homeowners Rehab Inc., won the Change Agent of the Year award for her significant legacy greening the affordable housing world. According to her nominator, “Jane not only pushed the envelope when it came to new construction, she also cared deeply for renovating to a high-efficiency standard and working with property management to establish a green spec for unit turnover and maintenance. Jane went further than providing a healthy living environment and educated residents on materials and equipment to get the most from these items. Jane spent her career building and maintaining affordable housing to the highest standards of design and sustainability.”
Stantec Architecture won the People’s Choice Award, voted on by all attendees, for its 140 Kendrick project, the first net-zero, carbon-neutral conversion of an existing building of its scale in Massachusetts.
2023 Green Building Showcase Winners
Green Building of the Year
Annie E. Fales Elementary School, submitted by HMFH Architects
Green Home of the Year (1-3 units)
Shawme Lake Passive House, submitted by Kaplan Thompson Architects
Carbon and Energy Award
Boardwalk Campus, submitted by Arrowstreet
Equity and Inclusion Award
E+ Highland, submitted by Studio G Architects
Health and Wellness Award
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Patient Care Pavilion, submitted by HDR
Site and Landscape Award
Northland Newton Site Design, submitted by Stantec Architecture
Sustainable Building Operations Award
Access to Live Waste Intelligence, submitted by Spare-it
Sustainable Building Renovation Award
Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library Renovation, submitted by Utile
A Path to Net Zero
Sustainable Construction Innovation Award
A Path to Net Zero, submitted by Highland Park Technologies
Sustainable Interior Fit-out Award
Kendall Square Workspace, submitted by Utile
Student Project of the Year
Analyzing Construction Data to Develop Sustainable Reporting Framework, submitted by Drushti Shah (UMass Boston)
People’s Choice Award
140 Kendrick, submitted by Stantec Architecture
Change Agent of the Year Award
Jane Carbone, recently retired from Homeowners Rehab, Inc.
