Boston, MA As part of Arrowstreet’s continued passion for creating a sustainable built environment and designing for healthier living, the firm has promoted Kate Bubriski, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Fitwell Ambassador, to director of sustainability and building performance. Arrowstreet designed the first LEED platinum building in the city along with many other prominent LEED certified buildings, and is currently working on the first Net Zero Emissions (NZE) school in the Commonwealth. The firm’s current Strategic Sustainability & Building Performance Plan (SBPP) goes beyond sustainability with a holistic approach to building performance focused on four key areas: energy, water, resilience, and health/wellbeing.
As director of sustainability, Bubriski will lead the implementation of the strategic plan and Arrowstreet’s environmental and sustainability initiatives. She will develop and educate staff about new sustainable design concepts, certifications, and energy codes, as well as innovations, post-occupancy measuring tools, and the best practices that produce net zero, resilient, and healthy buildings. She will work with clients to develop project goals that support their missions and communities. In addition, she will continue to execute Arrrowstreet’s plan for the AIA 2030 Commitment, a national initiative that provides a framework to help firms evaluate the impact of project design on energy performance.
“Kate believes architects have a social responsibility to help create a better, more sustainable place, and her passion is illustrated through her work and dedication to pioneering ideas that form the greenest projects,” said Arrowstreet principal Larry Spang. “We are thrilled to recognize Kate’s accomplishments, expertise, and client relations with her new role. Simply put, her work helps our entire firm design for the future.”
Bubriski plays a leading role in some of Arrowstreet’s most sophisticated projects, including the King Open/Cambridge St. Upper Schools in Cambridge, which is designed as the first NZE School, and one of the largest net zero buildings of any type in Massachusetts. She is also working on projects across many sectors including: the Parcel K mixed-use development in the Seaport, the Sidney Research Campus in Cambridge, a proposed Passive House multi-family project in Revere, and Military Healthy Base Initiative evaluations across the country.
She currently serves on the USGBC MA advocacy committee, AIA Committee on Architecture for Education K-12, Sustainable Design Leaders as Northeast Regional Leader, AIA Mass. government affairs committee, and the Greenbuild Host Committee.
She has spoken at more than 20 conferences and events throughout her career. Just this year, she’s been a featured speaker at NESEA BuildingEnergy 2017 (on NZE Schools + Virtual Reality) and at the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education K-12 (on Getting to Zero: User Engagement in Achieving Net Zero).
Bubriski has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is a Fitwel Ambassador, a Registered Architect in Massachusetts, and a Senior Associate that has been with Arrowstreet for five years.
Passionate about Arrowstreet’s company culture, she spearheaded the firm’s first ever Earth Day events in 2013, and its office-wide events for International Women’s Day. She is also active in the Greater Boston community, volunteering at Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter serving homeless women in the greater Boston area, andCommunity Servings as a team captain for their annual Pie In The Sky fundraiser.