10-01-2015 - USGBC Massachusetts will host 2015 Green Building Showcase

USGBC Massachusetts will host its 2015 Green Building Showcase, the chapter's premier annual event to showcase and celebrate exceptional green buildings conceived, designed, built & operated by our community of practitioners. The event will be held on October 1 from 6:30pm-8:30pm, at the Calderwood Courtyard in the newly-renovated (LEED Gold certified) Harvard Art Museums. Over 75 projects will be on display. More than 250 leaders in our industry will be in attendance for this open bar reception and entertaining forum on green buildings. The Green Building Showcase is a gathering for exceptional green buildings completed in the New England region between October, 2013 and October 2015. Project teams are given the opportunity to display information about their buildings, highlighting the project team members and their successes. Attendees are invited to critically browse the projects and review the displays while networking over drinks and appetizers. The hall will be full of display boards of awesome green buildings. This year, the showcase will also host the annual Green Building Awards. In the past, these were announced during our Earth Day event. This year they have coordinated the Green Building Awards with the Green Building Showcase happening in the fall season. You do not have to enter the awards contest to participate in the showcase - they encourage project teams to highlight their building(s) in the Showcase, and optionally enter the awards competition. The awards are sponsored by the USGBC MA Chapter to promote, publicize, and recognize exceptional sustainable building practices in Massachusetts. The aim of these awards is to further stimulate and advance innovation in green building in Massachusetts and inspire the community to engage in even greener practices. There are two entry categories for the awards competition. These categories are the "Innovation in Green Design Award" and the "Exemplary Building Performance Award." In addition, the judges for this year's competition will select the best green building out of the two categories for the award titled the "Massachusetts Green Building of the Year." The awards include: Exemplary Building Performance Award for Existing Buildings - Last year's winner: One Beacon St. (Boston); CBRE NE Innovation in Green Design Award * Whole Building * Project Component/Feature - 2014 winner: Waltham Watch Factory - Rainwater Management; Richard Burke Associates. - Special Recognition: Factory 63 (Boston) - Energy Performance of Historic Building; BH+A. - Special Recognition: Colby College Co-Generation Plant - Biomass for carbon neutrality; ARC. Why Should I Enter? There are many benefits to entering your building or project for an Award. * Recognition- submissions will be put on display at the Green Building Showcase. Award entrants and winners will all be highlighted on the chapter's website. * Feedback- The submissions will be judged by a panel of 3-5 judges and a summary of responses will be available to entrants upon request. * Inspiration- The Exemplary Building Performance Award honors the building that best lives up to its green design and shows outstanding water and energy performance. It helps raise the performance bar for future buildings. The Massachusetts Innovation in Green Design Award recognizes a building, innovative technology or product, or policy/program that best exemplifies the chapter's passion for sustainable design. Who attends this event? In prior years, the presented projects were exclusive to LEED certified buildings, but this year it is open to the broader community of "green buildings." Attendees include architects, engineers, contractors, developers, owners, facility managers, building users, lenders, suppliers... this is a celebration of green buildings and all stakeholders are invited to join! General admission tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now. Where will it be? At the Calderwood Courtyard in the newly-renovated Harvard Art Museums at 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. The USGBC MA Chapter looks forward to convening the community of practitioners and champions of green buildings at this year's Green Building Showcase.