sustainable services
sustainable services ABOUT map lab: ...what are we sustaining? ...who we are ...what we think ...how we do it SERVICES: architecture urban design + community planning existing building energy modeling living building & LEED consulting
million metric tonnes of carbon (source: lawrence berkeley/DOE)
u.s. c
Ask yourself, what are we sustaining when asked...
co2 emissions by sector
are you sustainable?
Many businesses are shifting to “green” or “sustainable” measures whether to reduce energy or to a part of a surging market. What does it mean to be “green”? It starts with setting up a clear set of goals. The goals are always better when you can measure them. We can help set those goals. As designers we see that buildings use 76% of the energy and we know that we can have an impact here. But we also see an opportunity to work with our clients to find increased productivity and streamlined processes while having a positive impact on energy resources and the financial bottom line. It is a partnership. We believe that good design requires us to think holistically.
2020
We present our real-world experience, our ability to research, and push to be leaders with environmentally responsive design solutions.
...who we are T H I N K : : map-lab specializes in creating spaces where people interact - for work, enjoyment, and inspiration. Through our unique combination of architectural and project management experience, we continually explore ways to create these spaces by balancing each owner’s unique program with the appropriate design solution D E S I G N :: We understand the extraordinary pressures our clients face to attract the best talent, customers, and investors to their business. We also understand that creating beautiful and functional facilities can contribute greatly to a client’s success. This is why as manager, architect, or planner, we skillfully guide our clients through the design process to deliver a thoughtfully-designed, artful space that fulfills their functional, operational, and financial needs CONSTRUCT :: As building professionals, we have an obligation to consider the influence a project has on individuals, society, and the environment. Ultimately, we want to deliver a project that meets our clients needs but does so with an eye always on a beautiful, healthy, and well-thought design.
people. planet....
..prosperity.
...what we think SUSTAINABLILITY :: We are a committed sustainable practice. We adhere to the “triple bottom line� principle of people-planet-prosperity. Global climate change IS happening and we believe that human activity is a major contributor to this. We feel it is our charge to integrate solutions in our daily operations, professional practice, and personal behavior.
our Carbon foot
(source: carbonfund.org & “Planting Burned Areas for Ca tration” study - Colorado State University 2007)
electricity (energy use) - 6190 kWh/y
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TRANSPARENCY :: At maplab we believe in transparency. Its why we are committed to documenting our efforts for our clients to see on our website as well as through our actions such as AIA 2030 Commitment and Architecture 2030. They have significant metrics and initiatives that the firm must commit to in order to report that it is operating as “carbon neutral� by 2030. These are metrics we can assist a client perform on themselves and integrate solutions to meet them.
...What if every single act of des construction made the world... Site
Water
Energy
Weighing the contributions to design may seem limited. If the client is a leasee of a building, they may have no control over. the “green� impact. But assessing the site from daylighting options in existing space to assisting clients locating a proper site can contribute significantly to measures of sustianability and operations cost.
Water can be assessed not only in our ovwerall consumption, but also in what we restore. Capturing rainwater may be a solution to irrigation or non-potable water use, but looking beyond use to weighing building impact or even contribution to a watershed can be of equal importance. It can build resiliency into the design.
Photovoltaics and solar thermal water heating get the bulk of the press for aspect of onsite energy generation, but things should always start with assessing needs then taking measures to reduce the energyload. This assessment and implementation strategy gives a blueprint for site appropriate generators & cost factors.
Health From water-based paints & adhesives to access to daylight & fresh air, occupant health has become every bit the design criteria as color pallettes. Countless studies show that the choices made early on or through existing assesment can reduce health issues, making for environments people thrive in.
Materials Life-cycle cost analysis and materials that are cradle-to-cradle are tools that can determine the choices made in the components of a building. Where these components are harvested, assembled, & delivered - can have a significant impact. But it starts with understanding the needs, if something can be reused - we do it.
sign and .......a better place? Equity Buildings have tremendous impacts on not only the lives of people who inhabit them but also those outside of them. From neighbors to distant workers making materials for the building to issues of accessibility & interaction with nature, helping clients make sociallyequitable choices is a responsibility we take very seriously.
Beauty To paraphrase the LB criteria, mandating beauty is, by definition, an impossible task and we do not begin to assume we can judge beauty and project our own aesthetic values on others. We design with intention for positive impact and are open to educating the public about the environmental qualities of the building.
BASIS CRITERIA :: As members of the Living Future Insitiute, we look to integrate the most advanced thinking on sustainability into our design practice. By weighing the criteria of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), we ensure the clients will see all of the best and healthiest options we can deploy, ever mindful of the bottom line. We are LEED and LBC savvy and can guide and process either for the beneift of a given project.
We have worked hard to develop our collective skill sets and knowledge base, methods of delivery, and tools as well as our network of collaborators to be able to work with clients, communities, and beyond to arrive at solutions to these pressing issues of our time. But applying our skill sets requires an itegrated approach for all members of the team, most especially with the client. integrated team meeting with museum at the mill
...how we do it
After we understand the needs of the client we being the process of understanding how those needs fit in with ecological, economical, and physical constraints that a wellthought design must work within. These are not obstacles, but rather part of the challenges we at map lab thoroughly enjoy tackling.
Provding a vision for a particular space, building, street, or city is an ability we deply with great confidence. These visioning exercises allwos the client to see how the ideas are coming together and gives an ability to communiate it to their stakeholders, be they investers, community members, municipalities, or students.
Using tools such as BIM and energy-modeling, the process becomes a significant asset for not only the client, to better understand the intended performance and aesthetic of their space or building, it helps the design team make prudent decisions along the way to save time in the process and keep all members of the integrated design team engaged in the solutions.
The orchestration of the human scale to the building scale is a vital component to a design approach that places emphasis on such things as energy-efficiency, day-lighting, access to fresh air, a thermally responsible building envelope, use of healthy and renewable materials, responsible resource management inside and outside the building, and a working methodology that engages in an integrated project delivery approach. design for a residence near a seaside saltmarsh
library design for an independent school in Dedham MA
architecture We say quite a bit that the “greenest� building is on already there. Yes, we can design a new building. But do we need to? These are questions we ask first. A building is part of the eco-system. The more in balance with the eco-system - and its effects on it - the better. Sometimes its as easy as asking whether just opening up a view can provide the solution to lighting or enhancing the understanding of place. Maybe that makes it a better place to work or learn or live. In thinking this way, simply, it is the most sustainable approach we know. Its important to know what NOT to design to satisify what a client needs.
engineering classroom at MIT
Be they “ecodistricts�, innovation centers, smart growth corridors, or pedstedrian oriented developments - we have significant experience working with all ends of the urban-scale. As municipalities weigh options for spurring vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods, we can assist them and developers make choices - beyond design itself that connects the public and private partnerships with the people. congress street - south boston vision
Scaling design to the city level takes a certain set of skill that blends the ability to convey large data-sets and needs assesments to a much wider and diverse community. Be it helping a community meet its goals as a “green community� or finding best uses for abandoned land, we start with asset mapping the community to integrate the collective efforts of a given community into the planning. So many of the best ideas for planning are efforts that are already underway.
urban design + community planning
downtown crossing study
greenest building is the one already there. but can your existing b u i l d i n g o p e r a t e s m a r t e r ? the
let us audit you and see.
A Sustainability Audit will consist of analysis and metrics in a variety of areas including:
Als do als se
• Air Quality • Building systems • Building Envelope • Daylighting Opportunities • Employee Engagement • Environmental Graphics
Areas for workflow efficiencies, equipment selections, daylighting opportunites, plug loads, and more can be analyzed and submitted in our audit to be understood and implemented by the client in whatever ways is most effeictive.
Weigh opportunities for the integration of lower cost, energy saving options - espeically ones that can save in muliple areas. These light shelves bounce outside sunlight into the room while shading the exterior from heat gain.
• Equipment Use/Needs • Materials Re-purposing • Passive Energy Strategies • Plug-loading • Purchasing • Space Planning • Waste Streams • Water Use/Needs
existing building services
As a lab we explore avenues of enriching o u r practice w i t h progressive ideas and how they are to be a p p l i e d . . . p r a c t i c a l l y.
A n a l y s i z e s : building loads: • Solar gains
• Transfer through walls & roof • Infiltration • Heat from people • Heat from lights and internal equipment • Interaction of the building with its climate
hvac systems:
The energy modeling software we use is eQUEST developed by the US Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley Labs.. It performs 8760 iterations of calculations to simulate the performance of all energy flows in a building.
• Simulates interaction of equipment with loads
plant:
• Primary equipment (chillers, boilers, heat exchangers)
economics:
• Utility rate structures • Life-cycle analysis
energy modeling services
WHY “GREEN”? • Reduce energy consumption • Reduce water consumption • Lower operations costs • Lower CO2 emmissions
As a lab we explore avenues of enriching our practice with progressive ideas and how they are to be applied practically.
• Maintain a healthy environment • Retain and attract staff • Increase productivity • Market leadership • Community partnership WHY CERTIFY? Yes, there should not be a “certified” effort to build a green building. But having certification ensures accountability for performance. LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council
With qualified LEED® accredited professionals, we can advise and process the registration, calculation, and submission towards LEED® certification. map lab staff has overseen and participated in the certification of over a dozen LEED® certified buildings (NC), neighborhoods (ND), and commercial interiors (CI) including buildings for NREL, MIT, Emerson College, Mount Holyoke College, and developments in Massachusetts such as Boston, Holyoke, Westwood as well as Miami and Washington DC.
Whether its training other architects and building professionals to become LEED® accredited professionals or helping clients and municpalities better understand the impact of implementing green building criteria - be it LEED® or Living Building Challenge™ requirements, we at map lab are not only trained sustainable prefessionals but also seasoned educators who can help bridge the information gap through constructing and hosting seminars, training sessions, and even “town hall” civic engagement meetings.
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System (LEED®) requires energy modeling to assess the energy use of a building - up to 10 points available under Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1, as well as optimizing energy performance, and to quantify the savings attributable to the proposed design. But whether used as a LEED® requirement or as an integral part of meeting the goals of the design team, our energy modeling skills can be applied at a range of needs.
living building & LEED® consultation
map-lab, inc. 21 drydock avenue 7th floor boston ma 02210 617.426.5401 www.map-lab.com