As members of the USGBC, BR+A is committed to Green Building Design / Sustainable Design. We have organized and held Green Building / LEED Training Workshops for our design engineering staff and have many LEED Accredited Professionals. In addition, BR+A has experience with the Green Guide for Health Care™ (GGHC) and members of our firm are participants on the GGHC Roundtable.
It is also important to note that BR+A was able to make significant contributions toward the development and implementation of the new Massachusetts State Energy Code. Spearheaded by Nicholas A. Johnson, PE, CEM, LEED AP the Code was adopted in 2001 and is used today in many states as a model Energy Code.
A majority of buildings designed by BR+A include a multitude of cost-effective energy conservation measures, such as high performance insulation, and glazing, energy recovery systems, high efficiency lighting, day-lighting control systems, building automation systems, air-side and water-side economizers and many other performance enhancing features. We have always designed energy conserving, state-of-the art, life-cycle analyzed HVAC and electrical building systems.
At BR+A, we believe that green development can realize enhanced marketability, enhanced worker productivity, lower operating and maintenance costs, improved amenities and aesthetics, higher initial and residual value, and greater community support – all while constructing the project at standard market rates. The key benefits include:
- Reduced annual operating costs and energy consumption
- Improved feel of space
- Health and productivity gains
- Marketing benefits
- Possibility of streamlined approvals
- Contribution to controlling global greenhouse emissions
A sustainable approach to design and construction incorporates such human and environmental issues as enhancement of health and quality of life; efficient and appropriate use of land, energy, as well as conservation of water and other resources.
Our approach to Green development goes beyond conventional practice by creating a successful fusion of the following goals:
- Resource efficiency - maximizing the efficient use of resources in the design, construction, development and operations of buildings
- Environmental sensitivity - benefiting the surrounding environment
- Attention to human well-being
- Financial success - an important motivation for doing the right thing
Successful green development results from a holistic approach to planning, designing and building. Green design should respond to the integrated nature of building systems, rather than be developed as an independent series of mechanical, electrical, architectural and other systems. Each discipline needs to understand the importance of looking beyond its individual responsibilities to understand how building systems interact. This requires participation of the entire Team early in the design process.
To achieve the above, the Team will be required to exchange ideas that generate integrated, whole-system solutions. Bringing all the “right” people to the table enables a more complete consideration of various needs so that the vision and goals can be realized. In the conventional, linear development process, key people are often left out of the decision-making process or brought in too late to make a full contribution. By working together, both capital costs and operating costs can be analyzed and environmental goals met.
The process needs to start very early. It is far easier and more financially beneficial to maximize the benefits of green planning and design by addressing these issues in the early stages of a project, where a little effort can create large benefits.
Finally, we promote the concept of keeping the planning Team focused on what users really want and need, identifying how to achieve the greatest benefits at the least cost in financial, social and environmental terms, based on life-cycle as well as up-front costs. Although “green” is most commonly used to evaluate how energy, water, and other resources are used in buildings, it can be applied more broadly to ensure that the full range of the end-users’ needs will be met.