More than 225 attendees gathered at Harvard University’s new Science and Engineering Complex, the 2021 Green Building of the Year, to celebrate a dazzling string of successes by the local green building community working to advance the sustainability of the built environment.
The leading architects, engineers, contractors, developers, owners, facility managers, building users, lenders, and suppliers in the industry came out to cheer on their colleagues showcasing transformative projects across Massachusetts. A total of 12 awards were given to innovative projects ranging from a 100 percent affordable housing development in Porter Square, Cambridge to a groundbreaking revitalization of a public high school campus in Dighton, MA, as well as to change agents in the field.
“Massachusetts leads the way in shaping a built environment that meets the triple bottom line of sustainability—environment, economy, and equity,” says Meredith Elbaum, BE+ Executive Director. “I’m continually blown away by the pace of progress in addressing the shortcomings of how we design, build, and operate our buildings. The caliber of projects this year was impressive in so many different dimensions. More holistic and comprehensive approaches to sustainability are gaining deep traction.”
The 2022 Green Building of The Year was awarded to HMFH Architects for its work on the Bristol County Agricultural High School. The project checked so many boxes for the judges – “aggressive sustainability, a strong community connection, a focus on carbon reduction, a teaching tool …all on a limited, public-school budget. The project is also a very familiar project type, the renovation and expansion of an obsolete public school, which the team executed beautifully, serving as a fiscally responsible model for the community, state, and public-school project type.”
A new award for Sustainable Building Renovation went to Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects for its renovation of Williams College’s Fort Bradshaw building.
Katherine Walsh, Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Program Director for Boston Public Schools, was awarded Change Agent of the Year by a local selection committee.
Elkus Manfredi Architects took home the People’s Choice Award for the second straight year, this time for its work on the new MassMutual campus at 10 Fan Pier in the Seaport, which received LEED Platinum certification earlier this year.
All winners are listed below. The 12 judges were all from outside New England in an attempt to decrease bias. Project details can be found here. All submitted projects are available in a digital gallery here.
2022 Green Building Showcase Winners
- Green Building of the Year: Bristol County Agricultural High School, submitted by HMFH Architects
- Green Home of the Year: Preserving a Family Legacy, submitted by Byggmeister Inc.
- Carbon & Energy Award: Williams College Renovation of Fort Bradshaw, submitted by Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects LLP
- Equity & Inclusion Award: Frost Terrace, submitted by Bruner/Cott Architects
- Health & Wellness Award: Smith College Neilson Library, submitted by Thornton Tomasetti
- Site & Landscape Award: Colby College Harold Alfond Athletics & Recreation Center,
- submitted by Thornton Tomasetti
- Student Project of the Year: Eco Homes Highland Park, submitted by Northeastern University Solar Decathlon
- Sustainable Building Operations: Circling Back After Getting the Plaque, submitted by The Green Engineer, Inc.
- Sustainable Building Renovation: 808 Memorial Drive, submitted by Bruner/Cott Architects
- Sustainable Construction Innovation: Mass Timber for Mass Workers: The C. Gerald Lucey Building, submitted by Jones Architecture Inc.
- People’s Choice Award: 10 Fan Pier / MassMutual, submitted by Elkus Manfredi Architects
- Change Agent Award: Katherine Walsh, Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Program Director for Boston Public Schools