(I03) Net-Zero for All: Decarbonization for Public Buildings and Budgets

Energy-positive design need not be only for private, high-end institutional and commercial projects. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been leading by example, funding community colleges and public schools on modest budgets, in support of the State’s Climate Action Goals. The State Energy Team will present policy goals and funding mechanisms, and Sasaki will illustrate these goals with net-zero buildings for public schools as well as community colleges serving low- and middle-income communities and first-generation immigrants. We will also share lessons learned for the campus scale, with campus-wide college decarbonization plans. We look forward to engaging participants in a discussion on the intersection between sustainability and equity: what cost-effective strategies deliver aspirational performance on limited public budgets?

We focus on equitable sustainable design for all our communities and sectors, not only for private institutions and market-rate developer clients. Working together, Sasaki and the Massachusetts DCAMM Energy Team foster sustainable design approaches for lower income communities on public budgets – to demonstrate that zero carbon buildings and master plans can be cost-effective, and provide long-term financial security, energy independence and thermal comfort, in a learning environment that is a living laboratory.

After the introduction to the State Climate Action Goals under Executive Order 594, Sasaki will present a series of case studies: Community college health sciences buildings for Bristol and Mass Bay, the K-8 Pierce School in Brookline including both renovation and new construction, and the Decarbonization Plan for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The DCAMM Energy Team will also share their with public funding strategy for implementation.