Pictured right: Cambridge Public Library Won the 2010 Harleston Parker Medal for “Single Most Beautiful Building” built in Boston area in Past 10 Years & Design Review Award. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.
Governor Patrick’s Administration recently announced that Massachusetts is ranked 4th in the nation for sustainable building design, construction and operation by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Massachusetts ranks behind Illinois, Maryland and Virginia, and had 101 Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certified projects in 2013.
The City of Cambridge has already taken many steps to reduce energy consumption and green its municipal building stock and operations. Since 2004, the City has operated under the policy that all new municipal construction and major renovations should be designed to be certifiable under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Developed by the USGBC, LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system.
Seven City buildings, including the City Hall Annex, Russell Field Athletic Center, Cambridge Public Library, Sheila Doyle Russell West Cambridge Youth & Community Center, Cambridge War Memorial Recreational Facility, Robert W. Healy Public Safety Facility, and Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School have all been LEED certified. The recently renovated Alice K. Wolf Center is currently in application to receive LEED certification. It is also the goal of the City to achieve LEED Gold certification for the reconstruction of the Martin Luther King Jr. School.
The City Hall Annex was the first municipal building in Massachusetts to achieve LEED certification.