Lighting Controls Could Save Boston $27M Annually

Earlier this year, the chair of Massachusetts' Department of Public Utilities was frank about her state’s need to come up with new solutions to unlock energy efficiency. “We haven’t really tapped the opportunity” to bring efficiency to the demand side, said chairperson Ann Berwick. New data from Retroficiency shows one domain where huge opportunity lies: commercial lighting.
 

Massachusetts and its capital city, Boston, are front-runners in energy efficiency. Boston tops the ranks of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s City Energy Efficiency Scorecard, and the city also has an aggressive climate action plan to cut citywide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

But even Boston could go much further. Retroficiency developed energy models for nearly 17,000 commercial buildings in Boston that spend more than $1 billion annually on energy.

The model, which is part of Retroficiency's building genome project, found that if every large hotel, retail and office building put in advanced lighting controls, they could save a combined total of $27 million every year.

The savings did not come from switching to more efficient lighting, such as LEDs, which could save even more. Instead, Retroficiency focused on modeling the outcomes of improving controls, such as having office lights on a schedule, but it did not prescribe specific controls to achieve that outcome.

The global market for lighting controls through 2020 will grow 12 percent annually, according to a report from Memoori. The lighting controls market is expected to reach $5 billion by 2020.

 

But for most businesses looking at efficiency, the continued drop in LED prices makes them a more attractive choice when considering a switch to controllable lights. Installing LED lights, along with controls and sensors, can save commercial customers up to 90 percent on lighting costs.

If the buildings modeled by Retroficiency instead installed advanced lighting and controls, the savings could go far beyond $27 million annually.

By Katherine Tweed | Greentech Media
Lighting Controls Could Save Boston $27M Annually
  

Colossal $350M Mixed-Use Development Planned for Roxbury

Tremont Crossing is a $350 million mixed use development planned for heart of Boston, consisting of retail, office, residential and arts. The 1.7 million square foot project would bring the most sweeping change to the Roxbury neighborhood in decades. Located on an 8 acre parcel across from Northeastern University and the Longwood Medical Area, the complex will feature a mix of large-format retail stacked vertically, small retail shops and restaurants fronting on Tremont Street, office space for MassDOT, 300 market rate apartments, a 200-room hotel, a museum, a large garage facility and a public plaza complete with outdoor art.
 

For years, development has been promised for Parcel 3, a vast plot of land located on Tremont Street in Roxbury near the Boston Police Department’s headquarters and Northeastern University.

Elma Lewis Partners has held onto the development rights for several years without anything happening.

Finally, due to an improving economy and due to Northeastern’s expansion, which brought a new vitality to the area, the parcel will soon become something more than a fenced-off field of weeds.

Feldco Boston, part of the development team behind Tremont Crossing, has signed a letter of intent with BJ’s Wholesale Group to lease up to 90,000 square feet in the 400,000-square foot retail section of the project. This will make it easier for them to get financing for the other parts of the project.

Tremont Crossing will eventually encompass more than 1.7 million square feet of space and include retail and restaurants, office space, a 200-room hotel, parking garage and a 19-story residential tower. Also proposed is a new home for the museum of the National Center for African-American Artists.

Tremont Crossing will include a mix of retail, office, and residential uses: 

•  404,475 square feet of large format retail, which could also have entertainment and recreational uses on 4 levels

•  33,800 square feet of space for smaller shops and boutiques fronting along Tremont Street

•  300 units of residential including studios, one bedroom and two bedroom rental apartments in a 297,800 square foot tower

•  200-room extended stay hotel encompassing 102,250 square feet

•  38,000 square feet of cultural facilities that will primarily house a new museum for the National Center for Afro-American Artists located at the center of the development

•  713,785 square feet of office space above the cultural facility

•  8-story parking structure with 1,502 spaces

•  A large public plaza, complete with sculptures and outdoor seating space

Designed by the renowned firm of Cambridge Seven Associates, the project will be built in an urban style that will be modern, environmentally-conscious and pedestrian-friendly.

Construction is estimated to last 24 months and will create approximately 670 construction jobs and 1,738 permanent jobs.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 1 STORY FROM 2014

Wynn Casino to Roll in Everett amid Question 3 Defeat
The people of the Commonwealth have spoken, and the biggest news is that Question 3 has been handily defeated. Now that the voters have affirmed that gaming legislation is a positive choice for the state, casino mogul Steve Wynn is preparing to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort. The $1.6 billion development will be the largest private sector construction project in the history of the State of Massachusetts and is expected to generate around 14,300 construction jobs.
  
The Wynn Casino in Everett will include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development would be spread over 30 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort would take at least two years to build.

The Wynn Resort in Everett will be built with union contractors. The comprehensive agreement covers all aspects of construction, work rules and hours and was unanimously endorsed by the Massachusetts Building Trades Council—which represents the IBEW, Teamsters, iron workers, brick layers, sheet metal workers, and other trades—and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.

Construction of the proposed 5-star Wynn Resort in Everett will require more than 10 million man hours of labor and generate 14,300 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent jobs and drive more than $4 billion in revenue to other local businesses over five years.

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The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

The casino developer also envisions a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $700 million to more than $800 million a year in gambling revenue.
   

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 2 STORY FROM 2014

$900M Hotel/Office Tower Proposed for Downtown
A developer has plans to build one of Boston’s tallest buildings in downtown’s Financial District. The 740-foot glass tower will include a 300-room hotel, offices, retail space, a restaurant and 150 luxury condominium units.  Costing as much as $900 million to build, the 900,000-SF skyscraper will add a new showpiece to Boston’s rapidly changing skyline.

The building would be the tallest building in the downtown area and will include a 300-room hotel, retail space, offices, and up to 150 condominiums on the upper floors.

The tower proposal comes during one of the most dynamic periods of construction in the city’s history, as numerous skyscrapers aim to alter the Boston skyline.

At 740 feet, the angular skyscraper would be Boston’s third-tallest structure, behind the 750-foot Prudential building and the 790-foot John Hancock Tower.

An office building at 133 Federal Street would be combined with the new tower at ground level to create a 72,000-square-foot lobby with restaurants and shops.

The complex, called 111 Federal Street will rise on one of the Financial District’s last major development sites, replacing the city-owned Winthrop Square parking garage presently on the site.

Before work can proceed, developer Steve Belkin must negotiate a deal to buy the property from the city.

The dilapidated garage at 111-115 Federal Street will be demolished and replaced with glass storefronts and modern lobbies for the offices and a luxury hotel.

Former Mayor Thomas Menino selected Steve Belkin to redevelop the property in 2006, but the project failed to attract enough tenants amid the economic downturn.

The original plan called for a 1,000-foot office tower, but that proposal was rejected because it would have interfered with air traffic. The new proposal calls for a tower 260 feet shorter.

The building will be one of only a few towers built in the densely packed Financial District since the 1980s. In recent years, tech companies, restaurants and retailers have brought new life to the area.

The project, designed by Boston-based CBT Architects, is expected to begin construction in the fall of 2015.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 3 STORY FROM 2014

Massive $500 Million Boston Landing Mixed-Use Project 
Footwear giant New Balance has partnered with Boston-based HYM Investment Group to co-develop the massive $500 million Boston Landing complex in Brighton. The 1.45 million square foot mega-development will include: a 250,000-square-foot headquarters for New Balance, a 345,000-square-foot sports complex with an NHL-regulation arena, a 175-room hotel and 65,000-square-feet of retail space. The project, which includes a new MBTA commuter rail station, will also build three office buildings totaling 650,000-square-feet and have parking for 1,750 vehicles.

The mixed-use project, which broke ground in September 2013, will serve as the world headquarters for New Balance, and will include a new MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Framingham and Worcester line, shuttle buses to and from Harvard and Kenmore Squares, MBTA buses that go into the city, and Hubway bike stands and designated bike lanes into Boston.

Contractors have already started work on the six-story headquarters for New Balance. That building, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Boston Landing master plan calls for 1.45 million square feet of development which will be completed in six phases over the next four years.

The $500 million complex will be situated next to New Balance’s current offices and the WGBH building on a 14-acre industrial property located at 38-180 Guest Street.The development site was once part of the Brighton Stockyards, the largest stockyard in the region.

Apart from New Balance’s headquarters building, the project also calls for three Class-A LEED-certified office buildings totaling 650,000 square feet, which are expected to be built by 2017.

Plans also include a 140,000-square-foot hotel with 175 guest rooms, dedicated parking for 1,750 cars and ground floor retail and restaurant space.

The developers are seeking city approval to build 295,000-square-feet of residential space on a 2-acre parcel it purchased in February at 125 Guest Street. 

A state-of-the-art, 325,000-square-foot sports complex is planned for 77 Guest Street that will feature a hydraulic-banked track, a NHL-regulation ice hockey rink, two basketball courts, as well as a fitness center and spa.

NHL’s Boston Bruins recently signed a long-term lease to use the hockey rink to prepare for games. Currently, the Bruins practice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington.

The practice facility will include a large locker room and office space for the team. Construction of the sports arena is slated to begin the spring of 2015, and should be completed by the fall of 2016.

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 4 STORY FROM 2014

$600M One Seaport Square Breaks Ground in October
One Seaport Square, the largest project in the massive $3.5 billion Seaport Square development, is expected to break ground at the end of October. Plans call for two 22-story towers, with 832 luxury apartments and 260,000 square feet of retail space on the lower levels of the connected towers. Amenities will include roof decks, a resort style pool, and a 41,400-square-foot movie theater on the third floor. 

The 1.1 million square foot towers, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will cost an estimated $600 million to build are expected to be completed in 2016.

Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres will occupy 41,400 square feet of third-floor space in the project, which will include 260,000 square feet of retail in total.

Kerasotes ShowPlace operates ICON Theatres in Chicago that include a lobby lounges, reserved seating and dining with alcohol in leather sofa-style chairs with tables.

Seaport Square, the largest master-planned project on South Boston’s waterfront, will transform 23 acres of land used as parking lots into a new neighborhood.

WS Development will construct more than 20 mixed-use buildings encompassing 6.3 million square feet, five new streets, and four public gathering areas. 

The $3.5 billion mega-project will enclose 20 city blocks and stitch together the Fort Point, Fan Pier, Pier 4, and Waterside Place developments into a more unified residential and commercial district.

The buildings in Seaport Square are being designed to meet LEED Silver certification or higher, and will consist of apartments, condominiums, office space, hotels, a chapel, a supermarket, restaurants, retail stores, a visitors’ center, art galleries and a proposed performing arts center.

The residential area is interwoven with small and large open green spaces and a network of courtyards, playgrounds, roof gardens.

The buildings in this park setting are connected through a network of pedestrian and vehicular streets, and will be constructed as sustainable, environmentally responsible structures.

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Two 600-Foot Towers Planned for Downtown Waterfront

A developer is planning to construct a pair of angular skyscrapers with up to 300 hotel rooms and 120 condominiums on one of the city’s largest development sites. The $1 billion project would construct two modern towers -- one clad in glass, the other in terra cotta – that would rise to 600 feet along Atlantic Avenue on the downtown waterfront. Construction of the 1.3 million-square complex would create jobs for up to 3,300 hard hats.

Developer Don Chiofaro plans to replace the Harbor Garage with a pair of tall buildings containing a five-star hotel, residences, offices and stores.

The $1 billion waterfront complex, designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, would redefine a corner of the city dominated by structures built many decades ago, and create a new gateway to the city from the water.

The 1.3 million-square project would construct a 600-foot tall residential tower and a 537-foot office building, including up to 300 hotel rooms, 120 condominiums, 700,000 square feet of offices and three levels of retail stores.

On the ground floor, a public arcade would be constructed to connect the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to Boston Harbor, and 1,400 parking spaces would be built underground.

The arcade would represent a dramatic improvement from the lack of public space presently on the site, and would allow for year-round public events and open new views of the water from the greenway – both signature elements of a thriving city.

The developer plans to meet the state waterfront development requirements of devoting at least 48 percent of the footprint to “open space” by primarily creating “Harbor Square,” an enclosed atrium covered by a retractable glass ceiling and removable doors that would house a skating rink in the winter, and a great lawn with flowers and farmers markets, in the summer months.

At its widest point, Harbor Square would be 167 feet wide at Atlantic Avenue, tapering to 70 feet wide at the Harbor -- large enough to comfortably accommodate the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

“The project looks like nothing else on the Boston skyline and nothing else at the ground level,” Chiofaro said. “In its uniqueness, it shares a common bond with a distinguished collection of Boston architecture and engineering.”

Chiofaro said that his project, with his glistening towers and five-star hotel, will increase property values in the area and transform the entire neighborhood.