46 Blackstone wins 2012 Innovation in Green Design Award

Harvard University’s 46 Blackstone Street building has won the prestigious 2012 Innovation in Green Design Award in the Green Building category given by the Massachusetts Chapter of the US Green Building Council.

The building, home to Harvard’s Campus Services group, is one of only five in the world to have achieved two Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certifications; New Construction in 2007 and Existing Building Operations and Maintenance in 2012.  Through a series of creative improvements to the original design and ongoing attention to conservation efforts, Blackstone is now outperforming the energy model by 17% and has achieved a 36% energy reduction since the building was first occupied almost six years ago.

“This award is great reflection of the team effort that has been focused on making Blackstone a high performing building as well as a great place to work”, said Jeffrey Smith, the director of Harvard’s Facilities Maintenance Operations Department within Campus Services.

For five years now, the Innovation in Green Design Award has provided a view into the groundbreaking work done in Massachusetts to advance sustainability in the building industry. Hosted by the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC since 2008, the annual event connects the local green building community and recognizes innovation in the green building field throughout the state. The award recognizes Massachusetts based projects, products, and programs that are innovative, replicable, and have significant impact in Massachusetts.

Read the USGBC MA press release.