Edit: We have uploaded a gallery of photos from the tour here. Thank you to our attendees, hosts, and sponsors for the memorable and informative day!

Join NESEA for a Pro Tour of Massachusetts’s first fully publicly funded, large scale, state-owned CLT (cross laminated timber) building, an urban infill project set at a prominent location on Main Street in downtown Brockton. Envisioned as a prototype for the design of future State office buildings, it has set a new sustainability standard for the state’s building inventory. In addition to the high bar raised for sustainability, its forward-thinking design for the workplace provides a comfortable and flexible environment for its hard-working occupants.

This 33,000 square foot building serves multiple needs: the first floor contains spaces for public interface with the Department of Unemployment Assistance and teaching spaces for Massasoit Community College. The upper floors are secure call centers and administrative spaces for the Department of Unemployment Assistance. The project team is eager to share the story of how this building came to be, with topics including: the challenges of the procurement process, given bidding requirements for state-funded buildings in Massachusetts; unique site considerations associated with this urban infill project; envelope and mechanical systems decisions that cumulatively result in an energy cost reduction of 44% compared to a baseline code building; and the collaborative process the the different professionals involved followed from inception through completion.  

As the first publicly-funded CLT building in Massachusetts at this scale, special attention will be devoted during the tour to dive into the benefits and opportunities of this building type, particularly in terms of carbon reduction. 

As compared to a traditional steel and concrete building, the timber structure resulted in: 

• A total carbon benefit of 362 metric tons

• 101 metric tons of greenhouse gasses avoided 

• 261 metric tons of carbon are stored in the wood 

This carbon benefit is equivalent to taking 77 cars off the road for a year, or replacing the energy required to operate 38 homes on an annual basis. Unlike steel and concrete, timber is an infinitely renewable material with proper foresting practices.

After the opening workshop and tour, attendees can enjoy a Q&A with the project team and networking reception. We hope you join us to visit this innovative project and to celebrate the close of the 2023 Pro Tour Series.

Schedule

If you have questions about this event, you can contact us via protours@nesea.org.