Share your work with the NESEA community! We are now accepting proposals for the 2024 Pro Tour Series, which will run from April–December. 

BuildingEnergy Pro Tours are accredited tours of high performance buildings that bring together the interdisciplinary teams that made them possible. They allow members of our community to learn about all aspects of cutting edge projects, from design strategies and materials selection to construction techniques and energy systems.

There are two ways for you to be involved:

• Submitting a proposal for a Pro Tour
• Joining our Advisory Committee, to help select which proposals NESEA will develop into tours
  

We're looking for proposals that showcase the range of high performance building projects throughout the Northeast, including:

• Under Construction, Recently Completed, & Occupied with Performance Data
• Commercial, Institutional, Multifamily, & Single Family
• New Construction & Retrofits

Learn more about eligibility, formats, and logistics for hosting a Pro Tour here. The deadline to submit a proposal is January 16. Contact Florence MacGregor at protours@nesea.org with questions.

Please note: to access the RFP submission form, you must be logged in on our website.

Event Date: Friday, December 8, 2023
Time: 1pm-5pm
Location: Brockton, MA
CEU Information: AIA (pending)
Cost: $25 Members/$35 Non-Members

Join NESEA on 12/8 for a Pro Tour of Massachusetts’s first publicly funded, large scale, state-owned CLT building. This urban infill project is 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.

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.

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!

New Event Date: Friday, December 15, 2023
Time: 1pm-5pm
Location: Bronx, NYC
CEU Information: AIA (4 LU), Phius (4 hours)
Cost: $25 Members/$35 Non-Members

Join NESEA on December 15 for a Pro Tour of a Passive House Certified midrise bringing 53 units of affordable housing to the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx. The previous tour was rescheduled due to inclement weather and we are very glad to have a new date to visit this fascinating building.

During this tour, led by our hosts from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, our attendees will learn about the design strategies and innovative energy-efficiency and sustainability measures that made this project possible. Additionally, the tour will include a visit to the rooftop PV system, to discuss solar energy generation, the rooftop ERV to describe ventilation strategies, community and outdoor recreation spaces to discuss resident wellness, utility rooms to discuss energy efficient building systems.

This project was supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) through the Multifamily New Construction Program. Future support for the new construction or adaptive re-use of multifamily buildings may be sought through The Buildings of Excellence Competition. This competition was initially launched in March 2019 and has awarded over $48 million to 56 exemplary clean and resilient multifamily projects through three rounds.

Our Pro Tours have been extremely popular this year and we expect this tour to fill up quickly as well. We hope to see you there!

Event Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Time: 3:00pm-4:30pm
Location: online
Cost: free
 
BuildingEnergy NYC will take place on October 24, 2024. The event is designed by and for practitioners (like you) in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Share your vision and help to shape this year's event by attending our Open Planning Meeting!

We will be holding this year's meeting online on January 23, and will be asking questions such as:

• What new skills, knowledge, and solutions are most needed in the field today?
• How can we step up our game to meet new challenges and opportunities?
• What session topics and speakers would create an extraordinary learning experience at the BuildingEnergy conference?
• The meeting will be interactive and paced to allow thoughtful conversation with other professionals from around the Northeast.
• You will also learn how you can become a member of the Content Committee, which reviews session proposals and guides their development into high-quality conference sessions.

The planning meeting is free and open to all — NESEA Membership is not required to attend. For more information, contact Ben Sachs-Hamilton, Conference Director, at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org.

The results of NESEA's 2023 Board of Directors election are in! You voted to re-elect incumbents Lauren Hildebrand, (Brightcore Energy), Andrea Mancino (Bight Power), Kate Stephenson (HELM Construction Solutions) and Arlen Li (HGA), and to welcome James Moriarty (Sustainable Comfort, inc) as a new board member. The new board service term begins January 1.

Our thanks go out to the attendees, hosts, and sponsors of that month's Pro Tour of the new Soul Fire Farm Program Center, a nearly all-electric commercial building constructed from straw-insulated panels in Petersberg, NY. It was a fantastic day and you can see a gallery of photos from the tour here.

We have a gallery up on our website from last Friday's Pro Tour of a "Pretty Good" Net Zero Home and Barn in Hollis, New Hampshire. We would like to extend our appreciation to our sponsors, host, and attendees for making this event a success.

Sunbug Solar has been acquired by ReVision Energy, New England’s leading full-service solar energy contracting company. The acquisition means that ReVision, the largest employee-owned solar installer in the country, will now be able to deliver photovoltaic systems and air source heat pumps to more residents, schools, and businesses across Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. Architects and builders will benefit from the merging of Sunbug's deep knowledge of the Massachusetts market with ReVision's extensive resources and capabilities. 

Read more about the acquisition here...

Bensonwood, the umbrella company of Unity Homes, Tektoniks, and OpenHome, are thrilled to announce that they have received approval by the Department of Labor to launch a Registered Carpentry Apprenticeship program starting in the summer of 2024!

They will be joining other New Hampshire construction companies in sponsoring a 3-year Registered Carpentry Apprenticeship program, which originally launched in 2021 by Apprenticeship NH. Apprentices will be full-time employees with benefits, receiving on-the-job training and mentorship from experienced carpenters while taking related classes at NHTI in Concord, NH.

Our hope is to encourage more young people to learn this profession and pursue certification while getting paid. With the support of grant funds through the Community College System of NH and Apprenticeship Building America, we look forward to educating the next generation in this noble trade. Read more...

Maclay Architects and Vermont Integrated Architecture, P.C. (VIA) are excited to announce that Maclay Architects will become “VIA - Maclay Studio” as of January 1, 2024. The staff at Maclay Architects will become VIA employees at that time.

Nationally-recognized as a pioneer of sustainable architecture, Bill Maclay has been practicing in the Mad River Valley for over 50 years. With trailblazing projects throughout Vermont and the Northeast (e.g. Aiken Building at UVM, Coastal Maine Environmental Learning Center, Putney School Fieldhouse) Maclay helped set the standard for ecological design and continued to innovate throughout his career. As his attention turns to a new book project on architectural design as well as an update of his definitive book, The New Net Zero – Leading-Edge Design and Construction of Homes and Buildings for a Renewable Energy Future, Bill carefully chose VIA as the caretaker of his staff and clients going forward. “Through their practice of architecture and design, VIA has demonstrated a similar, authentic commitment to care for the planet and our communities,” Maclay stated. Maclay will remain partially involved in the firm as a mentor, advisor, and collaborator on various projects, including Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, Dorset Town Office, and Putney School Dormitories.
 
VIA Partners Andrea Murray, Ashar Nelson, and Megan Nedzinski are honored to carry the Maclay Architects’ tradition forward. “The collective wisdom of our two firms in the realm of sustainable architecture is significant,” notes Murray. “We look forward to partnering with friends, clients, consultants, builders, communities, and new collaborators to work toward a flourishing future for all.” VIA will maintain its main office in Middlebury as well as the “Maclay Studio” in Waitsfield.

Vermont Integrated Architecture, PC is a full-service architecture firm serving residential, commercial, and institutional clients throughout Vermont and greater New England. Read more...

At the BE+ Green Building Showcase on October 26th, E+ Highland received a Green Building Award in the Equity and Inclusion category. Studio G's Keihly Moore, Sam Maloney, and Ali Horwitz were thrilled to accept the award on behalf of our team.

E+ Highland aims to achieve a trifecta of community vision, social and economic equity, and environmental stewardship.

A community vision was developed by Highland Park residents working with the City of Boston to articulate their goals for this and other city-owned land left vacant in the neighborhood from decades of redlining, neglect, disinvestment and arson. The E+ Highland team strove to deliver the most responsive proposal to achieve the neighborhood’s goals to stabilize their neighborhood threatened by gentrification, promote homeownership to build residents’ equity, and become the most sustainable neighborhood in Boston. Read more...

CertainTeed, a leading North American manufacturer of sustainable building materials, announced today that it has been named the Supplier of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Offsite Construction Specialty Awards. John Harding, CertainTeed Offsite Construction Business Development Program Manager, was specifically named for his contribution to the Offsite Construction segment of the industry. Award recipients were recognized at the Building Systems Housing Summit held in Washington, DC October 15-17, 2023. Read more...

Hosting Organization: NEHERS
Event Date: Thurs, Nov 30 - Thurs, Dec 21, 2023
Time: Thursdays at 4:00 PM
Cost: Free to NEHERS members / $25 per session Non-Members
Address: online
 
The Northeast HERS Alliance, in partnership with Auburndale Builders/Studio HPDC, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, and Home Energy Raters, is pleased to announce the upcoming webinar series, entitled "Building to Meet the New MA State Stretch Code Changes (HERS 42/45): What Builders Need to Know."

This four-part series will run for four consecutive weeks on Thursdays at 4:00 PM Eastern time and may evolve into an ongoing monthly series to make deeper dives into specific case studies.

• 11/30: Session I - Overview of Home Performance Summary
• 12/7: Session II - Site Orientation, Windows and Doors, and Photovoltaics (PV)
• 12/4: Session III - Mechanicals, Ventilation, Envelope and Appliances
• 12/21: Session IV - Review/Summary, Recipes for Success, and Questions

Visit the event page for further details and registration information

Looking for a meaningful gift for your friends, family, or colleagues? NESEA now offers gift memberships for individuals at the student, emerging professional, and standard levels. As a NESEA Member, your gift recipient will have access to exceptional learning opportunities and a network of over 3000 individuals committed to NESEA's mission. Learn more...