Dive Brief:
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New England’s largest “energy-positive” building—that is, it will produce more energy than it consumes—is scheduled to open in November 2016.
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The project is a $30 million, 63,500-square-foot expansion to Boston’s EpiCenter, a 23,500-square-foot structure that was the first in Boston to earn platinum LEED certification in 2005.
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The building houses Artists for Humanity, a not-for-profit organization that employs teens from underserved communities in arts-focused jobs. The structure will optimize daylighting and thermal performance to reduce energy consumption.
Dive Insight:
The world’s first energy-positive building, Powerhouse Kjørbo in Oslo, Norway, is expected to reduce energy consumption by 90% and generate enough electricity to match the energy used during construction and for operating the building.
In the United States, Seattle’s Bullitt Center, dubbed by World Architecture News as “the greenest commercial building in the world,” is on its way to becoming net positive energy, its developers have said.
