Uncategorized
USGBC Legislative Celebration BBQ
On Thursday the USGBC Massachusetts chapter, along with Climate Action Business Association (CABA), hosted a legislative celebration BBQ. CABA graciously hosted the event at their new headquarters at Old West Church in Boston. There was grilling, cold drinks, yard games, and a great group of people; it doesn’t get much better than that. Attendees, including state legislators, city officials, advocates,…
The Housing Ecosystem
People often talk about moving up the housing ladder. The progression is pretty standard for many; from living with your parents, you move to a college dorm and then your first apartment, maybe pausing at a starter condo before buying a house. But not only is the housing ladder getting harder for many people to climb, it’s also missing some…
Keeping Retail Relevant
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make the retail experience enjoyable, exciting, and relevant for shoppers in 2016. Doug Stephens, a retail consultant and futurist, recently asked in the Financial Post, “If a smartphone is now a store, what is the role of the store?” It raises a lot of questions, many of which can be…
IBPSA Workshop
Arrowstreet participated in a workshop last week hosted by the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) Boston chapter, which focused on early energy modeling. The workshop brought together architects and engineers to talk about ways that we can improve upon our processes to facilitate better design integration of energy modeling. We also discussed ways that we can use modeling to demonstrate…
ULI: Developing for a Driverless World
Join us on June 7th as we sponsor ULI’s “Developing for a Driverless World” panel, which will explore how autonomous vehicles are impacting the built environment, and how developers can anticipate these changes. The esteemed panel includes Don Briggs of Federal Realty and Kris Carter of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics. To read more about the topic, check out Amy Korte’s interview with…
BisNow: The Future of Downtown
Join us at Bisnow’s Future of Downtown on June 21st. Scott Pollack will join respected voices from Synergy Investments, Related Beal, and Emerson College to discuss Boston’s historic building stock and how it relates to new development occurring in the downtown neighborhood. Register at Bisnow’s site and we’ll see you at the Seaport Aloft Hotel!
The Roots of Passive Housing
Green Month has provided the opportunity for designers to share insights in sustainability with the wider design studio community. Last month, Lee Morrissette attended a conference on Passive Housing and used this occasion to inform the rest of the office about what he had learned and what we as a studio can take from the concepts of passive housing and…
April is Earth Month!
Arrowstreet is upping the ante once again here in our office and celebrating Earth Day for the entire month of April. Throughout the month, we will be incorporating staff presentations, forum discussions, guest speakers, movie night, a sustainable potluck, and a green trivia challenge into the festivities. Stay tuned as we share information and tips on how you can incorporate…
MIT CoLab: We Need Your Vote!
Arrowstreet is one of three finalists in the MIT CoLab competition attempting to harness the power of MIT alumni to address climate change. Voting is open for your favorite idea, and we would appreciate your help! Winners will be chosen by both the judging panel and people’s choice, so every vote counts. Both winners will then be invited to present their ideas…
Fire Code Changes Coming to Boston
BIFMA (Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) has just announced that the Boston City Council has unanimously voted to amend the city’s fire code to permit the use of TB-117-2013 (smolder test method) instead of the currently mandated TB-133 (open flame test method). What does this mean for us at Arrowstreet and our clients? With the mayor’s approval, this means that Boston…