Looking Back to Move Forward: Understanding NYC Energy Trends Through Benchmarking

/
Looking Back to Move Forward: Understanding NYC Energy Trends Through Benchmarking

Because large and midsize buildings are responsible for over half of New York City’s building emissions, understanding the benchmarked data provides necessary insight for how we will achieve a zero carbon future. On January 26, panelists from Urban Green Council and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability met for a virtual discussion, The Benchmarking Report: NYC’s Energy and Water Use. Panelists shared findings on NYC’s energy use trends and discussed whether buildings are on track to meet the city’s climate goals.

Read More

Designing for Tomorrow: Adapting Office Building Design to COVID

/
Designing for Tomorrow: Adapting Office Building Design to COVID

Given the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, buildings must adapt to provide safe and healthy spaces for workers. Adapting to COVID: Design, held on 11/10, was the final installment of a three-part virtual speaker series hosted by the Cross-Learning Alliance—a partnership between Urban Green, ASHRAE and AIA. Melissa Marsh, Principal and Founder of Plastarc, moderated the event and was joined by architects and designers to discuss the new safety features design teams are using and how they envision the building industry changing in the future. "Now the home is a mixed-use building," Dennis Weddlick (BarlisWedlick Architects LLC) stated, emphasizing the necessity to adapt our buildings to new needs and anticipate future change.

Read More

Building a Better Tomorrow: Adapting Operations to COVID

/
Building a Better Tomorrow: Adapting Operations to COVID

As we adapt to the evolving regulations of Covid-19, we must continue to prioritize health, safety and wellbeing. On 10/14, the Cross-Learning Alliance (a partnership composed of Urban Green, ASHRAE and AIA) hosted Adapting to COVID: Building Operations, the second installment of a three-part virtual speaker series to share building protocols and interventions to facilitate safe workplace re-openings.

This event was moderated by Tony Tsang, Chapter President of ASHRAE, who was joined by facilities team members from both the health and corporate worlds to discuss maintenance strategies that worked, preparations for the coming months, and long-term changes to building operations practices as a result of the pandemic.

Read More

Biophilia: Building Back to Nature

/
Biophilia: Building Back to Nature

The average American spends 90 percent of their life indoors. But according to biophilia principles, humans are happier when connected to nature. Is it possible to foster this feeling when we’re inside? At Urban Green’s Biophilia in Building Design and Operations event on March 4, panelists discussed how they use a biophilic mindset to reduce environmental harm and improve tenant experiences in their buildings.

Read More