About the Case Studies

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Green Building Case Studies were designed to bring the lessons and experiences from Massachusetts green buildings to members of the building industry. Each study focused on a project funded by MTC’s Renewable Energy Trust. From 2002 to 2004, the Trust’s Green Buildings and Infrastructure Program provided grants to 40 green building projects that incorporated renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other green features.

The case studies were conducted by Massachusetts university teams that included students, teachers, and researchers with support from the Renewable Energy Trust. Each university team worked with several green building project teams to establish data on selected buildings and to analyze the buildings’ performance. Through this approach, the case studies helped university students from diverse backgrounds learn real-world lessons about green building and renewable energy that they can apply in their future careers.

The four teams were:

• Harvard University: Harvard Green Campus Initiative
• Northeastern University Department of Architecture
• Tufts University: Urban and Environmental Student Consulting, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, and the Tufts Climate Initiative
• University of Massachusetts, Lowell: Solar Engineering Program and the Center for Sustainable Energy

These teams brought unique perspectives to the case studies process and focused on a variety of target audiences in presenting their data and analysis. The case studies were reviewed by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, BuildingGreen, an administrator of the High Performance Buildings Database, and Elizabeth Cordero of Green Building Consulting.

About the Database

The High Performance Buildings Database is a shared resource for the building industry. The Database, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is a unique central repository of in-depth information and data on high-performance, green building projects across the United States and abroad. Projects in the database can be featured on multiple Web sites. This collaboration increases the reach of the information and saves building designers and owners from having to provide the same information to multiple sources.

The Database includes information on the energy use, environmental performance, design process, finances, and other aspects of each project. Members of the design and construction teams are listed, as are sources for additional information. In total, up to twelve screens of detailed information are provided for each project profile. Projects range in size from small single-family homes or tenant fit-outs within buildings to large commercial and institutional buildings and even entire campuses.

Early partners using the database include:

• DOE's High Performance Buildings Web site, which features projects with reliable energy performance data and exemplary energy performance;
• The Federal Energy Management Program, showcasing federal projects;
• The U.S. Green Building Council, which displays buildings that have been certified through its LEED® Green Building Rating System;
• The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment, publishing buildings that have been selected through its annual Top Ten Green Projects competition;
• BuildingGreen, Inc., featuring projects that exemplify the green design products and practices described in its BuildingGreen Suite online information resource;
• The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, soon to display in-depth case studies, created by teams at various universities, of projects that have benefited from grants provided by MTC;
• The Cascadia Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, displaying projects located in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon;
• Efficiency Vermont, showcasing energy efficient and high performance buildings located in Vermont.

Although the database development was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, partners pay for the cost of establishing their Web portals and to support the ongoing hosting and maintenance costs of the database. Organizations interested in using the database should contact .

Using the High Performance Buildings Database

The High Performance Buildings Database describes buildings, interiors, and whole neighborhoods. To find projects of interest, use any of the search options provided. Instructions for each section of the "Detailed search" screen are included below. By visiting the DOE or BuildingGreen websites, you can also submit a project to the database.

Each project description may or may not include details on various aspects of its design process, costs, and/or environmental performance. You can limit your search to projects that include details in a particular topic area by using the Detailed Search function. Once you have a list of projects that meet your search criteria, clicking on any project brings you to an Overview screen with general information about that project.

From the Overview screen, you can use the "Topics" menu on the left to view additional screens that provide additional details about the project. You can also go through all the available screens using the arrow buttons at the bottom of each screen. To begin a new search, click on "Case Study Search" in the footer of any page.

If you wish to view another project from your current list, you can select it from the pull-down menu in the upper right. When you are viewing an Overview screen, all the projects in your list will appear in this menu. When you are viewing any of the detail screens, however, the list in the pull-down menu will only display projects from your list that have that screen available. You can retrieve your full list by switching to an Overview screen in any project, or selecting "back to search list" from the pull-down menu. Note that the project you are currently viewing will appear in brackets on this menu (unless you use your browser's "back" button to return to a previous project, in which case the brackets will not be accurate).

Case Studies hosted and managed courtesy of BuildingGreen, Inc.
Case Studies Database provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's
Building Technology Program, High Performance Buildings.