Boston is set to become the first city in the nation to impose a strict set of green building standards on all new development in the city. The requirements will take effect in January and affect buildings 50,000 square feet and larger.
"The standards will be required before permits are issued for all projects of 50,000 square feet or more. The goal is to make new buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, by promoting, for example, use of efficient heating and cooling systems, recycled building materials, and careful separation and disposal of waste."
"City officials said they will ask the Boston Redevelopment Authority tomorrow to incorporate the green building standards into municipal zoning laws, following the recommendations of a task force appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 2003. The standards are expected to be formally adopted by the Boston Zoning Commission in January after a public comment period."
Though the purpose of the new building standards is to improve the city's energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, they do not require compliance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building standards, also known as LEED.
Read the full story: Boston ready to go green
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
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