Sustainability Report
Certificates
Embodied carbon
2 Harbor Life Sciences Center is pursuing WELL Platinum Certification™. It has also received “9 Foundations” certification through the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building are: Ventilation, Air Quality, Thermal Health, Moisture, Dust and Pests, Safety and Security, Water Quality, Noise, and Lighting and Views.
“The project is not yet fully occupied and currently relies on energy modelling as a comparison — modelling projected a 32 percent energy reduction to similar core and shell office buildings, based on the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers),” explains David Woshinsky, Senior Associate at Handel Architects. “While no life cycle assessment of the building’s embodied carbon was carried out, lower GWP materials, such as mineral wool insulation and Cradle to Cradle certified products, were specified throughout.”
Operational Emissions / Energy
Energy efficient strategies
- The exterior wall is highly insulated and features triple glazing, with large windows providing abundant daylight while keeping the overall glazing ratio to just 35 percent.
- The building utilises high-efficiency chillers with heat recovery (CH3) and 91.5 percent efficient boilers to deliver conditioned air, complemented by lab glycol energy recovery systems.
- The building underwent blower door testing, confirming exceptional air tightness with minimal air infiltration.
- There are LED lights throughout with daylight/occupancy sensors.
- Rheem hybrid electric/natural gas heat pumps provide domestic hot water.
- Ventilation rates surpass code requirements, enhancing indoor air quality while minimising energy loss.
2 Harbor Life Sciences Center has a 32 percent reduction in energy use compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline for a typical core and shell office building.
Renewable energy
The project employed an innovative peel-and-stick PV system by Merlin, as there was no additional height for a traditional system at roof level. As a result, the building features a 24 kW conventional PV array on the lower roof and a 122 kW peel-and-stick system on the upper roof.
Water reduction
- A 90 percent reduction in site water is achieved through the use of native plants.
- A 47 percent reduction in indoor water is achieved through the use of low-flow fixtures.
Afterlife
The project was not designed for future disassembly, but as a commercial core and shell building, it offers flexibility and adaptability for future tenants and uses, including a planned ground-floor food hall. Functions and amenities can adjusted to changing market needs.
Key products in low carbon design
