The new Massachusetts Energy Code and Stretch Code were just adopted and both go into effect today. There will be a concurrency period of the current Energy Code (IECC 2012) and Stretch Code (25% better than ASHRAE 90.1-2007) until January 1, 2017. Between now and the end of the year, projects have the option to follow either energy code, however the current Energy Code and Stretch Code are less stringent. Any project pulling a permit after the end of the year will be required to follow the new energy requirements.
The new Energy Code will be IECC 2015 (based on ASHRAE 90.1-2013).
The new Stretch Code will require projects to demonstrate a 10% reduction in energy usage compared with ASHRAE 90.1-2013. Currently, 176 cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Boston and Cambridge, have adopted the Stretch Code. You can check out a full list of cities and towns that have adopted these new codes here. In these communities, the Stretch Code applies to any new building larger than 100,000 SF or over 40,000 SF for labs.
The 2025 OpenLAB Boston studio work will be exhibited at Virginia Tech Monday, March 2nd through Wednesday, March 4th.
Please join us for the following events on Monday, March 2nd:
11:00am - Lecture with Parke MacDowell
1:00pm Lobby talk with Kevin Sullivan
This year’s studio identifies seven sites along the frayed edges of Boston’s Greenway. The Greenway is a one-mile-long linear park running through the heart of the city, reconnecting downtown Boston with its waterfront. Many of the parcels along its edges remain undeveloped and present mute, blank facades to the public realm. Addressing and repairing these edges through acts of infilling, layering, grafting, framing, and placemaking is the core focus of the studio—SUTURE.