Challenge


GZA was retained by the owner and developer of Sharon Gallery, a 750,000 square foot commercial and residential development, to perform a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions analysis. As part of the State of Massachusetts’ aggressive environmental protection policies, planned developments requiring state permitting must undergo a thorough analysis of environmental impacts and demonstrate feasible measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate damage to the environment. The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office requested a GHG emissions analysis be performed as part of their review process.

Solution


GZA quantified direct CO2 emissions from onsite stationary source fuel combustion, indirect CO2 emissions from purchased electricity, and transportation-related CO2 emissions associated with the planned development. This entailed a three-step process: 1) identify a project baseline, 2) calculate estimated GHG emissions from project baseline, and 3) calculate estimated emissions reductions based on mitigation measures by comparing project alternatives. By working directly with the developer to identify energy efficiency and emission reduction opportunities, GZA was able to successfully demonstrate that each building structure satisfied the necessary level of performance. This involved energy utilization modeling using several software options for a variety of commercial and residential buildings. Opportunities for solar panel installation were also evaluated for each planned building. GZA also completed transportation modeling to obtain CO2 emissions for various scenarios which included an evaluation of the impacts from potential transportation demand management (TDM) strategies.

Benefit


GZA proficiently completed the analysis, providing our client with design elements that will help Sharon Gallery satisfy GHG mitigation obligations under MEPA. Following review of the GHG analysis, our client successfully obtained approval from MEPA allowing them to move forward with construction activities.