ENHANCING RESILIENCE IN BOSTON A Guide for Large Buildings and Institutions. Boston Green Tourism May 21, 2015

Transcription

1 ENHANCING RESILIENCE IN BOSTON A Guide for Large Buildings and Institutions Boston Green Tourism May 21, 2015

2 Report Context Climate Action Plan Action-Item GRC Preparedness Recommendations ABC Priority Research Area Resiliency Report and Toolkit

3 Report Overview Background Climate Risks to Boston Buildings Building Resiliency Measures Resiliency Toolkit District and Regulatory Strategies

4 Content Technology Providers and Cost estimates Interviews and conversations with vendors Permitting and Regulatory Touchpoints Interviews with City staff on potential requirements Interactive Online toolkit at Challenge for Sustainability Opportunity to submit new ideas to document Pathways for District-level Strategies Sampling of existing research from Boston-area players and best practices

5 Climate Change Impacts Urban Heat Island Sea level rise Flooding Boston 2050

6 Neighborhood Impacts- Hurricane Sandy Mean High High Water +5 Projected to occur by mid- to late-century Equivalent to flooding from Hurricane Sandy if it hit during high tide Sandy -> $68 billion dollars in damage to NY+NJ

7 Climate Risks for Boston Buildings Boston FEMA Flood Map Fall 2013 Proposed Boston FEMA Flood Map Pre-2013 From GIS Analysis completed for A Better City- Red pins represent A Better City s membership

8 Climate Risks for Boston Buildings 2050 Sea Level Rise + Major Storm 2050 Sea Level Rise Map Credit: Sasaki

9 Key Questions 1. Owner: What is an acceptable level of risk and timescale for evaluating building assets? 2. Facility: What measures can be pursued at a building level to mitigate risk? 3. District: What measures might be more appropriate to coordinate among interested neighboring buildings and institutions?

10 Challenge of Making Resiliency Investments Resilience Avoided costs Cost-benefit analysis Less common Energy Efficiency Return on investment Predictable savings Well-understood

11 Building Resiliency Measures

12 Case Study: Investment Permanent Flood Barrier Atlantic Wharf, Fort Point District Retractable Barrier: Aquafence Observed during Sandy buildings were protected with sandbags However, sand supplies diverted for other critical needs Pursued higher tech option Reduces building downtime Create Competitive Advantage Source: Panel Event with A Better City and News Article from WGBH

13 Online Resource - Resiliency Toolkit

14 Online Resiliency Toolkit

15 Strategies for Grounds Help manage stormwater during flooding events Green infrastructure can reduce heat island around building and lower energy needs for cooling

16 Protection, Dry and Wet Floodproofing Sealing and protecting key areas vs. creating floodable zones Permanent vs. Temporary Barriers

17 Internal Strategies Passive Ventilation Efficiency Back-up Power Cool Roofing Details on 32 strategies in the online toolkit

18 Questions for Consideration How might your hotel be impacted by a major event in Boston? Will supplies be impacted? Will people turn to facilities for shelter? Are there plans in place to conserve fuel or energy in the event of a longer outage? Role of efficiency strategies for occupant comfort How will hotels be called upon to act as part of wider neighborhood or district-level strategies? How can existing emergency plans be updated to consider climate resilience?

19 Considerations for Hotels Considerations Conditions for Guests Shelter and Sheltering in Place Staff Comfort Tools Energy Efficient Envelope Energy Resilience Passive ventilation Floodproofing

20 Regulatory Considerations Interviewed City Staff Highlights of potential permitting requirements for investments full details in report Work to collaborate on streamlining process

21 Regulatory Strategies Streamlining municipal and state regulations to ease adoption of resilience technologies Case Study NYC: Building Resiliency Taskforce 1. Mandate backflow valves, anchored storage tanks and elevation of plumbing in flood zone 2. Permitted use of temporary barriers and stairs, and removed permitting barriers 3. Regulated amount and height of fuel storage in buildings Toronto: Green Building Standards for New Construction Includes adaptation considerations Incentive: Reduction in city fees for developers which comply

22 Local Thought Leadership on Neighborhood Strategies Business Improvement Districts for Resilience Ceres: Thought-work for resilience zones LEED for Resilience Potential Article 80 Process Recognition program for prepared buildings using City s existing checklist Innovative planning processes Water Plaza- Rotterdam Living with Water Competition Emergency planning Value Capture Miami tax increment financing for stormwater Leveraging MAPC research for transportation and adapting existing state programs

23 More Information Authored & Researched by: Kathryn Wright, Jeremy Koo, and Andy Belden Meister Consultants Group David Lander, Vanessa Bighinatti, and Yve Torrie A Better City Report & Toolkit Enhancing Resilience in Boston: A Guide for Large Buildings and Institutions Report: Online Building Resiliency Toolkit: