Two Decades of Sustainable Design. One Vision for a Greener Future. 

This month TGE celebrates our 20th Anniversary - A statement from our Founder, Chris Schaffner: 

In May of 2025, I founded The Green Engineer with the hope that there was an emerging market for specialist sustainable design consulting services. Twenty years and more than a thousand projects later, The Green Engineer, Inc. is a thriving practice of 25 professionals offering services ranging from healthy materials selection to Passive House Certification.  As I reflect on the past, I can’t help but think of the dedicated people in our industry who have advanced the cause of green building, and especially my colleagues with TGE, both past and present. Together, we have done great things. 

I see how far we’ve come. Net-Zero energy projects were a dream – now they are the norm (and a zoning requirement!). LEED has become mainstream practice. Energy codes now call for the phase-out of fossil fuels. EPDs and HPDs are familiar acronyms, and most of us know the difference between life cycle costs and life-cycle assessment. We’ve made a lot of progress.  

Looking into the future, I struggle to see past the short-term political headwinds we face. But beyond today’s chaos, the need for healthy, low-energy, low-carbon buildings is strong and will remain so. The business case for sustainability is compelling, and savvy organizations will take full advantage of the benefits green buildings provide.   

Another aspect of TGE’s journey has been the development of our sustainable business model. As we’ve transitioned from a sole practitioner to an employee-owned B Corp, we’ve learned a lot. It hasn’t always been easy, but I think it is our secret recipe that makes us unique in the market and gives us the ability to weather the next storm.    

You have been part of this journey, and I thank you for that. I can’t wait to see what the next twenty years hold. 

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‍Our Collective Journey & Impact

Over the years, we have collaborated on hundreds of impactful projects—each contributing to the advancement of a healthier, more equitable built environment. In the process, we have cultivated a company and culture of which we are deeply proud.

Whether you’ve joined us recently or have been part of this journey for years, thank you. We’re excited for what’s ahead—and we hope you’ll be part of the next chapter.

Here’s to 20 years of impact. And many more to come! 

A look back through the years:

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Our Expanded Service:  

While this anniversary is a chance to reflect, it’s also a springboard. We’re evolving with the industry, bringing fresh knowledge, new services, and continued passion to every project. 

Our expanded offerings include:

• Passive House Modeling and Certification Project Management
• Health and Wellness [WELL, Fitwel, Living Building] Certification Project Management & materials health consulting
• Whole Building Life Cycle Analysis and Embodied Carbon Reduction consulting
• Daylight Analysis
• Energy Benchmarking, Existing Building Decarbonization and Climate Action Planning
• Utility Incentive Technical Assistance, with a regional reach
• Net Zero analyses & planning
• ILFI Core/Zero Carbon Project Management
• LEED Project Management
• A full suite of building energy modeling services

Our Impact

We’ve supported over 300 LEED-certified projects across multiple states, and on many projects earning other certifications and accolades. Too many projects and teams to thank, but a few notables: 

• Weston Corporate Center – Our first LEED Platinum (LEED-CS v2 in 2010) includes a deep-water cooling system using the on-site retired stone quarries for chilled water. Also included (at the time) MA’s largest private ground-mounted solar array.

• MIT Koch Institute – Our first of over 20 projects on campus, this building houses the Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and earned LEED v2.2 Gold certification in 2011.

• 150 Second Street – Our first LEED Platinum core and shell lab at a time when people said, “you can’t do LEED on a lab”. Certified in 2013.

• Walden Pond Visitor Center – Located in the Achieves LEED-NC v09 Gold certification in 2017, it also marks our first Net Positive project and the first LEED building in the DCR portfolio.  

• Eastham Public Library – This nearly NZE library project that blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors was awarded LEED Gold and the 2018 AIA/ALA Library Building Award.  

• The Lowell Justice Center - The first courthouse in MA, and first state courthouse in the country to achieve LEED Platinum. Certified in 2020.

• Cambridge Savings Bank Operations Center – Completed in 2021 in Waltham, MA is the first Platinum WELL v2 Pilot certified project in New England.  

• Lafayette College Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center – Wins the prestigious AIA COTE® Top Ten award in 2021. This LEED Platinum facility positions the campus to meet their net zero goals.

• The Hub on Causeway – This 1.9MSF mixed-use development reshaped the entrance to the Boston Garden, brought a much-needed supermarket to the neighborhood, and is the epitome of a transit-oriented development with work, live, shop, play sited above North Station. The multi-building development earned 3 LEED Gold certifications with the final office tower earning LEED-CS v09 Platinum.  

• Bristol Agricultural High School – Wins BE+ Green Building of the year for 2022. This campus project challenged the status quo – using strategies to significantly reduce embodied and operational carbon and water use on site, while integrating the buildings into the unique curriculum of the school.  

• The C. Gerald Lucey Building – Our largest Mass Timber project with DCAMM wins the BE+ Sustainable Construction Innovation Award in 2022, envisioned as the prototype design for future state office buildings.  

• “Circling Back After Getting the Plaque” - Our research report wins 2022 BE+ Sustainable Building Operations award, which gathered operating performance metrics, interview data and lessons learned from town staff for 21 public schools and libraries in Massachusetts that received LEED (15 total) or CHPS (6 total) certification.  

• One Congress Street - Our largest single-building project, at 1.1M SF achieves LEED-CS v09 Platinum certification in 2023.  

• BU Data Sciences – The largest fossil-fuel-free building in Boston, using a deep geothermal system for 90% of its heating and cooling. Designed to meet LEED Platinum standards, it features triple-glazed windows, green roofs, and energy-efficient systems, aligning with BU’s carbon neutrality goal by 2040.

• Kendall Square Workspace – One of our many fit outs for a high-tech client wins BE+ Sustainable Interior Fit out project of the year in 2023. The project had to meet lofty corporate sustainability requirements, including a material reds list, was one in a long line of projects working both on both repositioning the existing campus and on various fit outs.

• Westwood Pine Hill Elementary School – This recently completed all-electric “school in the woods” maximize connection to nature while using GSHPs and on-site PV to offset ~80% of estimated energy use.  

• One Boston Wharf Road – The building, Boston’s largest net-zero carbon office development, encompasses 700,000 square feet of office, retail, and civic spaces, won 2024 BE+ People’s Choice award and included the first commercial use of Sublime Cement, a fossil-fuel-free cement product.

Thanks to all who contributed to 20 great years, here's to many more!

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