U.S. General Services Administration
Volpe's beautiful landscape undergoes study
When most people think of the construction of a building, they think of steel beams, concrete and glass. But did you know that the landscape that surrounds the building is just as important, especially in a city?
While the newly built John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts stands in the heart of a busy downtown area; the greenery around it is important to the natural ecosystem.
The building touts a beautiful landscape with trees, flowers, shrubs, and green roofs on the third and sixth floors.
Because of this, the Volpe was one of two in the country to be chosen as part of a GSA Landscape Performance Study. This study is being conducted to confirm that stormwater management features at the building are in alignment with Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which says that federal agencies are required to reduce stormwater runoff from federal development and redevelopment projects to protect water resources and reduce the negative impact of heat island effect by providing cooler and reflective surfaces in the built environment.
In August, as part of the study, remote sensors were installed throughout the grounds and will gather information on stormwater, temperature, precipitation amounts, soil moisture, and the biodiversity of the area.
Each sensor is responsible for gathering specific data on each of these items. The multiple temperature sensors will monitor the specific microclimates that a person who either works at the Volpe, or is visiting, will experience in different site conditions, i.e. a walkway fully exposed to the sunlight, under a tree canopy, on a paver roof, or on a planted green roof.
The biodiversity acoustic sensors will tap into high frequency sounds that birds and bats make and be able to collect data on how many birds and bats are visiting the area, what species, and the visitation patterns of these animals over the course of the seasons.
Massachusetts currently has nine species of bats, all of which are protected and five of which are endangered.
Additionally, the study allows for soil eDNA samples to be taken. Collecting soil samples helps the team identify the small bugs, critters, bacteria and fungi that inhibit the soil around the building. These microorganisms are key to supporting the natural nutrient cycle of the soil; healthy soil helps contribute to healthy plants. Toward the conclusion of the study, the team will compare how these microorganism populations are maturing.
At the end of the one-year study, our regional teams can then utilize the data collected at the Volpe grounds to help with future green infrastructure designs in our buildings and to potentially affect GSA’s national landscape policies and recommended maintenance practices going forward.