The Zoning Ordinance’s Section 22.20 – Green Building Requirements ensures that major new projects and substantially rehabilitated buildings are planned, designed and constructed using environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient practices. Projects fall under these requirements when:

• They exceed 25,000 square feet of gross floor area AND
• Require a Special Permit under any provision of the Zoning Ordinance OR
• Are subject to Section 19.50 – Building and Site Requirements

The City of Cambridge does not mandate that projects achieve Certification through a green building rating program. Rather, the intent of the green building ordinance is to use green building rating systems as a technical framework to ensure that buildings throughout the City achieve a higher level in building energy use and efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency.