BAC Alumnus Maps Sustainability Across Boston

Jamie Farrell

BAC Alumnus Maps Sustainability Across Boston
Jamie Farrell, BDS '14, utilizes Design Studies Degree project in professional career

One evening, while crossing the Harvard Bridge over the Charles River, everything clicked for Jamie Farrell. While gazing at the Boston skyline, Jamie had the idea: What if Boston's skyline actually represented the height of each building's individual energy use intensity (EUI) as opposed to its physical height? Would the Hancock Tower still be the tallest building you would see? Would this have an impact on energy use throughout the entire city?

Jamie, a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Design Studies, Sustainable Design program, took this idea and evolved it into his final degree project, Datascapes. The project used design technology and data analytics to visualize energy use intensity (in essence, energy used by a building divided by its square footage).

"This was an exciting exercise in 'civic hacking,' as it was based on the Boston energy reporting discloser ordinance BERDO. In other words, this is about taking available data, correlating new relationships, and then reimagining the manner in which view and utilize this information," said Jamie. "This approach has the potential for far reaching effects, especially in the areas of asset management and urban planning."