at the helm

Greentown Labs names interim leader as hunt for CEO continues

The newly named interim Greentown Labs CEO is based in Boston. Photo via Greentown

Greentown Labs, after announcing its CEO is stepping down at the end of the month, has named the climatetech incubator's interim leader.

Kevin Dutt, a recently named member of Greentown's board of directors based in the Boston area, has been appointed interim CEO. The decision, made by the board, is effective July 8. Dutt is a management consultant at Sustainable Edge Consulting, as well as an environmental entrepreneur, executive, and adviser with 25 years of experience.

"We continue to believe deeply in Greentown and are proud to have one of our board members step into this role before our next long-term CEO is identified," the nonprofit writes in the announcement. "We are confident Kevin is best suited to lead Greentown through this time of transition—his experience in climate and sustainability, philanthropy, and venture will play a key role in helping seamlessly guide Greentown in the coming months."

Dutt will lead the organization, which has dual locations in Houston and Somerville, Massachusetts, following outgoing CEO and President Kevin Knobloch. Knobloch announced in May that he will be stepping down after less than a year in the position. He was named CEO last September, previously serving as chief of staff of the United States Department of Energy in President Barack Obama’s second term.

The news of Knobloch's departure came just over a month after the organization announced that it was eliminating 30 percent of its staff, which affected 12 roles in Boston and six in Houston.

Dutt is the fourth person to take the help of Greentown since Emily Reichert, who held the position from 2013 to 2022, stepped down. Prior to Knobloch's appointment, Greentown's Co-Founder Jason Hanna and former CFO Kevin T. Taylor, who each served in an interim capacity.

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A View From HETI

UH's $44 million RAD Center is the first mass timber building on campus with a dramatically lower carbon footprint compared to other buildings of its kind. Photo via uh.edu.

The University of Houston recently completed assessments on year one of the first mass timber project on campus, and the results show it has had a major impact.

Known as the Retail, Auxiliary, and Dining Center, or RAD Center, the $44 million building showed an 84 percent reduction in predicted energy use intensity, a measure of how much energy a building uses relative to its size, compared to similar buildings. Its Global Warming Potential rating, a ratio determined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shows a 39 percent reduction compared to the benchmark for other buildings of its type.

In comparison to similar structures, the RAD Center saved the equivalent of taking 472 gasoline-powered cars driven for one year off the road, according to architecture firm Perkins & Will.

The RAD Center was created in alignment with the AIA 2030 Commitment to carbon-neutral buildings, designed by Perkins & Will and constructed by Houston-based general contractor Turner Construction.

Perkins & Will’s work reduced the building's carbon footprint by incorporating lighter mass timber structural systems, which allowed the RAD Center to reuse the foundation, columns and beams of the building it replaced. Reused elements account for 45 percent of the RAD Center’s total mass, according to Perkins & Will.

Mass timber is considered a sustainable alternative to steel and concrete construction. The RAD Center, a 41,000-square-foot development, replaced the once popular Satellite, which was a food, retail and hangout center for students on UH’s campus near the Science & Research Building 2 and the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication.

The RAD Center uses more than a million pounds of timber, which can store over 650 metric tons of CO2. Aesthetically, the building complements the surrounding campus woodlands and offers students a view both inside and out.

“Spaces are designed to create a sense of serenity and calm in an ecologically-minded environment,” Diego Rozo, a senior project manager and associate principal at Perkins & Will, said in a news release. “They were conceptually inspired by the notion of ‘unleashing the senses’ – the design celebrating different sights, sounds, smells and tastes alongside the tactile nature of the timber.”

In addition to its mass timber design, the building was also part of an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) reduction effort. It features high-performance insulation and barriers, natural light to illuminate a building's interior, efficient indoor lighting fixtures, and optimized equipment, including HVAC systems.

The RAD Center officially opened Phase I in Spring 2024. The third and final phase of construction is scheduled for this summer, with a planned opening set for the fall.

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