BOSTON– Steven Burke, Senior Director of Sustainability at Suffolk, recently participated in the national Concrete Innovation Summit at the White House. Suffolk is one the most innovative and sustainable real estate construction enterprises in the country, and Mr. Burke is a recognized thought leader and expert in sustainable building theories and practices. Mr. Burke was invited to attend the prestigious event due to his strong industry reputation and successful track record implementing sustainability approaches throughout the entire building lifecycle, from planning and design to construction management and self-perform.
The White House convened stakeholders throughout the built world, including cement and concrete manufacturers, developers, contractors, designers and innovative startups, to highlight progress in reducing emissions and accelerating new green technologies. Mr. Burke also participated in a breakout session where he shared best practices and provided feedback to administration officials and other Federal agencies on ways to advance low-carbon concrete.
“Sustainable building will be a major contributor to reducing emissions,” said Steven Burke, Senior Director of Sustainability at Suffolk. “Our team of experts has spent years in this space, learning to innovate, build and collect data that can offer our clients cutting edge sustainability solutions for projects in every sector, from residential units to healthcare facilities. We appreciate this opportunity to share our progress and to work closely with other industry leaders to create solutions that will benefit future generations. I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration for prioritizing this important issue and for welcoming me to this important event.”
Mr. Burke has spent 15 years developing and implementing sustainable strategies and solutions for clients throughout the country. He holds an impressive collection of sustainability credentials, which includes LEED, WELL Faculty and Passive House certifications. He is the co-founder of a recognized sustainability network, the Sustainable Construction Leaders, which later created the Contractor’s Commitment, a roadmap for construction companies to operate more sustainably, which consists of member companies representing more than $30 billion in market revenue.
Suffolk’s Sustainability team has become actively engaged in low-carbon concrete practices, and recently hosted practitioners in the Boston area through the Low-Carbon Concrete Group and the Boston Society for Architecture. During that event, the group released its research report that examined the environmental impact of building with low-carbon concrete.
Suffolk has managed some of the most sophisticated sustainable building construction projects in the country and is ranked #9 on the Engineering News-Record (ENR) list of “Top 100 Green Building Contractors.”
Suffolk’s project portfolio includes Winthrop Center, the largest office tower with Passive House designation in the country; the Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences, the largest fossil fuel-free building in New England; Yahoo BF2 Phase Three 1.8 MW and BF2 Phase Three 600 KW, two of the most sustainable data centers in the country that utilize 40 percent less energy and 95 percent less water than industry average; and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Electric Utility Plant (eCUP), which will transition to zero-emission electricity for heating to become the first carbon neutral central plant in aviation in the Americas.
