21 AMES ST
College/University in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
21 AMES ST is a 65,896-square-foot college/university building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1916. In its 2024 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 108.2 kBtu/ft² and 436 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
BEUDO · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 108.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 126.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 436 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 199,100 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,439 therms |
| Water use | 559 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 65,896 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1502:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | — | 108.2 kBtu/ft² | 436 tCO₂e | |
| 2023 | — | 104.5 kBtu/ft² | 416 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 99.1 kBtu/ft² | 401 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 93.1 kBtu/ft² | 374 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | — | 290 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | 497 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 284.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,187 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 329.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,403 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 244.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,055 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 290.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,263 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
BEUDO
Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
Ownership
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
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Location
- Address
- 21 AMES ST
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36000, -71.09090
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 1,362,662 sq ft
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 517,029 sq ft
- 325 Main Stscore 87
Office · 494,512 sq ft
- 145 Broadwayscore 91
Office · 490,000 sq ft
- 314 Main St.score 80
Office · 482,220 sq ft
- 303 Binney Stscore —
Laboratory · 480,000 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 21 AMES ST compare with other college/university buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 203 college/university buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 108.2 kBtu/ft² is about 30% below the average of 154.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 65,896 sq ft, it is about 32% below the average floor area of 96,964 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1916, 33 years earlier than the group's average year built (1949). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,113 college/university buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 68 and a site EUI of 98.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 21 AMES ST's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Cambridge disclosures for 21 AMES ST, covering report years 2015–2024. Site EUI moved from 290.7 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 108.2 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 63% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,263 tCO₂e to 436 tCO₂e over the same span (down 66%).
What does a site EUI of 108.2 kBtu/ft² mean?
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. 21 AMES ST's 108.2 kBtu/ft² across 65,896 sq ft works out to about 7.1 billion Btu (2,090 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. Its source EUI of 126.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 199,100 kWh of electricity, 1,439 therms of natural gas and 559 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 21 AMES ST to report its energy use?
21 AMES ST reports under BEUDO, the legal basis of Cambridge's Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO), which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record cambridge:B1502:2024). Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
More college/university buildings in Cambridge
- 22 Divinity Ave· 65,169 sq ft · EUI 86.1 kBtu/ft²
- 4 AMES ST· 64,671 sq ft · EUI 62.5 kBtu/ft²
- 2 Divinity Ave· 64,389 sq ft · EUI 56.4 kBtu/ft²
- 1515 Massachusetts Avenue· 63,834 sq ft · EUI 44.4 kBtu/ft²
- 3 Kirkland St· 63,661 sq ft · EUI 71.8 kBtu/ft²
- 70 VASSAR ST (REAR)· 63,579 sq ft · EUI 301.9 kBtu/ft²
- College/University buildings in Cambridge· 203 benchmarked
- All Cambridge benchmarked buildings· BEUDO
- Most efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Least efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Biggest emitters in Cambridge
Frequently asked questions
What is 21 AMES ST's energy grade?
21 AMES ST did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2024 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 108.2 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does 21 AMES ST use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 108.2 kBtu/ft² (126.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 65,896 sq ft, including 199,100 kWh of electricity and 1,439 therms of natural gas.
What are 21 AMES ST's carbon emissions?
21 AMES ST reported 436 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2024.
Where is 21 AMES ST?
21 AMES ST is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36000, -71.09090 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 21 AMES ST and when was it built?
21 AMES ST has 65,896 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1916 as its year built. It is classed as college/university.
Is 21 AMES ST covered by BEUDO?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under BEUDO.
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) (BEUDO), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “21 AMES ST, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/21-ames-st-5e58fe57 (data as of October 2, 2026).