Brucewood Homes, the first internationally certified passive housing development in Boston, Massachusetts, has been completed. This project, a collaboration between Rode Architects and Passive House Construction, incorporates sustainability-focused concepts that prioritize minimal energy consumption.
Dmitry Baskin, CEO of Passive House Construction, explains that Brucewood Homes offers houses of the highest quality, performance, and energy efficiency. The project also introduces Passive House design techniques that were previously unproven in the city. The development team ensured that the properties were Net Zero/Net Positive ready at move-in.
Furthermore, the Brucewood Homes project adds three single-family structures to the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. All three homes were sold prior to completion, indicating an increased market interest in super-efficient dwellings in the region.
Number of Houses in the Brucewood Homes Project
The Brucewood Homes project consists of three single-family structures located in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. All homes were sold prior to completion, indicating a high demand for super-efficient dwellings in the area.
RODE Architects utilized a contemporary design that reflects the neighborhood’s context for the Brucewood Homes project. The homes feature clear-finished white cedar siding on their upper volumes and painted siding made from materials recovered from manufacturing by-products on their lower volumes.
Each house in the Brucewood Homes project has a slightly different angled ridge line, creating a collection of sibling houses rather than identical twins. The placement of the homes was carefully considered to minimize disruption to the site’s rock ledge and mature trees. The houses also maximize solar gain through full-height south-facing windows.
The Brucewood Homes project incorporates energy-saving concepts consistent with Passive House standards. The homes feature airtight and heavily insulated walls, which minimize energy usage for heating and cooling throughout the seasons. Wood louvers are used to control the amount of light entering the central living/dining space, reflecting intense summer sunlight to keep the interior cool and directing lower temperature winter sunlight into the building, where the thermal mass of the concrete slab absorbs it.
