First Building at Bunker Hill Achieves Passive House Design Certification

Boston, MA
3/25/2024

Building M, the first building as part of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment, has officially achieved Passive House design certification under the Phius CORE 2021 program. Designed by Stantec, this 6-story building will contain 102 affordable units as well as amenity space for building residents and new open space associated with the building.

This design certification, representing the highest standards of energy efficiency in new construction, is the first milestone on a project with aggressive sustainability goals for the full 15-building redevelopment, and sets the project on a path to net zero carbon by maximizing building efficiency and the use of cleaner electricity and utilizing Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)/Mass Timber.

Sustainability Highlights:

• Improved Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality
• New, high-efficiency buildings reduce the burning of fossil fuels on site by 85%.
• Building M has a forecasted 37% reduction in embodied carbon over a baseline structure with concrete plank
  • 50% more efficient than design code (MA Stretch Code under the 9th edition of the Building Code)
  • In the redevelopment of all 15 planned new buildings, the use of CLT as opposed to the standard practice of concrete planks will result in the sequestration of over 1,400 metric tons of CO2 due to the wood structure.
• Electric heating and cooling systems - project will electrify nearly 70% of its energy loads and is designed for a seamless transition to full electrification in the future
• Solar + Storage ready

Learn more about the project's Passive House certification on the PHIUS website.

Project Team:

• Developer: Leggat McCall Properties
• Development Partners: Boston Housing Authority, Charlestown Resident Alliance
• Architect: Stantec
• Contractor: Suffolk Construction
• MEP Engineer: Petersen Engineering
• Sustainability Consultant: Integrated Eco Strategy

Rendering courtesy of Stantec