Northland Newton – Mixed-use, Mixed-income Passive House Development
Project Background:
Northland Newton Development has been approved by Newton City Council after 3 years in planning. The project consists of 14 mixed-use buildings, of which SWA is providing services for 12. This first-of-its-kind Passive House development in Massachusetts will provide a combination of all-electric affordable, workforce, and market rate housing. Three buildings are committed to Passive House Classic certification, two buildings are committed to Passive House Low Energy Building Standard, and an additional three buildings will be designed to the Passive House standard. The team’s intent to fully electrify the buildings’ systems is a testament to the development’s low carbon commitment and long-term sustainability goals. The project is a joint effort between developer Northland Investment Corp., architects Stantec & CUBE3, MEP engineer AHA Engineers, and the General Contractor Cranshaw Construction. Construction is anticipated to begin early in 2022.
Project Services:
Steven Winter Associates, Inc. is providing Passive House Consulting and Verification services, LEEDv4 for Homes Consulting, and Enclosure Consulting for this project.
Primary Energy and Resource Conservation Measures:
- The design eliminates reliance on natural gas by utilizing electric water heaters, heat pump clothes dryers, conduction cooktops, and a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat pump system.
- Exterior walls will have thermally broken cladding attachments, 4” exterior mineral wool insulation, and cavity mineral wool insulation.
- One building will utilize cross laminated timber (CLT).
- Fresh filtered air will be provided by 85% efficient in-unit energy recovery ventilators.
- Heating and cooling will be supplied by a centralized VRF system with heat recovery.
- All apartments will have high-performance windows, ensuring optimal thermal comfort for tenants.