What: Brucewood Homes
Where: 55, 59 and 63 Brucewood St., West Roxbury
Owner: Passive House Construction LLC
Built: 2021-2022
Three single-family homes built to Passive House standards were sold prior to completion for $1.395 million to $1.5 million, illustrating the demand for super-energy-efficient residential designs.
West Roxbury-based developer Passive House Construction LLC selected RODE Architects to design the Brucewood Homes project in West Roxbury, the first internationally certified, single-family Passive House development in the city of Boston.
The homes’ sustainability elements include air-tight and insulated walls and full-height, south-facing windows to maximize solar gain. Wood louvers control light entering the central living and dining areas, reflecting sunlight during the summer and admitting daylight that stores heat in the concrete slab during winter.
They Said It:
“Brucewood Homes demonstrates our commitment to collaboration, craftsmanship and pushing the boundaries to design buildings that address the issues of climate change. This project celebrates what we believe in: that our work enhances a sense of place, and often the simplest forms can make the biggest statements. We’re now exploring ways to bring this more into the mainstream in Greater Boston and beyond, including single-family, multifamily and commercial developments.”
— Kevin Deabler, principal and co-founder, RODE Architects