Boston E+ Green Building Program - 226 - 232 Highland St
Completion
Occupancy
Four owner occupied residential units. Each is three bedrooms. Family sizes range from 2 to 4.
Scope
New construction, wood frame, four unit townhouse building, three stories tall. Redevelopment of a vacant urban residential site.
| Type of Construction | New |
|---|---|
| Number of buildings | 4 |
| Floor area of each building | 7,909 |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Bathrooms | 2.5 |
| Stories | 3 |
| Conditioned Building Volume | 21,728 cu ft |
| Conditioned Floor Area | 1,955 sq ft |
Location and Climate Details
Multi-family rowhouse
| Address |
226 Highland Street
232 Highland Street Boston, MA 02119
United States |
|---|---|
| Location Type | Urban |
| Climate Region | Zone 5 |
| Köppen Climate Type | Cfb |
| Lat. / Long. | POINT (-71.0950072 42.323117) |
| Elevation | 65 ft |
| Solar Insolation | 3.76 kWh/m2/day |
| Annual CDD and Base Temp | 915 | 65 deg F |
| Annual HDD and Base Temp | 5826 | 65 deg F |
Site
Fronting on Marcella St., Highland St., and Fulda St., the site gradually slopes up from Marcella St. to Fulda St. The site was vacant at the time of redevelopment however records from 1899 show a multiple residential buildings tightly fitted on the site.
Materials and Design Strategy
Primary construction materials are regionally sourced dimensional lumber and a fiber cement rainscreen exterior panels. Interior finishes feature products made from sustainably harvested woods, rapidly renewable resources, and high recycled content. Wherever possible, locally sourced materials were selected. Drought-resistant native plantings are used throughout the site. Turf is minimized and a Drought Tolerant Fescue ground cover is used to eliminate and reduce irrigation needs. Rainwater harvesting is used for to irrigate gardens and plantings.
Building design optimized convection air flow allowing warm air to move from the lower floors of the home to the top of the upper floor where clerestory windows provide for venting excess heat. The southern façade is glazed to take advantage of solar heat gain in the winter. Deep overhangs and recessed window reduce heat gain in the summer months. Daylighting is maximized to reduce reliance on artificial lighting.
Building orientation and form are optimized for the solar PV and solar thermal arrays on each unit.