Melpet Farm Residences, Affordable Net Zero Ready
Completion
Occupancy
Melpet Farm Apartments is a rental property with 27 units. The residents live in the units full time.
Scope
| Type of Construction | New |
|---|---|
| Number of buildings | 9 |
| Floor area of each building | 3,500 |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Bathrooms | 1.0 |
| Stories | 2 |
| Conditioned Building Volume | 28,000 cu ft |
| Conditioned Floor Area | 26,000 sq ft |
Location and Climate Details
Multi Family Affordable Housing
| Address |
812 East West Rt 134 Dennis, MA 02660
United States |
|---|---|
| Location Type | Rural |
| Climate Region | Zone 5 |
| Lat. / Long. | POINT (-70.153523 41.7111058) |
| Elevation | 24 ft |
| Solar Insolation | 4.25 kWh/m2/day |
| Annual CDD and Base Temp | 736 | 65 deg F |
| Annual HDD and Base Temp | 5704 | 64 deg F |
Site
The site was initially used for agricultural purposes and a portion of it continues to be used as a horse farm. Several buildings that existed on the site were used by the Dennis Housing Authority from 2002 until 2008 for affordable housing but ultimately demolished in 2014.
The adjacent town-owned barn and pasture lands were the site of Boomtown, a popular long-running children’s show starting Rex Trailer and his sidekicks Pablo, Cactus Pete, and Sergeant Billy, that aired on WBZ TV in Boston from 1956 – 1974.
Materials and Design Strategy
The materials chosen by the design team were selected to match a vernacular of the cape. The interior finishes do not include any carpet and low to no VOC paint and sealants. The landscape utilizes all native plants and rain gardens to manage storm water.
The original site plan was adjusted to create more south facing roof surface to improve the PV system performance.