PERSPECTIVES
Brucewood Homes, designed in collaboration with Passive House Construction LLC, paves the way for RODE’s pipeline of sustainable development in New England
BOSTON, August 7, 2023 - RODE Architects, a Boston-based collaborative design and architecture firm, is proud to announce the completion of the first internationally certified Passive House single-family homes in the City of Boston. The Brucewood Homes project, a series of three single-family structures developed in collaboration with Passive House Construction LLC, reflects Passive House design techniques previously unproven in Boston along with sustainability-focused concepts that require minimal energy consumption and resilient construction.
“Brucewood Homes demonstrates our commitment to collaboration, craftsmanship, and pushing the boundaries to design buildings that address the issues of climate change,” said Kevin Deabler, principal and co-founder of RODE Architects. “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, multi-family and commercial developments.”
RODE Architects and Passive House Construction worked within the constraints of Passive House techniques to create thoughtfully designed homes that incorporate the latest sustainability-centered advancements. The high demand for Brucewood Homes, with all three structures sold prior to completion and Net Zero/Net Positive ready at move-in, indicates increased market interest for super-efficient dwellings.
“In Brucewood Homes, we created houses with the highest levels of quality, performance and energy efficiency, bringing much-needed sustainable housing and introducing Passive House to Boston,” said Dmitry Baskin, CEO of Passive House Construction LLC. “This project shows that when developers and architects collaborate with a shared vision, the result of the partnership can be powerful, innovative and beautiful.”
Brucewood Homes, located in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, includes:
- Contemporary design that reflects its neighborhood context, including a clear-finished white cedar siding on the upper volume, and a painted siding made from materials recovered from manufacturing by-products on the lower volume.
- A slightly different angled ridge line for each house, which relates to Brucewood and to the adjacent VFW Parkway. Although the plans for the three homes are virtually identical, RODE sought to create a collection of siblings rather than twins, which is reflected in the roof lines.
- The homes were sited carefully to minimize the amount of rock ledge and mature trees that needed to be removed and maximize the solar gain through the full-height south-facing windows.
- Significant energy-saving concepts that are consistent with Passive House, including airtight and heavily-insulated walls that significantly limit energy usage for heating and cooling throughout the seasons.
- Wood louvers that grow from the rhythm of the wood-plank upper façade and control the light entering the central living/dining space. The louvers also direct solar gain, reflect harsh summer sunlight to keep the interior cool, and admit lower winter sun to be held in the thermal mass of the house’s concrete slab.
“We see this success as a rewarding proof-point for the Passive House method,” said Mike DelleFave, associate at RODE Architects. “While sustainability has always been at the forefront of our approach to design, this project is a really unique and transformative application that has the ability to make an impact in our communities.”
Passive House certified homes receive third-party performance designation based on minimal energy use for heating and cooling systems; tight tolerances and resilient construction; excellent indoor air quality; and principles around net-zero energy standards and comfortable living. Passive House technology has increased in popularity in recent years, including expansion into multifamily housing and various commercial buildings. Massachusetts has recently implemented building code changes that align them closer to the Passive House standard.
MEDIA CONTACT: Natalie Milewski, Elevate Communications, nmilewski@elevatecom.com
About RODE Architects
RODE is a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners who know that great design has the power to transform our environment. We have cultivated a network of driven people – employees, clients, builders, community members – who share this mission, and know that working collaboratively is the best way to achieve our goals. The breadth and depth of our collective capabilities enable us to apply our practice across an array of project types that includes mixed-use, hospitality, multi-family, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. Clients select RODE to drive the design process and ensure their vision is realized. For more information and to be inspired visit www.rodearchitects.com.
We're proud to share that our project Brucewood Homes was featured in the Wall Street Journal. This set of three single-family homes are the first internationally certified Passive Houses in Boston. Check out the article here or in Friday's print edition.
From the article:
"It was the open, modern style of the house in West Roxbury, Mass., that first got one couple’s attention: a box made of clear-finished white cedar siding that seemed to float above a dark metal base, with large windows, panels of wood slats and high ceilings.
"But the main reason they paid $1.4 million for the 2,500-square-foot home was the [Passive House] technology."
Many thanks to our developer partner Dmitry Baskin of Passive House Construction for realizing that the Boston housing market was ready for Passive House and to Nancy Keates for the great article. We'll be sharing more about Brucewood in the coming weeks - stay tuned!
As reported in Building Design + Construction, the City of Boston recently adopted Massachusetts's new Stretch Code of sustainability standards, which includes a requirement for every new multifamily building built in Boston to meet passive building requirements starting January 1, 2024.
This represents a big step in the right direction for sustainability! Creating Passive House buildings has unique challenges, but we know we have the skills to achieve higher performing buildings without sacrificing great design.
We're currently working on multiple Passive House developments totaling 673 units of housing - check out more on a few of those projects here:
1234-1240 Soldier's Field Road includes 534 units of housing; two of the four buildings in the development are being designed to Passive House standards.
52 New Street includes 110 affordable housing units and ground-floor retail and is targeting Passive House certification.
BLDUP sat down with Ruthie Kuhlman, Associate at RODE Architects and the project manager for 102 Temple Street in Worcester, MA. Ruthie has worked across multiple scales and project types for over a decade, as both an architect and an engineer. She has a passion for problem solving through thoughtful contextual design.
BLDUP: What is happening at 102 Temple Street and who are you working with on the project?
Ruthie Kuhlman: “The project is located in the Canal District in Worcester; an urban, walkable, historic neighborhood with a lot of amenities and new development, including Polar Park. 102 Temple is a gateway site at the edge of the district, which we partnered with Zak Kiritsy at AKROS Development to reimagine. The project went through site plan review over the last year, with approval in the fall of 2022, and is currently progressing through design drawings.”
BLDUP: What made you want to join this project in Worcester? What is attractive about Worcester?
Ruthie Kuhlman: “We’re excited to be designing in Worcester because of the urban context; it has a great atmosphere with walkable, urban amenities and a lot of history. Through discussions with current residents, we learned that the combination of the urban environment, regional connectivity with the train station, and welcoming laid-back vibe make it a great place to live."
BLDUP: How does the design of 102 Temple Street respect the history of the Canal District?
Ruthie Kuhlman: “102 Temple St is a transitional site, on an edge condition adjacent to Grafton Street and I-290, which are very vehicular oriented, and connecting to Harding St, a main pedestrian thoroughfare. The site has potential to be a gateway building, using the scale and massing to define the edge of Canal District - referencing the adjacent Bradley Osgood Building; while creating a contemporary reflection of Worcester which builds on the design of its industrial past. The project uses gridded bays with framing and large windows to tie into the industrial language of the area, while using a clean contemporary facade and angling the exterior walls of the building at 5 degrees to create a pocket park on Temple Street for a pedestrian-centric public realm.”
BLDUP: What is the Green Worcester Plan and how did you incorporate your all-electric design element?
Ruthie Kuhlman: “The Green Worcester Plan is a working plan to make Worcester one of the most sustainable and climate-resilient mid-sized cities in America by 2050. The goals of the Green Worcester Plan align well with AKROS’ development goals for 102 Temple St. The building is designed to be all electric and can utilize alternative energy through the integration of a PV array at the roof level. A stacker parking system - the first in the city - which provides the needed parking in the district within a minimal square footage, and will have up to 22 EV charging stations. There is also a bike room in the project and an, EV carshare for residents to use, creating different ways for alternate transportation supplementing the transit oriented location within one block of the train station.
The project is also pursuing mass timber construction, which would utilize cross laminated timber columns, beams and planks to create a sustainable building structure. This would incorporate carbon sequestering into the design of the project, as well as allow for the warmth of the wood structure to be exposed within the project design. Mass timber is an up-and-coming construction type here in the Northeast, and it’s exciting to incorporate it here in Worcester."
BLDUP: Can we expect more RODE projects in Central Massachusetts, Worcester specifically?
Ruthie Kuhlman: “We’re excited to be working in Worcester and look forward to being involved in more opportunities to help enhance the design of this growing city. RODE brings expertise through our approach to challenging urban sites; figuring out the right solutions to design impactful and contextual projects through collaboration with the client and the city. Worcester has a rich history and a vibrant urban atmosphere which creates great locations to design within."
Ben Wan and Jessica Haley promoted to principals as firm expands its size and breadth of work
BOSTON, April 4, 2023 - RODE Architects, a Boston-based collaborative design and architecture firm, is proud to announce the promotion of Ben Wan and Jessica Haley to principal, recognizing their design leadership and continued contributions to the firm. The promotions come at an important time of growth for the company, which has grown to 35 employees since its founding in 2006, and has expanded its work throughout the region. Their work continues to focus on the transformative power of a collaborative design process, now being applied on new project types that reflect how the world has changed over the past few years.
“RODE will always strive to make ourselves better, and the promotions of our staff, especially at the higher levels denotes our mission to always focus and reinvest in the firm to insure its viability into the future. Ben and Jess represent the best of RODE and we are excited to see them grow into these deserving promotions,” said Eric Robinson, Principal and Co-Founder of RODE.
“We are extremely proud of the resilience of our team at RODE and how our team’s culture has adapted to the unprecedented conditions of the last few years. During this time we've continued to grow our capabilities and build on our reputation for delivering transformative design,” said Kevin Deabler, Principal and Co-Founder of RODE.
The firm, which just finalized its office renovation that doubled their physical footprint, looks forward to continued growth and expansion with Wan and Haley, both longtime team members, taking on expanded leadership positions.
The promotions signify that both Wan and Haley are leaders within the firm and in the industry. They’ve each spent over ten years helping cultivate and develop the deep expertise RODE is known for- tackling complex problems and delivering strong, concept-driven solutions. Deabler and Robinson will continue to lead alongside the new Principals. This allows Deabler and Robinson to expand the firm’s work into new regions with an expanding client-base.
Wan, who was the firm’s first employee, is often involved in all aspects of RODE’s design process and internal operations. His work is focused on finding elegant design solutions within the complexities of building programs, urban communities, and diverse user-groups. He can see through the challenges of climate resilience, sustainability and policy reform to deliver positive results for his clients. Highlights from his portfolio include the redesign of Harvard Art Museum’s off-campus conservation lab and research center, the Neponset Wharf redevelopment, and the Appalachian Mountain Club’s new headquarters.
Haley, who also serves as the Director of Interior Design, keeps a strong pulse on the industry as an integral part of RODE’s growth in the hospitality sector as well as their success in creating community through transformative design. Haley’s unique, concept-driven approach to interior design and architecture focus on human experience and has resulted in spaces that create community. Her portfolio includes Cambria Hotel Boston Downtown-South Boston and Chef Will Gilson’s multifaceted space, The Lexington, with three distinct dining experiences under one roof. RODE is anticipating strong growth in its interior design work over the next five to 10 years.
With the addition of Wan and Haley to the leadership team, RODE is well positioned for an expanded presence across the northeastern US, including active projects in six states. As they continue to expand, RODE will continue to demonstrate why their concept-driven approach works across all typologies to elevate the human experience and build community.
About RODE Architects
RODE is a Boston-based team of architects, designers, and urban planners who know that great design has the power to transform our environment. We have cultivated a network of driven people – employees, clients, builders, community members – who share this mission, and know that working collaboratively is the best way to achieve our goals. The breadth and depth of our collective capabilities enable us to apply our practice across an array of project types that includes mixed-use, hospitality, multi-family, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. Clients select RODE to drive the design process and ensure their vision is realized. For more information and to be inspired visit www.rodearchitects.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Natalie Milewski, Elevate Communications, nmilewski@elevatecom.com
