52 New Street

BUILDING THE SUSTAINABLE CITY

AFFORDABLE HOUSING MEETS PASSIVE HOUSE

PROJECT DETAILS

Location

Cambridge, MA

Completion Date

2026

Size

129,230 SF | 106 Units

Client

Just-A-Start

Team

Ben Wan

Rashmi Ramaswamy

Katya Stassen

Cody Sanborn

Molly Randell

Nick Binder

Collaborator

Awards

Description

This 106-unit, 100% affordable multifamily development was the first to be approved under Cambridge’s new Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO). The project is targeting Passive House certification, incorporating greenscapes, thermal assembly, and fenestration shading. The building’s mass bends along the length of the deep site, forming deep courtyards that embrace the adjacent park and distant reservoir views. The interior design continues this infusion of nature into the amenity spaces.

Carved from Context

The adjacent Danehy Field informs one side of this project, while the other side similarly reacts to the sun.

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The covered entry portal guides residents towards a public terrace.
The entryway opens up into a serene courtyard, and the main residential entrance of the building.
The material palette for the building was inspired by the site's rich history from a clay pit, to a landfill, to the active park it is today.
Nature and natural tones, inspired by Danehy Park and Fresh Pond, radiate throughout the interior spaces of 52 New Street.

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