DESIGNED FOR HEALTH
INSPIRED BY NATURE, PROVEN BY SCIENCE
Location
West Roxbury, MA
Completion Date
2022
Size
2,700 SF each | 3 homes
Client
Passive House Construction
Team
Mike DelleFave
Katya Stassen
Cody Sanborn
Iany Martins
Jessica Haley
Collaborator
Awards
2024 Metropolis Plant Positive Award - Residential
Description
Tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood, the Brucewood Homes are the first internationally certified single-family Passive Houses in Boston. These three dwellings celebrate their sustainable aspirations with a simple, contemporary form.
Both the homes’ design and Passive House standards yield high performance in energy, climate resiliency, and well-being. Excellent air quality, acoustic privacy, and natural light create a healthy haven (physically and emotionally). Comforting sunlight, a connection to the outdoors, and warm natural materials nurture its occupants. With a vision of creating buildings that are better for people and the planet, Brucewood Homes delivers form and function.
We carefully sited the houses to minimize ledge removal and preserve mature trees. We wanted the three homes to be distinct from each other - "siblings, not triplets" - while sharing the same floor plan for constructability. We achieved this with unique ridge lines relating to adjacent streets and unique patterned wood louvers which grow from the rhythm of the wood-plank upper façade and control the light entering the space.
RELATED Perspectives
Brucewood Homes Featured in the Wall Street Journal
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!
Brucewood Wins 2024 Planet Positive Award
RODE's Brucewood Homes project has been honored with the prestigious Planet Positive Award for Single-Family Home by Metropolis magazine. The Planet Positive Awards recognize excellence in sustainable, healthy, just design at every scale in the built environment.
Brucewood Homes, the first internationally certified Passive House single-family homes in the City of Boston, is a series of three single-family residences perched on a rocky outcropping in a quiet residential neighborhood. The Homes’ simple, contemporary design celebrates their sustainable aspirations: large windows and warm materials connect the occupants to nature, daylight, and well-being; an efficient building form minimizes disturbance of the site; and high-efficiency mechanical systems ensure a low-carbon footprint. The project exemplifies RODE Architects’ commitment to integrating sustainability with great design, setting a high standard for energy efficiency and resiliency in residential construction to create healthy, durable living spaces.
“We are incredibly proud to receive the Planet Positive Award for Brucewood Homes,” said Kevin Deabler, principal and co-founder of RODE. “This project represents our dedication to building sustainably. We believed that high-performance, healthy, and comfortable homes like Brucewood are in demand and this was proven true through the experience of our client and these homeowners. It’s an honor to be recognized by Metropolis alongside all of this year’s worthy award winners.”
