Generate and Placetailor to Build First Passive House Apartment Block in Boston

The Boston-based firm Generate has designed a carbon-neutral apartment block that relies on modular prefabricated parts made of cross-laminated timber (CLT), which is less energy-intensive than conventional materials like steel and concrete. The design, known as Model‑C, will also comply with the Passive House standard, according to Generate.

Generate has teamed up with developer Placetailor to bring the first example of the Model‑C to the Lower Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The development is expected to be five stories tall and 19,000 square feet when complete. This is just the first iteration of the Model‑C. Future projects that utilize the same design technique could eventually reach 18 stories.

Because the project will meet Passive House performance metrics and be made of CLT, the Model‑C will be “one of the most sustainable buildings in the US,” according to John Klein, CEO of Generate. “Additionally, it is the large amount of wood fiber in the cross-laminated timber panels that act as a carbon sink – ultimately tackling both operational and embodied energy with a single system,” he said.

You can read the full story at Dezeen.

[Rendering by Forbes Massie Studio]