flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Boston’s new stretch code requires new multifamily structures to meet Passive House building requirements

Multifamily Housing

Boston’s new stretch code requires new multifamily structures to meet Passive House building requirements

Phius certifications are expected to increase with tougher green building standards.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | May 30, 2023
Boston’s new stretch code requires new multifamily structures to meet Passive House building requirements

Photo by David Bartus

Phius certifications are expected to become more common as states and cities boost green building standards.

The City of Boston recently adopted Massachusetts’s so-called opt-in building code, a set of sustainability standards that goes beyond the standard state code.

“Starting January 1, 2024, every new multifamily building built in Boston must meet passive building requirements, with Phius certification representing the most established path to reach those requirements,” according to a Phius news release.

Boston’s action made it the eighth, and by far the largest, Massachusetts municipality to adopt the code, with many others expected to follow suit. Buildings that meet the Phius Certification standard are proven to use 40% to 60% less energy than code-built buildings at minimal to no upfront cost premium, Phius says.

Boston is the first major U.S. city to adopt a building code that requires passive building standards.

Related Stories

| Apr 2, 2014

8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications

Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.

| Mar 27, 2014

16 kitchen and bath design trends for 2014

Work on multifamily housing projects? Here are the top kitchen and bath design trends, according to a survey of more than 420 kitchen and bath designers. 

| Mar 26, 2014

Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies

Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com. 

| Mar 25, 2014

World's tallest towers: Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill discuss designing Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower

The design duo discusses the founding of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects and the design of the next world's tallest, Kingdom Tower, which will top the Burj Khalifa by as much as a kilometer.

| Mar 24, 2014

Snøhetta unveils plans for serpentine mountain hotel

The winding hotel and apartment building will be built between the mountains and the sea in remote Glåpen, Norway.

| Mar 21, 2014

Forget wood skyscrapers - Check out these stunning bamboo high-rise concepts [slideshow]

The Singapore Bamboo Skyscraper competition invited design teams to explore the possibilities of using bamboo as the dominant material in a high-rise project for the Singapore skyline. 

| Mar 20, 2014

Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them

Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems. 

| Mar 17, 2014

Rem Koolhaas explains China's plans for its 'ghost cities'

China's goal, according to Koolhaas, is to de-incentivize migration into already overcrowded cities. 

| Mar 13, 2014

Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]

The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.

| Mar 12, 2014

London grows up: 236 tall buildings to be added to skyline in coming decade, says think tank

The vast majority of high-rise projects in the works are residential towers, which could help tackle the city's housing crisis, according to a new report by New London Architecture.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021