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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.

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