Allston Street in Cambridge, MA is home to a multi-family affordable housing development owned by Homeowners Rehab Inc (HRI).
Joy Squared Design completed a gut renovation of the six-family house after a 2014 fire destroyed the entirety of the building’s third floor, and damaged the rest.
While the exterior renovation primarily restored the original design, there were a number of improvements, inside and out. HRI’s mission as an organization includes a component of sustainable building, which Joy Squared Design was able to pursue to great success. The project achieved LEED Platinum status, as well as a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of 29 – meaning that the building is 71% of the way to net-zero energy use. Sustainability improvements include a number of improvements to the building envelope (such as improved insulation, air barriers, and windows) resulting in substantially reduced heating and cooling costs, low-energy high-efficiency appliances, and a solar hot water heat collection system. The design also involved the interior renovation of each unit with kitchen and bathroom improvements, and a newly landscaped shared back yard.
