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Three West Roxbury houses become first internationally certified Passive Homes in Boston

Building method emphasizes energy savings and low environmental impact.

Brucewood homes constructed by RODE Architects.
All three West Roxbury homes sold before they were completed. -RODE Architects

By Caroline Bunnell

2 minutes to read

Three newly constructed homes in West Roxbury are the first in Boston to achieve international Passive House certification.

To become internationally certified, Passive Houses must fit a certain set of criteria that work to produce a high-efficiency building that has a low impact on the environment, according to Mike DelleFave from RODE Architects, the Boston-based collaborative design and architectural firm behind the Brucewood Homes project.

“Brucewood Homes demonstrates our commitment to collaboration, craftsmanship, and pushing the boundaries to design buildings that address the issues of climate change,” Kevin Deabler, principal and cofounder of RODE Architects, said in a press release.

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Deabler had found out about Passive House design through colleagues at an advisory board meeting at the University of Maine Augusta and knew this was something the company wanted to implement at these properties.

Modern-styled kitchen with wood cabinets, in Passive House in West Roxbury.
-RODE Architects

There are five main principles followed to maximize efficiency in a Passive House: 

  1. High level of insulation in the walls. 
  2. High-efficiency windows, usually triple-glazed. 
  3. Reduced thermal bridging, which is when a relatively small section of a wall, floor, or roof loses much more heat than the surrounding area. 
  4. Energy-recovery units installed inside the homes. 
  5. Increased air tightness. 

Air tightness as the most important factor in setting apart a Passive House from the everyday home, DelleFave said. “The houses are extremely airtight.” 

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The cost of building these homes is relatively high due to the environmental efforts, DelleFave said, but the energy savings help balance things out.

All three homes sold before they were completed: 63 Brucewood St sold for $1,500,000 and 55 and 59 Brucewood St. for $1,400,000 apiece. All of the homes have four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

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“Once more of these passive homes start to hit the market, it’s only going to just increase the momentum in building with this method,” DelleFave said.

Passive Houses don’t just help the environment, they also can improve the owners’ quality of life . 

“The air quality inside the homes is at a heightened level. The sound quality inside the homes are also at a ridiculous level,” DelleFave said. “The Brucewood homes are built on the VFW parkway in West Roxbury. That is a relatively busy road, and when you are inside the homes, you can’t hear anything. It’s really amazing.” 

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