2020 PHIUS Passive House Projects Competition

PHIUS awarded the finalists of the 2020 Passive Projects Design Competition during the annual Design Awards ceremony on Friday, October 30, 2020, capping a week of the PHIUS 2020 Passive House Hootenannies. Now in its sixth year, this juried competition recognizes exemplary passive building projects of all types and climate zones.

We extend special thanks to this year's panel of volunteer judges: Tessa Bradford (Smith), Arathi Gowda, Shannen Martin, Graham Irwin, and Katrin Klingenberg.

The competition awards Winner and Honorable Mention designations in the categories of Single Family, Multifamily, Affordable, Commercial, School, and Source Zero as well as Best Overall Project and Best Project by a Young Professional (Under 35). Competition entries were judged on their strength in the following categories: energy performance, design, craftsmanship, use of healthy materials, level of difficulty for the given climate and site, and cost effectiveness of the Affordable projects.

The 2020 Finalists were awarded as follows:

Best Overall Project Winner:

Finch Cambridge

CPHC: Ian Johnson, Linnean Solutions

Builder:NEI General Contracting

Architect:ICON Architecture

QA/QC Rater:New Ecology/JSR Adaptive Energy Solutions

Owner: Homeowners Rehab, Inc. (HRI)

Designed to Enterprise Green criteria and the first affordable Passive House building in Massachusetts, Finch Cambridge is a new, 98-unit community that prioritizes holistic sustainable principals while staying laser-focused on energy and resilience. Inspired in form and materiality by the urban wildland of Fresh Pond Reservoir across the street, the building aims to address two of today's toughest problems: the climate crisis and the urgent need for affordable housing.

The generous entry lobby provides comfortable spaces to wait, meet, and socialize while connecting to transit, programming, and building energy data that is communicated through a digital monitor. A welcoming open stair and inspiring signage encourage Active Design, while thoughtful use of color and contrast differentiate each floor and improve navigation and wayfinding. Meandering paths connect to various landscaped areas, from the more public “front porch” to a modest dog park and nestled sculptural play feature for secure, onsite recreation.

The building is elevated to protect against 2070 storm surges, which also provides a secure place for covered bike storage and carefully concealed automobile parking. A soaring, multipurpose community room and adjacent roof deck will be used for social programming and services, as well as passive survivability. Nearby laundry, study nooks and a resident lounge allow families to balance domestic and other needs while remaining proximate.

The whole-building ventilation system improves health and reduces allergens, with continuous filtered fresh air to each unit and constant exhaust of stale air. With airtight and thermal continuity, right-sized systems and high-efficiency lighting and appliances, the Site Energy Use Intensity (Site EUI) for the building, as projected by the final energy model, is 23.15 kBTU/SF/YR, a 70% reduction as compared to the national average for multi-family housing.

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