Red horizontal trim on the ochre fiber-cement siding reflects th…
Red horizontal trim on the ochre fiber-cement siding reflects the highway’s streaming aesthetic. Copper-panel bays wrap the corners.
Ed Wonsek
Curtain walls on the stair towers offer residents views of the M…
Curtain walls on the stair towers offer residents views of the Mystic River and Boston skyline. The building also has a slow-rise elevator that uses no oil, and 95% of its components are recyclable.
Ed Wonsek
The 24-unit building has three ground-level retail shops, includ…
The 24-unit building has three ground-level retail shops, including a grocery store. Timers and photo sensors control exterior lighting.
Ed Wonsek
Pella Designer Series glass doors open up to balconies with Trex…
Pella Designer Series glass doors open up to balconies with Trex composite decking. Benches and blueberry bushes dot the landscape, where naturalized plantings eliminated the need for irrigation.
Ed Wonsek
The building’s rear has a sheltered, village-like feel and fac…
The building’s rear has a sheltered, village-like feel and faces a generous landscaped courtyard, formerly a church campus. Cable cross-bracing on the stainless-steel-and-fir pergola creates interesting shadow patterns.
Joel Howe
Baths feature ceramic tile, 1.5-gpm showerheads, and dual-flush …
Baths feature ceramic tile, 1.5-gpm showerheads, and dual-flush toilets without gaskets for leak-free operation. A continuously operating energy recovery ventilator on the roof replaces stale and humid air with fresh air in each bathroom.
Joel Howe
Fine details such as lattice balconies tie in with the historic …
Fine details such as lattice balconies tie in with the historic church campus.
Ed Wonsek
A 53-kW PV system of two flat roof arrays and one rail-mounted a…
A 53-kW PV system of two flat roof arrays and one rail-mounted array covers 46% of the standing-seam metal roof.
Ed Wonsek
Flowering sedum blankets about 35% of the roof, a popular spot f…
Flowering sedum blankets about 35% of the roof, a popular spot for local high school educational tours.
Environmentally friendly buildings are the perfect antidote to environments that aren’t so friendly, as Saint Polycarp Village demonstrates. Situated next to an elevated interstate and a major intersection, the building envelope’s spray-foam insulation—5 ½ inches in the walls, 12 inches in the roof—deadens noise, and an intense filtration system reduces pollutants the traffic puts into the air. Add features such as triple-pane windows, a white roof with plants and photovoltaics covering 80% of its surface, and an energy recovery ventilator that continually refreshes the air in the corridors and baths, and you have quiet, comfortable quarters that beat energy code by 47%.
The macro moves were site-specific, too. Hugging the 3.5-acre parcel’s northern edge, the 24-unit building buffers a courtyard and exceeds open-space zoning by almost 300%. “Balconies face a peaceful area of this former church campus,” says architect Iric Rex, AIA. “The building fills a long-vacant gap in the urban fabric.”
Project Details
Saint Polycarp Village, Somerville, Mass. | Size: 26,478 square feet | Cost: $168 per square foot | Completed: Summer 2009 | Certification: LEED-Silver | HERS Rating: 46 | Architect: Davis Square Architects, Somerville | Builder: Curtis Construction, Quincy, Mass. | Verifier: Green Engineer, LLP, Concord, Mass.
PRODUCTS
Windows & Exterior Doors: Kawneer, Pella / Roofing: Firestone Building Products / Siding: James Hardie, Metecno / Framing: LP Building Products / Sheathing: Huber / Insulation: Icynene / Cabinetry: Armstrong / Countertops: Formica / Toilets: American Standard / Bath Showerhead: Niagara Conservation / Exterior Lighting: Kim Lighting / Paints & Stains: Benjamin Moore / Flooring & Carpeting: Flexco, Forbo, Johnsonite, Leggett & Platt, Shaw / Alternative Energy: SunPower / Elevator: Kone
