BOSTON — The Architectural Team (TAT) and Beacon Communities LLC have opened Phase III of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, an affordable seniors housing community in South Boston.
The new building feature 55 units and was built using Passive House sustainability standards. the project recently won a design excellence award in the low-rise multifamily category from the Passive House Institute U.S. chapter.
“The Passive House approach is a game-changer for affordable and workforce housing projects, which can significantly benefit from the standard’s lower ongoing operating costs, healthier interior environments for residents, and a growing number of incentives from states and cities,” says Nate Thomas, a Passive House project manager expert at TAT. “This is a critical and necessary step in facilitating more and better affordable apartments for vulnerable populations such as seniors, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the building’s ecological footprint.”
The property rises four stories and totals 51,000 square feet. Dimeo Construction was builder on the project.
The building is part of TAT and Beacon’s decade-plus-long redevelopment of the Old Colony community, the nation’s oldest federal public housing development. Carried out in association with the Boston Housing Authority, the transformation has redeveloped almost the entire community over the last decade. The project plans call for three more Passive House-certified buildings at the site.
The earlier phases of development total 590 units, and the remaining three buildings are slated to add 297 more.