The third of four projects awarded to BWA Architecture by the Brookline Housing Authority (BHA), 50 Pleasant Street, formerly called Sussman House, is a 9-story, partially occupied, 100-unit building. The project goals were to improve the health and wellbeing of the tenants using the concepts of universal design and aging-in-place, while also reducing maintenance and operating costs for the BHA. BWA designed kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas using high-performance energy efficient building systems and components.  

 

BWA was able to utilize thermally efficient cladding and curtain wall systems to improve the thermal comfort in the building. We also replaced the windows and the roof, which measurably improved the air-tightness of the building envelope and thus greatly reduced costs to heat and cool the building. The building was also electrified by moving from an oil heating system to an electric based heat pump system to further improve the sustainability of the building. The initial energy modeling showed an almost 40% energy reduction over the baseline stretch code building model.

 

With input from the residents, BWA made improvements to the adjacent green space, providing enhanced opportunities for BHA’s residents to enjoy the outdoors. Additionally, a significant effort was undertaken to make the building more accessible to those with mobility issues. This included raising the floor of the community room to make it level with main floor level, eliminating the need for stairs and ramps to access the space.