By: Mia Watson

March 15, 2018

Elm Place, an apartment building in Milton that was developed with support from Vermont Housing Finance Agency, won three national awards for its use of energy efficient design. The project was developed and is managed by Cathedral Square. The building, which opened its doors last spring, offers 30 units of affordable rental housing for seniors. The project was supported in part by $6.3 million in federal housing tax credits allocated by VHFA.

This project was the first multifamily building in Vermont certified to meet the standards of the Passive House Institute US. “Passive house” structures use a combination of materials and design to dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling, enabling buildings like Elm Place to use roughly 65% less energy than comparable buildings. Some of the energy-saving strategies used at Elm Place include cold climate air source heat pumps, a rooftop solar array, and LED lighting.

Elm Place received three awards from the 2017 Passive Projects Competition: Best Overall Project, Best Multifamily Project, and an Honorable Mention in the Affordable Project category. The awards were based on energy performance, design, craftsmanship, use of environmentally-friendly materials, level of difficulty for the given climate and site, and cost effectiveness.

This innovative project demonstrates that affordable housing design can be attractive, functional, and sustainable.