Castle Square Tenants Organization/Winn Development (Co-Owners) Castle Square Apartments Green Energy Retrofit Owners Project Management Boston, MA
The Challenges
The goal of the project was the revitalization of this landmark apartment development, which provides 500 units of affordable housing the heart of Boston’s South End, with no relocation of the 1500 residents from their homes or the complex itself. The project had four major components: upgrades to units; a deep energy retrofit to reduce energy usage; a transformation of the façade and the ground floor commercial areas; and the expansion of the community center to house a wide range of activities.
To ensure the economic sustainability of the project, a commitment was made to a very high level of energy efficiency. This ‘Deep Energy Retrofit’ involved major system replacements including building envelope, HVAC upgrades, and solar hot water, with a goal of reducing overall energy costs by 70%. As a result, Castle Square became the largest affordable housing complex in the United States to receive USGBC’s LEED Platinum Home Certification.
Planning and coordination at this large scale, on a tight schedule in the busy downtown environment was coordinated with a large team led by Anser, the co-owners (the Tenant’s Organization and Winn Development), the property management team and the design and construction team. The project team was completed on-time in 18 months.
