At 98-units, Finch Cambridge was the second building and the first affordable housing development to become Passive House certified in Massachusetts. This project has helped to pave the way for high-performance buildings in the state, while advancing social justice through the built environment.

Linnean Solutions worked closely with the design team as the Certified Passive House Consultant of the project by providing WUFI energy modeling, in-depth technical analysis and guidance on the building envelope and operational systems, as well as performing thermal bridging and hydrothermal modeling.

The project incorporates the use of a highly efficient and air-tight thermal envelope, triple glazed windows, high-efficiency ERVs and air-source heat pumps. The project also incorporated an on-site PV array capable of producing 112,126 kWh/yr of energy. These measures resulted in the final building being approximately 40-50% more efficient than a building that uses standard construction practices.