Context/Significance
This rental development sets a high standard of excellence for affordable housing in every respect. It forms part of an ambitious effort to preserve and revitalize an historic hospital complex by transforming it into a residential neighborhood. The building is located on a hill within the grounds of the former Boston Specialty and Rehabilitation Hospital that dates from the late 1800’s and has now been converted into housing serving families and seniors. DHK’s concept for this structure completes the urban design plan by filling in one side of a residential quadrangle at the top of the hill.
Description
Mattapan Heights includes sixty apartments in a six-story steel framed building. Its one-and-two bedroom units are distributed in a double-loaded corridor configuration with a total built area of 74,000 square feet. A host of sustainable features were built into the structure to meet the LEED Certifiable threshold. Salient among these, are its energy conservation features that include highly efficient building systems and warm air energy recovery systems.
Special features
The striking, contemporary design employs new technologies and high quality materials that are usually seen only in market-rate projects. Its high-performance building envelope is clad in terracotta and aluminum panels using rain screen technology.