McElwain School Apartments

PROJECT BACKGROUND

McElwain’s New Construction building achieved a whole-building air infiltration of 0.027 Cubic Feet per Minute per Square Foot of Enclosure Area (CFM/SF); the lowest whole-building air leakage rate that New Ecology has observed in 23 years!

The McElwain Grammar School, located in Bridgewater, MA opened its doors in 1912 and served as a public school until 1997. The McElwain School building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. However, the school and site still sat vacant for over 20 years. In 2018, the building and site were purchased by Capstone Communities and MPZ Development to be converted and further developed into a multifamily, mixed-income housing complex; many of the school and site’s historical architecture features remain on-site today.

Photo by Patrick Rogers photography

The new McElwain School Apartments development consists of the following buildings:

• The original schoolhouse was adapted to include 16 residential units;
• An adjacent historic home was redeveloped into 3 residential units, and;
• A newly constructed three-story apartment building includes 38 residential units.

The total development holds 57 residential units, 51 of which are affordable and reserved for families earning at or below 60% of the area’s Annual Median Income (AMI).

CERTIFICATIONS & SUSTAINABILITY

New Ecology provided certification coordination and sustainability consulting services on the newly constructed multifamily building, including 38 residential apartment units. This building was designed and constructed to achieve high-performance energy reduction and maximum water-use savings via sustainability best practices as well as formal certifications under the Passive House US (Phius), DOE Zero Energy Ready, Indoor Air Plus, Energy Star Multifamily New Construction, and LEED for Homes rating systems. This prioritization and dedicated attention to sustainability will reduce long-term energy costs for both the tenants and owners.

The McElwain New Construction building achieved a whole-building air infiltration of 0.027 Cubic Feet per Minute per Square Foot of Enclosure Area (CFM/SF); this measurement is the lowest whole-building air leakage rate that New Ecology has observed in 23 years!

McElwain School Apartments is the first Phius multifamily building in Plymouth County, MA

The McElwain site includes the following sustainable features and amenities:

• 58 kW Solar PV panels offset the electricity use in the New Construction Building
• Highly Insulated Walls and Roof with R-values of 29 and 49, respectively (25-20% performance improvement beyond IECC 2021 requirements)
• Intus operable windows with U-values of 0.15 to 0.17 (45% performance improvement over
• Up to 4.28 Coefficient of Performance (COP) Split Mitsubishi HVAC System (COP is temperature dependent)
• AnnexAir Central Energy Recovery Ventilation unit (ERV) with 79% sensible recover efficiency and 0/85 measured fan efficiency
• Lochinvar Centralized Hot Water Heater
• Dog park on-site
• Nature-themed playground open to the public
• Wildflower bee and pollinator-friendly meadow in lieu of grass