The revitalization of Porter Road Apartments constituted the renovation of 26 units of affordable housing within a historic 1915 mid-rise building in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge. The building needed extensive refurbishment, requiring a new roof and high performance windows, new building systems and upgrades to all unit finishes and fixtures.

The modernization and ‘deep energy retrofit’ included an envelope overhaul for energy efficiency (projected to improve energy consumption by 32%), redesign to add two accessible units and an accessible building entry, new fire protection, plumbing, electrical and fire alarm systems. The team kept sustainability, efficiency and comfort a focus, resulting in the salvage and reuse of materials, low-no VOC finishes, high efficiency systems and fixtures, and the introduction of ventilation into every unit which did not exist before. The project qualified for Historic Tax Credits and as such the original charm and features of the building were maintained inside and out.