Glen Rd Co-op
A 100-year-old triple-decker, now cooperatively owned by friends in Jamaica Plain is going through a deep energy retrofit and decarbonization process. All gas infrastructure has been replaced by electric heat pump systems, new cavity insulation, and targeted air sealing. A new ‘core wall’ forms the basis for a 21st century hearth of custom millwork closets, bookshelves, and backdrops to the colorfully adorned interior.
Boston, MA
Built
1 Unit
2025
The Glen Rd Co-op is a renovation of the ground floor unit of a 100 year old triple decker. The adaptation included full electrification, HVAC upgrades, air-sealing, new insulation, and a reconstruction of the closets and kitchens.
The core wall opens to both sides, changing orientation to suit the needs of the room, and allowing it to be seen as a warm orientating device throughout the compact home.
Existing walls were strategically widened in order to create a consistent enfilade for the private rooms, and a series of cascading wider openenings in the public side of the plan. New trimwork connects these openeings to the core wall with contemporary lines across a consistent datum.
Playful moments of colors, datums, and intersecting geometries are used to create complexity within a compact home.
Some remnants of the existing non-bearing walls were removed, while others were stripped to the studs and left bare as a both an architectural memory and functional room divider.
Within the building wood stud sizes vary in dimension and grain density. Working within the old balloon framing and re-using studs became a design/build constraint in order to save carbon and build spatial character.