Green Multi Residential

Pursuing LEED Silver, 38 Stanton Repurposed for the New Working Class

Worcester, MA – Worcester-based Sustainable Comfort, Inc. (SCI) is currently conducting a deep energy retrofit of the triple-decker building at 38 Stanton Street in the Bell Hill neighborhood of Worcester.

The SCI team is using an integrated project delivery technique to repurpose the 4,395sf building, built in 1917 as an economical way to provide workforce housing, for today’s target market and the next 100 years.

Interior preconstruction

Aerial view of 38 Stanton

Existing structure at 38 Stanton St.

The project encompasses SCI’s new vision for the triple-decker, built to top-level green building standards that promote better indoor air quality, quieter interiors, and more economical operations. The team is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes Silver certification and Energy Star certification on the project.

Several factors that support the certifications include reuse of the existing building; proximity to local amenities; exterior rigid insulation to reduce energy consumption; air-sealed and insulated attic; continuous ventilation; low-flow water fixtures; high efficiency heating, cooling and domestic hot water equipment; new windows; and air sealing to reduce the transfer of energy, moisture, odor, and pests between apartments.

The project team consists of Albert LaValley acting as developer, Taylor Bearden as the project manager, Andrew Consigli as the architect, and Margo Valdes as the sustainability designer.

Worcester-based subcontractors on this project include HVAC Experts, Fanning Plumbing & Heating, and Spotlight Kitchen and Bath, Inc.

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This is the first project of its kind for SCI in Worcester. The SCI team is currently working to purchase and rehabilitate other triple deckers in the surrounding neighborhoods, all in an effort to support the city in which they live and love: Worcester, MA.

“We love the concept of coming full circle, people who went to college in Worcester, staying in Worcester, working in Worcester, and building businesses in Worcester. We want to support the new working class of Worcester, and entice them to stay here,” remarked Albert LaValley, President of Sustainable Comfort, Inc.

Taylor Bearden, Director of Acquisitions for Sustainable Comfort, Inc., added, “We’re refreshing a most basic facet of the northeast’s urban landscape. The triple-decker served a tremendous social purpose and has evolved over time to meet varying peoples’ needs over the past century. They house immigrant families, enable multi-generational home ownership, and contribute to good density in our inner-suburbs. The problem is this: now they’re tired, and they no longer serve a clear purpose. We asked ourselves, ‘What is that purpose?’ 38 Stanton Street and the surrounding community project is our answer.”

The SCI team has plans to rehabilitate triple deckers in the same neighborhood at 24, 30 & 91 Stanton Street, 35 Olga Avenue, and a 7-unit building at 44 Gage Street in Worcester.