NEI Quarterly: Q3, 2021

Q3 2021 Q2 || 2021

Raise the Roof Joe Rettman is honored by TND for his enduring work to improve and protect housing stability in Massachusetts.

Recently Completed Projects Sycamore on Main in Brockton, MA and Casa Devon in Miami, FL are now complete.

How Passive House Construction Reduces Environmental Impact Check out the article by Joe Rettman featured in Banker & Tradesman.

built for good

QUARTERLY

Paying it Forward The Workforce Opportunity Resource Center (WORC ²) is now open in Boston.

WORC² offers resources and training and serves as an incubator and one-stop shop for local, community‐based, and diverse businesses and workers in the construction sector.

Recently Completed Projects

Sycamore on Main Brockton, MA | 48 Rental Units Sycamore on Main was built on a vacant lot along Brockton’s important Main Street corridor, which was previously the site of the demolished Kresge Five & Dime building. Sycamore on Main includes 48 mixed-income rental units, a below-grade parking garage, and ground floor commercial space housing Brockton Beer Company. The site is conveniently located a few blocks from an MBTA commuter rail station.

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Thank You to the Team OWNER: NeighborWorks ARCHITECTS: Utile, Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: G2 Collaborative NEI PROJECT TEAM: PX: Marc Marcelli, Brian Porter.

PM: Sean Henry. GENERAL SUPT: Bill Young.

SUPT: Vinnie Barboza. ASST SUPT: Jim Stallone.

ADMIN: Grace Costa-Oliver. COMPLIANCE: Jordan Pomare. RISK: Patti Roche.

ENGINEERING: MEP/FP: BLW Engineers Inc. CIVIL: Samiotes Consultants Inc. STRUCTURAL: Silman.

WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM: MassHousing, Rockland Trust Company, Hudson Housing Capital LLC, Department of Housing and Community Development, City of Brockton

Joe Rettman is Honored at TND’s Raise the Roof The Neighborhood Developers, NEI's longtime partner, honored Joe Rettman and Greg Wilmot of EBNHC at the annual Raise the Roof celebration for their enduring work to improve and protect housing stability in Massachusetts.

Thank you, TND. And congrats to Joe and Greg!

Casa Devon Miami, FL | Senior Housing This existing hotel-style, four-story, H-shaped senior housing building underwent an extensive interior and exterior rehabilitation. The renovation included installation of new heating/air conditioning units, window replacements, and kitchen and bath updates. Exterior updates included installation of a new pool with landscape and site improvements.

Thank You to the Team OWNER: MRK Partners ARCHITECTS: Shelter Design Studio LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Grissim Metz Andriesse Associates NEI PROJECT TEAM: PX: Rich Ionelli. PM: Will Melideo. SUPT: Dave Hamilton. ASST SUPT: Anthony Staciokas. ADMIN: Mariana Zapata. RISK: Tiffany Stahl, Patti Roche.

WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM: R4 CDFL Acquisition LLC, R4 Capital LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Multifamily

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COVER STORY

Paying ying it Forward The Workforce Opportunity Resource Center (WORC ²) is now open in Boston. WORC² offers resources and training and serves as an incubator and one-stop shop for local, community‐based, and diverse businesses and workers in the construction sector.

WORC² was born out of desperate need for resources to help MBE subcontractors grow their businesses, build capacity, and expand their market. The launch of WORC² is part of NEI’s interest in being part of the evolution of the construction industry.

At the helm is WORC² Program Manager, Katrina Conrad.

With over twenty years of administration experience, Katrina has dedicated her career to fostering and uplifting the untapped potential of low-income and minority workers in Boston’s diverse communities of color. “For the last decade, it’s been my personal mission to serve as match-maker in connecting contractors and employees in the area with lucrative opportunities in the city. I am very pleased to join the NEI team because they share this mission in building a pool of qualified contractors and residents to fill the dire need for the trades and continue to promote diversity and inclusion on all our projects.”

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Reflecting on her own career journey, Conrad considers herself a Jackie of all trades. “I’ve worked in so many different fields, which has allowed me to understand the people who walk through that door. I’ve been a single mother, a temp worker, and struggled to pay bills and I want to share what it took to get to where I am,” says Conrad. Fueled by her grit and passion to uplift, Conrad is devoted to preparing contractors and city residents for better opportunities.

In her role at WORC², Conrad is a trouble-shooter. She identifies areas of improvement for contractors so that they can remain competitive and relevant in the market and helps residents to see their potential and maximize it for success. “There are more opportunities, training, and education for diverse businesses and communities than ever before and nothing’s more rewarding than helping them to seize these opportunities.”

There are more opportunities, training, and education for diverse businesses and communities than ever before and nothing’s more rewarding than helping them to seize these opportunities.”

Located at 2103 Washington Street in Boston, MA, WORC²’s curriculum and facility are now up and running.

To help prepare residents for work on construction projects, programming includes workshops like safety, construction plan reading, and interview and resume building. Through the City of Boston job bank and WORC²’s own database, residents are also placed with contractors seeking Boston resident workers. For contractors, the work center provides workshops such as small business law, financial access, marketing, and more.

NEI is excited to watch WORC² Program Manager, Katrina Conrad fulfill her purpose while supporting NEI’s mission to help build more capacity for workers, subcontractors and the larger community.

For more information, please visit www.worc2.org

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How Passive House Construction Reduces Environmental Impact 98-Unit Development Combines Affordability and Sustainability as seen in Banker & Tradesman

By Josef Rettman If houses had personalities, passive homes would be the kind that are calm, quiet and have a reliable temperament.

With Passive House construction, homes are designed to be so energy efficient that the home doesn’t have to work very hard to stay warm or cool. Heavily insulated windows and doors reduce noise from the outside and high efficiency ventilation systems improve indoor air quality.

According to Passive House Massachusetts, Passive House is a voluntary international building standard developed by the Passive House Institute (PHI), located in Darmstadt, Germany. The Passive House Standard is composed of several strict performance requirements for new building construction. The resulting performance produces approximately a 90 percent reduction in heating and cooling energy usage and up to a 75 percent reduction in primary energy usage compared to homes built to conventional building codes. Passive House significantly reduces the carbon footprint while making a comfortable, healthy, and affordable environment.

Located at 671 Concord Ave., Finch Cambridge is the largest new multifamily affordable housing development in Cambridge in 40 years. Built by NEI General Contracting and designed by ICON Architecture on behalf of Homeowners Rehab Inc., it was completed in 2020 and was one of the first large-scale multifamily developments to achieve Passive House certification in Massachusetts. The 124,000-square-foot development provides 98 rental units ranging from one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that are permanently affordable to low-income households as well as moderate- and middle-income households.

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Finch Cambridge is located in the Alewife/Cambridge Highlands neighborhood directly across from the Fresh Pond Reservation, which hosts walking paths, parks and playgrounds, and in walking distance of grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, and fitness options. Apartment amenities include open floor plans, large windows and Energy Starrated appliances. Residents have access to a large multipurpose community room and kitchen, resident lounge and study rooms, a rooftop terrace and landscaped outdoor spaces. It is located near two MBTA bus lines and a Red Line subway station.

Building to ensure compliance with Passive House standards requires a detailed level of construction, coordination, and design to achieve the performance measures required for certification. The Finch project team worked closely together to prepare for the rigorous inspections scheduled throughout the design and construction process.

Award-Winning Formula for Comfort A primary function of Passive House is providing continuous air and thermal boundaries and minimizing thermal bridging. The construction team modified its typical internal quality assurance/ quality control inspection process and added steps to accommodate the third–party inspections required as part of the Passive House certification process. This additional process requires more visual inspections

and photo documentation.

An air barrier was installed on interior partitions that wouldn’t normally apply on a traditional construction project in order to provide a tight building envelope at the Passive House boundaries identified by ICON Architecture. In addition, the sequence of subcontractors had to be adjusted, often bringing in a trade earlier than normal to meet certain Passive House requirements and inspection milestones. For example, the exterior air barrier was installed while the building was being erected, sometimes between two prefabricated wood wall panels, as required to maintain continuity at the

Passive House boundaries which were located at a few interior partitions.

From start to finish, the project required additional oversight to make sure even the smallest detail wasn’t missed, or PHI ratings could be jeopardized. Builders attempting to meet PHI’s standards must be prepared to intensely scrutinize every detail, making sure everything is in place at the right moment, adding an additional layer of complexity.

Finch Cambridge has been recognized with multiple awards for Passive House Construction, including best overall project and affordable winner from PHI's U.S. arm, best affordable community from PRISM, and most recently, excellence in sustainability best project from ENR New England.

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built for good

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