
Today, the Boston’s Winthrop Center opened its doors; it is the world’s largest office building certified as a “passive house,” a testimony to advancements in energy-efficient building development.
Passive house buildings comply with stringent requirements for heating, cooling, insulation, and natural lighting to maximize energy efficiency. Originating in the 1980s in Germany, these standards have been slow to gain adoption in the Americas, where less than 6% of all passive house buildings exist.
Developed by Millennium Partners, the Winthrop Center despite relying on natural gas for heating and cooling, succeeds in significantly lowering carbon emissions compared to traditional office buildings of its size according to the Boston Globe. Future regulations, however, target replacement of gas or oil operated systems with electricity.
According to a statement by Winthrop Center, the MIT professors-backed project aspires to not just pioneer in energy conservation and sustainability globally but also improve Boston’s local ecosystem and economy.
Even though future Boston constructions are expected to prioritize electricity over natural gas for heating and hot water supply, the Winthrop Center serves an important role in illustrating how to reduce power consumption in office buildings. Currently, buildings cause more than a third of global carbon emissions.
With the advancement in passive housing technology and increased government incentives, it seems construction costs have been gradually reducing, making passive housing a more appealing choice. As per a 2023 report from the Passive House Network, constructions in Massachusetts and New York, on average, cost just about 3.5% more than conventional ones. With offered incentives and rebates, some multi-family passive housing projects now cost less than standard projects.
While the Winthrop Center did use natural gas and saw its construction costs around 3% higher than a typical building, amounting to an additional $15 million, these additional expenses are expected to be offset by a 25% premium charged to tenants. These tenants could potentially save up to $2 million over ten years in utility costs compared to a lease in a more conventional office building, according to the Boston Globe. Evidently, investments in sustainable development can form a win-win situation for both developers and occupants, thereby carving the path for a green future in construction.