Allston, MA NEI General Contracting has completed extensive renovations to the Carol Avenue Apartments, bringing to market 33 residences that present the unique combination of affordability and sustainability in a community rich in cultural and community assets.

The project consisted of taking three existing apartment buildings and performing a top-to-bottom renovation on 33 units within a dense, urban location. The project also sought to provide a highly sustainable living environment while ensuring it added to the community’s inventory of affordable units. 

While the renovated apartments include the standard features and upgraded finishes that are expected in modern residences, NEI’s team introduced a high level of sustainability for this project. The deep energy retrofit included replacing fossil fuel-based heating and hot water systems with high-efficiency, fully-electric mechanical systems, which also incorporated central air conditioning. Enhancements to the building’s envelope will lower energy consumption, which is achieved through window replacements, new roofs with improved thermal performance, added wall insulation, and restoration and re-use of the historic brick façade. 

In addition, renewable energy from rooftop solar panels will further reduce total energy consumption. These sustainable improvements reflect the project team’s desire to not just address long-standing deferred maintenance issues but also significantly enhance tenant well-being through renovated interiors, improved thermal comfort, and reduced dependency on fossil fuel combustion byproducts.

This project was supported via a number of different funding sources, including CEDAC, the city of Boston, Eastern Bank, MassDEP, Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, MHP, Liberty Mutual Foundation, and WNC. The project architect was Davis Square Architects. 

“We were pleased to have the opportunity to create a desirable community that provides much-needed housing stock in Allston-Brighton while also delivering healthy, energy-efficient spaces in affordable units,” said Josef Rettman, president at NEI. “As communities continue to understand the critical need to develop more affordable housing, it’s also important to weigh the implications of balancing those demands with creating living spaces that are as healthy as they are attainable”