Seven miles from downtown Boston, Northland Newton Development raises the bar for sustainability, affordability, and walkability
Northland Development is reinventing a strip mall and post-industrial site in Newton, an older suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. They engaged our team to craft an urban design strategy that would make the site a focal point for the area around it—a destination with a strong sense of character.
Our inspiration came from the historic commercial villages throughout Newton. Built before cars, they embodied just the right scale for walkability. Our walkable village design is based on landscape urbanism principles—buildings with assorted green amenity roof decks reside within a new naturalistic landscape. The open spaces serve various functions and include a central village green, verdant park spaces, as well as vibrant retail streetscapes and plazas with outdoor dining. Additionally, a mobility hub plaza serves as a gateway and provides free last-mile shuttles to nearby transit.
We designed five residential buildings in the complex. Strategies to reduce energy demand include an insulated envelope, efficient mechanical systems, high-performance triple-glazed windows, and the use of mass timber. Upon completion, this mixed-use redevelopment will be one of the largest all-electric market rate Passive House projects in the world. In addition, the development is seeking LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) Silver Certification and LEED Gold Certification.
At a Glance
- Offices
- Client
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- Northland Development
- Partners
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- Cube3 Studios
- Steven Winters Associates
- AHA Engineers
- Cranshaw Construction
- ODEH Engineers
- Award
- Built Environment Plus (BE+), Green Building Showcase Awards, Site & Landscape Award, 2023
Meet Our Team
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Steve Basque
Senior Principal, Interior Design
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B.K. Boley
Senior Principal, Architecture
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Christopher Bridle
Design Director, Landscape Architecture/Urban Design
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Robert Corning
Senior Principal, Community Development
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David Dixon
Vice President, Urban Places Fellow
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James Gray
Senior Principal, Architecture
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Wei Jin
Urban Designer
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Louis Kraft
Senior Associate
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Brett Lambert
Principal, Architecture
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Anushree Nallapaneni
Urban Designer
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Meagan Sippel
Associate, Architecture
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