Erie-Ellington Homes: Affordable + Green

A new affordable housing development in the Dorchester area of Boston demonstrates that affordability and green can go hand-in-hand with publicly funded housing projects.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 50-unit Erie-Ellington Homes housing project was held on June 22. The triplex units cost $94/ft2 ($1,011/m2) to build—25% below market rates in the area—and are projected to use just half as much energy as conventional, Model Energy Code houses, according to the GreenVillage Company, which designed the houses for the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation. “We wanted to prove … that affordable housing can be designed with quality, durability, long life, and environmental health in mind,” said lead architect Bruce Hampton.