December 1st South Boston Distillery Tech Talk and Building Tour

By Alexander Landa

Last's nights building tour of the South Boston Distillery was a good time. On this chilly – but not raining for once – night in Boston, we explored the inside of an up-and-coming Passive House, and learned what goes into designing these types of buildings.

Right before we walked through the building, Fred Gordon – manager behind the Distillery – gave us a tech talk on the meaning behind a Passive House, and how this design will be making an impact on the built environment. Thanks for taking the time to teach us!

The walkthrough itself was really cool! Seeing a building in its raw, in-process progress showed off the differences between a Passive House, and a non-sustainable building. Everything from the materials used to the construction methods all contributing to making a difference.

Thanks to everyone for coming, and we look forward to seeing you at future tours!

If you want to learn more about Passive Houses and how it differs from LEED for Homes, we're holding a morning session on Thursday, December 15th from 8:30AM to 10:00 AM comparing the two. Learn more and register here.

One of the attendees, Betsy, had this to say after the tour:

The development is indeed one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen. It’s not just PassiveHouse. It’s creating an entire community, attracting all sorts of artists who will be able to afford to live close to Boston. The outdoor performance space is brilliant, and will become host to performing artists. The café and greenhouse are equally brilliant for their community-building common spaces. Fred Gordon has designed a development that won’t just house people, but that will build creative thought and expression which otherwise would be not represented (priced out) in that neighborhood.