Slow Homes on Willow

Slow Homes on Willow

Our mission at Aamodt / Plumb is to create homes that are good, clean and fair for all. This is how we define slow homes. We are socially and environmentally conscious practitioners that want to leverage our skills for the greater good. We have created a lot of beautiful homes in the past, but they are at a price point that is out of reach for most people. In 2020 we shifted our priorities from designing high-end custom homes to developing market rate and affordable housing. We purchased our first property at 145 Willow Street in Cambridge MA and look forward to building our first market rate slow homes in line with our values.

The property is a small lot in a great neighborhood, surrounded by multi-family homes, schools, parks and public transportation. It is just steps from the new King Open School, a public elementary school whose social justice foundation aligns with our own.

We spent several months getting to know our neighbors and talking with them about what they would like to see happen on this property. After an extensive community outreach process we modified our plans to include off-street parking based on neighbors’ feedback. This parking garden also doubles as a gathering space for the residents.

The design is our take on the typical triple decker found throughout the Boston area. The major difference here is the way the balcony is integrated into the floor plan to connect the spaces with the outside. Connection to nature is, in our view, one of the key elements of a GOOD building. In the city nature comes in the form of light, air, views of the sky and green space. These balconies, oriented along the long southern façade, bring all of those to the heart of the home.

Features

Good

• Simple, beautiful, modern design
• Spacious units with 2 bedrooms plus study, 2 baths and basement storage are flexible and enduring
• Integrated balconies bring in light, air and green space o help us slow down, reflect, rejuvenate and heal
• Parking garden doubles as communal gathering space

Clean

• Healthy, natural, non-toxic materials free from pollutants that hurt people and the planet
• All-wood, cross laminated timber construction is renewable and carbon sequestering
• Passive building design reduces energy use
• Net Zero Carbon emissions and Net Zero Energy with rooftop solar energy production

Fair

• Accessible to people of all ages, races and abilities.
• First floor unit is ADA accessible.
• Built with fair labor, free of exploitation on the job site and in the supply chain.
• Uses materials sourced ethically and sustainably.

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