03/18/2026
Exciting update on 273 Highland, our affordable housing building in Roxbury!
Air leakage is the #1 way buildings lose energy. That’s why Haycon Inc. recently conducted a preliminary whole building blower door test and unit compartmentalization tests at 273 Highland to see how the airtightness detailing was working. Compartmentalization between the units is important for energy loss, as well as for reducing sound and smell transfer.
The requirement for Phius certified passive house buildings is 0.06 cfm/sq ft. 273 Highland achieved 0.04 cfm/sq ft, even without all the exterior air barrier sealed yet, so these are incredible results. Inside, LEED has the strictest compartmentalization requirements of 0.23 cfm/sq ft and 3 out of 4 units passed easily. Using a small handheld smoke machine, the Phius verifier checks all the penetrations – plumbing vents, under the tub, outlet boxes, corners, ducts going to the hall, etc. to see if air is leaking through – the smoke helps see where the air is moving. Now, before insulation and drywall are installed, is the best time to do the first test to make fixes easier to find.
Another tool we use is a thermal infrared camera to detect cold spots. The infrared images show purple as the darker, heat-loss locations. Sometimes this is because no exterior insulation is installed yet, and sometimes this is due to insulation that could be installed better.
We’re thrilled to see this building, part of the City of Boston’s E+ Green Building program, come to life and meet these requirements!
RDH Building Science Inc.