LeClair Village is not only a beautiful and comfortable living space, but it also serves as a model for how affordable housing can be designed and built with the environment and community in mind.
DREAM Collaborative provided architectural design services for LeClair Village in the town of Mashpee on Cape Cod. The project creates 39 units of affordable housing in three separate structures, creating a family community – a two-story, 12-unit building; a three-story, 23-unit building; and a townhouse-style building with four units. The property is named after Mary LeClair, a long-time Mashpee civic leader and advocate for affordable housing.
The buildings seek to take advantage of the gently sloping site and natural surroundings, taking on the scale and forms of vernacular Cape Cod buildings. The sloped site allows for walk-out access to mechanical and tenant storage spaces, while providing solar access and site interest. Units look out into the Cape Cod pine forest, from which the designers drew inspiration for material and color selections – green pines, golden sand, and red cranberries.Â
LeClair Village is certified under the strict Passive House Institute of the US (PHIUS) standard. The enclosure is designed to be air-tight and thermally insulated with energy recovery ventilation and energy-efficient heat pump heating/cooling, which provides excellent air quality and thermal comfort to the residents.