Best certified passive buildings honored at Phius Passive Projects Design Competition 2025
By Niall Patrick Walsh|
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025
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Best Overall Project Winner: Betty Greene Apartments | Boston, Massachusetts by Utile Design. Image credit: Robert Umenhofer
Phius has unveiled the winners of its Passive Projects Design Competition, recognizing fully certified passive building projects of all types in all climate zones. The awards saw projects recognized for their climate-specific path to a zero-carbon environment.
Winning schemes were judged based on their performance, and difficulty level including climate, site, and location challenges, as well as cost-effectiveness, design, craftsmanship, and health. Winning and honourable mentions were recognised in categories spanning high-rise multifamily, low-rise multifamily, retrofit, and commercial/installation, while further projects were recognized for excellence in public space, student housing, international design, urban renewal, and student design. Finally, two projects were selected from the list as Best Overall Project and Best Project by a Young Professional (35 or under).
The winning schemes are as follows:
Best Overall Project Winner: Betty Greene Apartments | Boston, Massachusetts by Utile Design. Image credit: Robert UmenhoferBest Project by a Young Professional (35 or under) and High-Rise Multifamily (7 stories and above): J.J. Carroll House | Boston, Massachusetts by MASS Design Group. Image credit: MASS Design, Resonant Energy, 2Life CommunitiesSingle-Family Winner: Spark Side | Durham, New Hampshire by Kaplan Thompson Architects. Image credit: Irvin SerranoSingle-Family Honorable Mention: Stow Passive House | Stow, Massachusetts by ZeroEnergy Design. Image credit: Nat ReaSource Zero Winner: The Pierce at 7 Van Buren | Oak Park, Illinois by Ware Malcomb. Image credit: Justin Olechiw PhotographySource Zero Honorable Mention: Saint Clair | Studio City, California by Aramyan Kovacs Design. Image credit: Adam CampbellLow-Rise Multifamily (6 stories and below) Winner: 1005 Broadway | Chelsea, Massachusetts by Utile Design. Image credit: Randy CrandonLow-Rise Multifamily (6 stories and below) Honorable Mention: Front Street Building 2 | Portland, Maine by Utile Design. Image credit: Randy CrandonLow-Rise Multifamily (6 stories and below) Honorable Mention: Conservatory Apartments | Chicago, Illinois by San F. King/HED. Image credit: Patsy McEnroe PhotographyRetrofit Winner: The Bank Lofts | Richfield Springs, New York by Juhlee Lee-Hartford, River Architects. Image credit: Pamela CookRetrofit Honorable Mention: Phius Zero Historic Retrofit | Oak Park, Illinois by TBDA. Image credit: Eric HausmanCommercial/Institutional Winner: The Academy for Global Citizenship | Chicago, Illinois by SNMG A Ltd., Farr Associates. Image credit: Tom Rossiter, FAIACommercial/Institutional Honorable Mention: The Bush School - Upper School | Seattle, Washington by Mithun. Image credit: Lara Swimmer / EstoAward for Public Space Excellence: Mount Vernon Library Commons | Mount Vernon, Washington by HKP Architects. Image credit: Leslie Schwartz Photography/DPdronesStudent Housing Recognition: Meadows Neighborhood Student Housing | West Windsor, New Jersey by Mithun. Image credit: Chris Cooper / ArchExplorerInternational Recognition: Edogawa Passive House | Tokyo, Japan by Tosho Juken. Image credit: Tosho Juken Co., Ltd.Excellence in Urban Renewal: Evanston’s First Passive House | Evanston, Illinois by Kipnis Architecture + Planning. Image credit: Norman SizemoreStudent Design Recognition: Alley House | Indianapolis, Indiana by Ball State University Students and Faculty. Image credit: Ball State University
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