Colorado Sustainable Design Awards: Residential multifamily

ColoradoBiz Staff //November 1, 2011//

Colorado Sustainable Design Awards: Residential multifamily

ColoradoBiz Staff //November 1, 2011//

CSDA_OsageApts.jpg

1st place
Osage Apartments
Architect: Buchanan, Yonushewski Group LLC
Owner and developer: Denver Housing Authority
General Contractor: Milender-White
Construction Co.
Builder: BCER Engineering

OVERVIEW
1099 Osage Apartments is an eight-story, 100-unit housing development for low-income seniors and disabled residents. The mid-rise building features two wings, connected by a glass sunroom on each floor, taking advantage of the optimal solar orientation. Units feature energy-efficient appliances, CAT 5 wiring for Internet access and cable wiring.
The building is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification and will use 50 percent less energy than a comparable code-compliant building.
1099 Osage Apartments is the first of several developments defining a new standard for sustainable neighborhood development developed by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA).

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
›› The first multifamily graywater reuse system in the state and first PLDs (porous landscape detention). The pilot graywater reuse system for 25 percent of building occupants will help achieve a 40 percent reduction in water use from LEED baseline. Wastewater from showers and sinks will be recirculated to fill toilets.
›› Ground-source heat pump system for building cooling and heating.
›› Daylight-focused design.
›› Operable windows in each unit allow for air flow. Low-SHGC glass was used to prevent over-heating in the summer and reduce utility bills.

CSDA_BenedictPark.jpg

2nd place
Benedict Park
Place, Block 5B
Achitect: B+Y Architects
Developer: Denver Housing Authority
General Contractor: Deneuve Construction Services

OVERVIEW
Benedict Park Place 5B is an urban infill project that offers connectivity to the community and employment opportunities in downtown Denver. Located at 290 Park Avenue West, the project consists of four-story apartments (75 units) and modular row homes (16 units).
The designer expects Benedict Park Place 5B to demonstrate ecological, social and economic value over time as it is the culmination of Denver Housing Authority’s multi-year commitment to revitalizing the Curtis Park neighborhood.

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
›› Use of solar and geothermal energy helps insulate occupants from price fluctuations in fossil fuels.
›› The design uses engineered lumber and achieves an insulated exterior envelope of R-20. Exterior walls are constructed of 2×6 finger-jointed studs with blown-in cellulose insulation.
›› Within the project, Cleveland Place is designed as a local ecosystem. Storm-water runoff from the building is held in a Porous Landscape Detention (PLD) area designed with native Colorado plants that can tolerate regularly arid and torrentially wet conditions to create a natural ecosystem in urban surroundings.

CSDA_CreeksideWest.jpg

3rd place
Creekside West
Architect/Interior Design: Studio Completiva
Owner: Metro West Housing Solutions
General Contractor: Calcon Constructors
Developer: Metro West Housing Solutions
Builder:Calcon Constructors

OVERVIEW
The goal of the Creekside West project was to create a well-built and managed, visually inspiring, affordable and high-quality senior living environment. The population of seniors in Jefferson County is poised to double between 2005
and 2020. Creekside West was developed to help meet the demand for affordable, accessible, transit-oriented housing, and with access to onsite services and amenities.
Located at the corner of 17th Avenue and Pierce Street in Lakewood, the building is 101,927 square feet, including a 24,235-square-foot underground parking garage. On Aug. 22, Creekside West became the state’s largest multifamily and first 100 percent affordable building to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
›› Storm water is directed to a detention pond that serves wildlife habitat.
›› Building orientation takes advantage of natural sun paths for heat,
daylighting and renewable energy effectiveness.
›› Glass was located to minimize effects on the building envelope’s tightness and insulation. Common spaces are almost entirely lit by natural daylight.
›› A gray water heat recycling system harnesses heat in drain water exiting the building and recycles this warmth to heat incoming cool water as necessary.
›› Creekside West uses nearly 50 percent less energy than specified by code.
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