The Architectural Team, a master planning and architectural design firm specializing in multifamily housing and sustainable design, has announced the completion of 129 residential units for Phase II of The Homes at Old Colony.
The oldest public housing project in the United States (built in 1940), South Boston's Old Colony had become a symbol of poor housing conditions, until the introduction of federal funds and an innovative master plan and green-building design approach began to breathe new life into the community.
Now the revamped neighborhood plan and energy-efficient, high-performing residences and community facilities have turned The Homes at Old Colony into a national model for sustainable multifamily design and desirable urban living.
Stemming from a grant for “environmentally sustainable public-housing transformation” awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Old Colony project demonstrates how public housing projects can be modernized efficiently, and with efficient, economical outcomes.
Boston Strong, and Green
Planning for the redevelopment of Old Colony began in 2009 with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and master planner Chan Krieger NBBJ. Later that year, BHA engaged Beacon Communities Development LLC as developer and hired The Architectural Team as master planner and architect, with Suffolk Construction as general contractor, to collaborate with the planning team and begin the design of Old Colony.
Old Colony's Phase One, completed in December 2011, included 116 housing units divided among a six-story midrise residential building and four groups of townhouses topped with photovoltaic panels all achieved Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program. Phase One also included a 10,000 square foot learning center awarded LEED-NC Gold.
All photos: Andy Ryan, courtesy of The Architectural Team.
Phase II structures and planning, including 129 new units with 40 to be added next year, are in keeping with the first phase, and tracking LEED Platinum as well. Old Colony is also designed to EPA’s Energy Star and HUD Healthy Homes Guidelines, and the revitalized site is anticipating a LEED for Neighborhood Development certification.
“The buildings are oriented to maximize solar exposure, with carefully designed exterior envelopes that significantly reduce heating and air-conditioning loads,” says Jay Szymanski, AIA, project architect and associate at The Architectural Team. Szymanski notes that the homes incorporate rooftop solar panels, in addition to energy-efficient mechanical systems, appliances and lighting, as well as recycled content and healthy materials.
"Old Colony's redevelopment also incorporates new policies to limit waste and improve indoor air quality,” he adds. A list of sustainable design features utilized in all phases of The Homes at Old Colony and helping to achieve LEED and Energy Star ratings follows:
• Sustainable Site: Permeable concrete pavers and infiltration leaching galleys
• Water Efficiency: Efficient irrigation system, low-flow plumbing fixtures
• Energy: High-performing water pipe insulation, non-HCFC refrigerants
• Materials: low-VOC flooring, sealants and paints; locally produced aggregate and drywall, and 85% of construction waste diverted from landfill
• IEQ: Closed combustion, vented; outdoor air and local exhaust meet ASHRAE 62.1 and 62.2 (2007); all structures non-smoking, with designated smoking areas.
Related Stories
| Oct 29, 2014
Diller Scofidio + Renfro selected to design Olympic Museum in Colorado Springs
The museum is slated for an early 2018 completion, and will include a hall of fame, theater, retail space, and a 20,000-sf hall that will showcase the history of the Olympics and Paralympics.
Smart Buildings | Oct 29, 2014
SCAPE’s 'living breakwaters' resiliency development wins 2014 Buckminster Fuller Challenge
New York-based landscape architecture firm SCAPE won the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s 2014 Fuller Challenge, billed as socially responsible design’s highest award.
| Oct 28, 2014
4 keys to mastering 'design thinking' and the iteration process
When using design thinking and iteration, we’ll sometimes spend multiple days iterating idea after idea, heads down, only to realize we still don’t have it right, writes HDR's Amy Lussetto. She offers tips for success with these idea-nurturing tools.
| Oct 28, 2014
Miami accepts more modest plan to renovate its convention center
The city of Miami has awarded an $11 million contract for its on-again, off-again convention center renovation to Denver-based Fentress Architects, which will serve as the design criteria professional on this project.
| Oct 28, 2014
Kean University creates Michael Graves School of Architecture
Winner of the AIA Gold Medal, the National Medal of the Arts, the Topaz Medallion and the Driehaus Prize for Architecture, Graves is best known for his contemporary building designs and prominent public commissions.
| Oct 27, 2014
Davis, Calif., latest city to join race to develop 'innovation hubs'
The city plans to develop two "innovation centers" with a total of seven million sf of commercial space geared for local research and technology companies.
| Oct 27, 2014
Report estimates 1.2 million people experience LEED-certified retail centers daily
The "LEED In Motion: Retail" report includes USGBC’s conceptualization of the future of retail, emphasizing the economic and social benefit of green building for retailers of all sizes and types.
| Oct 27, 2014
Top 10 green building products for 2015
Among the breakthrough products to make BuildingGreen's annual Top-10 Green Building Products list are halogen-free polyiso insulation and a high-flow-rate biofiltration system.
| Oct 27, 2014
Studio Gang Architects designs residential tower with exoskeleton-like exterior for Miami
Jeanne Gang's design reinvents the Florida room with shaded, asymmetrical balconies.
| Oct 26, 2014
New York initiates design competition for upgrading LaGuardia, Kennedy airports
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state would open design competitions to fix and upgrade New York City’s aging airports. But financing construction is still unsettled.