Minnesota expected to adopt building code that would cut energy use by 80%

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to soon sign a bill that would change the state’s commercial building code so that new structures would use 80% less energy when compared to a 2004 baseline standard.

The legislation aims for full implementation of the new code by 2036. The bill had been debated for several years before clean energy groups, unions, utilities, and industry representatives coalesced to support it this legislative session.

Minnesota’s commercial code covers larger multifamily projects but not single-family homes or smaller residential properties. Upgrading commercial energy codes is expected to unlock federal aid for state energy efficiency initiatives.

The legislature is also considering numerous climate and clean energy proposals that include major investments in weatherization, public transit, and electric vehicle incentives.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the National Institute of Building Sciences and MOD X, has released the Offsite Construction for Housing: Research Roadmap, a strategic report that presents the key knowledge gaps and research needs to overcome the barriers and challenges to offsite construction.

Expo at Forest Park St Louis Photo courtesy Trivers. Photo by Sam Fentress.jpg

Multifamily Housing | Feb 2, 2023

St. Louis’s first transit-oriented multifamily development opens in historic Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood

St. Louis’s first major transit-oriented, multi-family development recently opened with 287 apartments available for rent. The $71 million Expo at Forest Park project includes a network of pathways to accommodate many modes of transportation including ride share, the region’s Metro Transit system, a trolley line, pedestrian traffic, automobiles, and bike traffic on the 7-mile St. Vincent Greenway Trail.

The San Mateo County Navigation Center represents the first built instance of the Office of Charles F. Bloszies’s “Step1” interim supportive housing system

Multifamily Housing | Feb 1, 2023

Step(1) housing: A new approach to sheltering unhoused people in Redwood City, Calif.

A novel solution to homelessness will open soon in Redwood City, Calif. The compact residential campus employs modular units to create individual sleeping units, most with private bathrooms. The 240 units of housing will be accompanied by shared services and community spaces. Instead of the congregate dorm-style shelters found in many U.S. cities, this approach gives each resident a private, lockable, conditioned sleeping space.

City skyline of Houston, Texas, at sunset

Multifamily Housing | Jan 24, 2023

Top 10 cities for downtown living in 2023

Based on cost of living, apartment options, entertainment, safety, and other desirable urban features, StorageCafe finds the top 10 cities for downtown living in 2023.

Multifamily Housing | Jan 23, 2023

Long Beach, Calif., office tower converted to market rate multifamily housing

A project to convert an underperforming mid-century office tower in Long Beach, Calif., created badly needed market rate housing with a significantly lowered carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse project, composed of 203,177 sf including parking, created 106 apartment units out of a Class B office building that had been vacant for about 10 years.

The penthouse terrace at The Row Fulton Market multifamily tower in Chicago by Related Midwest

Multifamily Housing | Jan 19, 2023

Chicago multifamily high-rise inspired by industrial infrastructure and L tracks

The recently unveiled design of The Row Fulton Market, a new Chicago high-rise residential building, draws inspiration from industrial infrastructure and L tracks in the historic Fulton Market District neighborhood. The 43-story, 300-unit rental property is in the city’s former meatpacking district, and its glass-and-steel façade reflects the arched support beams of the L tracks.