Seventy-six
new family apartments on a 3.87-acre site in San Jose, Calif., along the
banks of a riparian preserve of the Penitencia Creek offer their lucky
tenants an informal Craftsman-style architecture plus public transportation
just a few steps from their front doors. Designed by OJK Architecture
and Planning, Betty Ann Gardens provides one- to four-bedroom apartments
for households earning 50-60 percent of the median income in Santa Clara
County, Calif., which has reached an all-time high of $105,500 for a family
of four. Residents enjoy below-market rents and free “EcoPasses”
from the developer to encourage use of public transportation, as well
as lower monthly utility bills thanks to the many energy-saving features
incorporated into their new homes.
The
flats vary in size and orientation. Ground-floor units of the four three-story
structures look into private courts, while the upper units look east toward
Mt. Hamilton or west into the preserve along the creek. Each air-conditioned
apartment contains a full kitchen and a 60-square-foot private deck or
enclosed courtyard.
The number of green-building features incorporated into this affordable
housing venture has garnered particular praise and awards for the project.
Jeff Oberdorfer, AIA, executive director of First Community Housing, the
project developer, notes that the Betty Ann Gardens exceeds the California
energy-efficiency requirements by more than 27 percent, and is “notable
for its use of recycled and recyclable materials that reduce energy consumption
and promote resident health and good indoor air quality by minimizing
use of products containing formaldehyde, vinyl, VOCs, and other potential
toxins.”
Specifically,
the units feature:
- All gas appliances
- Hydronic heating and cooling
- All fluorescent light fixtures
- Low-flow water fixtures
- Linoleum and recycled-content carpet floors
- “Medite” no-VOC/no-formaldehyde cabinets with water-based
varnish finish
- Vinyl, double-glazed windows and sliding doors
- Fiber-cement-board siding
- Non-formaldehyde insulation
- Engineered structural lumber
- Sustainable-harvest teak site benches and lobby furniture
- Wheat-composite office and computer room furniture and 99-percent
recyclable office chairs
- “Eco-shake” recycled-content roof shingles on the community
building roof.
The community celebrated its grand opening on September 4 and is featured
in the Green Affordable Housing Coalition
newsletter for demonstrating what can be achieved when the developer,
architect, and general contractor work together as a team committed to
sustainability.
Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects.
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