Public housing can incorporate sustainable design

Sustainable design achievable without having to add significant cost; owner and residents reap benefits

Posted by Tim Gregorski, Senior Editor

Village Green was primarily funded by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act competitive grant of $1,732,504 from HUD.

May 02, 2012

As the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) established public housing programs for low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, public housing by definition must be affordable for its residents.

But not all public housing is also sustainably designed.

Village Green, a new, energy-efficient,10-unit public housing project for the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority (NWGHA), will save its residents money and is expected to achieve Enterprise Green Community Certification, Energy Star certification and LEED for Homes Silver certification. It will also be the first public housing authority project in Georgia to become LEED certified.

Sandra Hudson, the NWGHA’s executive director, concurred, noting that Lord, Aeck & Sargent was challenged to stay within budget while bringing sustainable design and quality to the building.

Village Green was primarily funded by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act competitive grant of $1,732,504 from HUD. The NWGHA provided an additional $350,000 from its annual operating budget for improvements to the site. BD+C