A few miles from downtown Aspen, Colo., a development will provide 277 new affordable homes for an area experiencing a dire affordable housing crisis. Designed by Cushing Terrell, the 11-acre Aspen Lumberyard Affordable Housing neighborhood aims to serve as a pedestrian-friendly, environmentally sustainable community—one that “looks, lives, and feels authentically Aspen,” according to a press statement.
Through a collaborative planning and design process, Cushing Terrell visited numerous affordable housing developments in Aspen, met with city staff and local stakeholders, and worked with Aspen’s city council to understand the city’s and the county housing authority’s affordable-housing vision. Cushing Terrell also held workshops with city staff and other local environmental stakeholders, who consensually created a list of must-haves for environmental stewardship and resiliency. As part of its community engagement efforts, Cushing Terrell conducted in-person open-house workshops and online surveys.
Cushing Terrell’s sustainability team determined that Enterprise Green Communities Plus (EGC+), a national green building program created with and for the affordable housing sector, most closely aligned with the city’s commitment to be a leader in creating highly sustainable affordable housing. The city council also approved Cushing Terrell’s recommendation to target a baseline of 75% on-site offset with the ability to go higher in the future.
With an anticipated development cost of $400 million, the Lumberyard neighborhood will provide, across a range of incomes, a mix of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units, including 195 rental units and 82 deed-restricted for-sale units. Infrastructure construction is scheduled to start in 2024.
On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: City of Aspen
Design architect: Cushing Terrell
Architect of record: Cushing Terrell
Structural engineer: S.A. Miro, Inc.
MEP engineer: Cushing Terrell
Civil engineer: Roaring Fork Engineering
Landscape architect and public engagement: Connect One Design
Environmental consulting: Slosky & Company, Inc.
Sustainability consulting: Group14 Engineering
Related Stories
| Oct 26, 2011
Metl-Span selected for re-roof project
School remained in session during the renovation and it was important to minimize the disruption as much as possible.
| Oct 26, 2011
Shawmut Design and Construction awarded Tag Heuer build in Aventura, Fla.
New store features 1,200 sf fit out at Aventura Mall.
| Oct 25, 2011
HKS Science & Technology practice formed
Specializing in the planning and design of highly technical building types, HKS’s Science & Technology practice offers the broadest range of services available to the academic and biomedical research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device community, including laboratory programming, planning and design, strategic science planning and laboratory equipment planning.
| Oct 25, 2011
Universal teams up with Earthbound Corp. to provide streamlined commercial framing solutions
The primary market for the Intact Structural Frame is light commercial buildings that are typically designed with concrete masonry walls, steel joists and steel decks.
| Oct 25, 2011
Ritner Steel CEO elected to AISC Board
Freund will begin serving on the AISC board of directors, assisting with the organization's planning and leadership in the steel construction industry.
| Oct 25, 2011
Commitment to green building practices pays off
The study, conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, built on a good indication of the potential for increased productivity and performance pilot research completed two years ago, with similarly impressive results.
| Oct 25, 2011
DOE issues report on financing solar photovoltaic systems for K-12 schools
The report examines the two primary types of ownership models used to obtain solar installations. This analysis can help school administrators across the country select the best option for deploying solar technologies in their school districts.
| Oct 25, 2011
MKK participates in BSA Engineering Merit Badge day
MKK principal Craig Watts attended the event as a representative of the MEP (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) engineering industry to give scouts an idea of what’s involved in becoming a mechanical engineer, and an overview of a typical day in the life of an engineer.
| Oct 24, 2011
BBS Architects & Engineers receives 2011 Sustainable Design Award from AIA Long Island Chapter
AIA LI also recognized BBS with the 2011 ARCHI Award Commendation for the St. Charles Resurrection Cemetery St. Charles Resurrection Cemetery Welcoming and Information Center in Farmingdale, NY.
| Oct 20, 2011
UNT receives nation’s first LEED Platinum designation for collegiate stadium
Apogee Stadium will achieve another first in December with the completion of three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid that powers the stadium.