Project Description
This development, which is comprised of 18 townhouses, was designed to provide sustainable, low income housing for the Chattanooga housing authority. The project was awarded funding from HUD after a nationwide competition between housing authorities. The project was designed to comply with Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and we are pursuing a Platinum Certification through the USGBC’s LEED for Homes Program.
There are 9 three bedroom units and 9 two bedroom units. All units with the exception of the handicap accessible unit are two story and are typically organized in buildings made up of four units. The massing of the buildings is based on the ‘salt box’ form, which is a vernacular architecture prevalent in many southern cities.
The buildings are clad with white clapboard siding and incorporate energy efficient windows and doors. The roofs are Kynar coated standing seam metal roofs and most south facing roofs incorporate photovoltaic panels, which provide 10% of the projects total estimated energy demand. The buildings have been organized on the site to make the greatest use of passive solar heating and cooling and to maximize open space. Pervious concrete and pervious paver assemblies are used to manage stormwater on the site and rainwater that is collected off the building roofs is diverted to an underground cistern and used for irrigation. The landscaping incorporates non-invasive, native species. Three all-weather pathways are provided to better connect the project to the surrounding pedestrian circulation system and adjacent amenities.