Primavera’s Las Abuelitas Awarded Platinum LEED Certification
Highest-level of green building certification from the United States Green Building Council
Primavera’s multi-family housing community, Las Abuelitas, was awarded the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification this June. This new construction project in the City of South Tucson is one of just a few residential communities in the entire nation focused on providing programing for kinship families while being available to all members of the community.
The housing community provides 12 two and three bedroom rental units, and a community building to serve residents and the greater neighborhood with a large multi‐purpose room, computer lab, playroom/library, kitchen, office, and children’s art display area. Shared outdoor space comprises a playground and a “Common Green” sitting area. Directly adjacent to the property and also part of the project is a community garden with plots available for in the neighborhood residents, a public basketball play court, and a community orchard with citrus, pineapple guava, pomegranate, and fig trees.
Las Abuelitas was made possible through key partnerships, including Pima County, with support from the leadership of the City of South Tucson, who donated the land, NeighborWorks® America, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization II and HOME programs, in partnership with Pima County, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Neighborworks® Capital, and Primavera donors. Poster, Frost Mirto, Inc. designed the project and Lloyd Construction Company, Inc. was the contractor.
Construction started on November 2012 and was completed in November 2013. Some of the key features that contributed to the LEED Platinum Certification include: Metal shade structures that cover south‐facing windows as well as patios and shared walkways; insulation values in every wall type and roof system that meet high standards; a closed‐loop glycol solar hot water system incorporated into every unit; high energy efficient mechanical systems in all units; an advanced rainwater harvesting system that collects water from the roofs; a photovoltaic system incorporated on the roofs of some units and at shade canopies that cover the parking area and a portion of the play court; and Energy‐Star windows, appliances, and light fixtures.
The Platinum Certification follows on the heels of several other awards for innovative and green design, including a 2014 Tucson Electric and Power BrightEE Award and a 2014 Residential Energy Efficiency Awardby the State and Local Energy Report.
Primavera Foundation, a chartered member of NeighborWorks® America, is also a designated Green Organization in recognition of Primavera’s comprehensive commitment to sustainable operations. NeighborWorks® America awards the designation to organizations that have met a set of green achievement criteria that covers an organization’s overall management and office operations as well as the programs of the organization that are covered by the NeighborWorks® Green Organization Guidelines.
More at http://www.primavera.org/html/sustainability/goinggreen.html
