There has been noticeable growth in architectural and environmental design standards, especially with green building efforts. As architects who work in affordable housing across the country, RDL Architects of Cleveland has seen that many of these design requirements are focused on implementing green criteria that exceeds current energy codes.
Joanne Horton, residential studio director, discusses how RDL meets and exceeds energy requirements.
What are some of the most stringent energy requirements for affordable housing projects across the country?
All states require some level of green commitment, including compliance programs like LEED, Passive House, National Green Building Standard, and the Home Energy Rating System Index (HERS). Recently released Enterprise Green Communities Criteria 2020 focuses on “Path to Zero” emissions elimination strategies, potentially imposing increased challenges on our clients’ ability to comply with these guidelines.
What are some of the challenges that come with designing affordable housing projects with high energy standards?
High-efficiency equipment and building envelope detailing can add significant cost to a project. There is an art to balancing cost and design, meaning we need to be creative with how to approach detailing. Maximizing efficiency in unit configurations/layouts and standardizing details is vital.
How does your team at RDL meet and exceed these project standards?
Every project begins with a team meeting that includes all design professionals, including the sustainability consultant. We integrate green design at the conceptual level of a project—the most common mistake we see is that green design is incorporated as an afterthought rather than being the foundation of the design.
Additionally, asking the client to make decisions early on is critical. Establishing a clear direction with the team at the onset helps to ensure long-term success for the project.
What is an example of a project with exceptionally tough energy standards?
We’ve done several projects that have been PHIUS [Passive House Institute US] certified, which is among the most stringent green criteria. Our first and largest was Hillcrest Senior Residences. We learned a few lessons through that process, the most important being that passive house adds time to projects, and that the entire team, from design to tradesmen, must be well versed in techniques. Passive house requires more detailed documents, precise workmanship, and involved testing. The building envelope efficiency is impacted by corners, surface area, and complexity of shapes.
Where do you see the affordable housing industry in the next five years?
Affordable housing development seems to become more complicated with each passing year. With costs of construction rising, we need to be vigilant to ensure the potential increased burden of implementing green design does not shift the focus away from the intended foundation of a project, which is to provide truly affordable housing to people in need. At RDL, we want to do our part to eliminate some of the complication.
RDL Architects is a multidisciplinary architecture firm based in Cleveland. For more information, visit RDLArchitects.com.
