Architect:
Strada, LLC Stuart & Associates Architects, Inc.
Owner:
The Community Builders
Categories:
[Sota's] attentiveness and attention to detail during construction produced a high quality product within a shorter time frame than originally anticipated.
— Dina Snider, AIA, LEED AP
Strada, LLC
Contract Amount: $8.4m
Size: 77,000 s.f.
Type: New Construction
The first in a phase of affordable housing to help further the continued revitalization of East Liberty, the ambitious East Liberty Place North houses 54 units of affordable family housing, 38 of which are reserved for low-income households, with 15,000 sf of commercial space on the first floor. The building offers community spaces, an exercise room, a landscaped playground, secured surface parking, and an elevator to residents. During construction, a quarter of the contracts were awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses, while nearly half of the jobs were given to local moderate-income local residents in an effort to reinforce the project's connection to the surrounding community.
This project features energy-efficient heating & cooling systems, Energy Star lighting, and an improved thermal envelope that will keep this affordable housing very affordable. Other green features include concrete floor decks with recycled ash content, locally purchased gypsum drywall with recycled product, water-saving appliances in restrooms and a focus on reducing construction waste.This mixed-use development was the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's first new construction LEED certified project, and thanks to these design features, it received LEED Gold.
This project won a 2010 Award of Merit from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western PA.