Seattle, WA, July 21--What may be the nation's first certified environmentally "sustainable" affordable-housing project will be dedicated next week in Seattle, according to the Seattle Times.
Traugott Terrace, a Catholic Archdiocesan Housing Authority project, will serve men and women with a history of alcohol and substance abuse. Its 50 units are located above the Matt Talbott Service Center, a social-service agency at 2313 Third Ave. The dedication and blessing of the units is slated for 2 p.m. Thursday.
Designed by Environmental Works architects and built by RAFN Construction, Traugott Terrace is a LEED certified project. LEED stands for Leadership in Environmental Design. Originally intended for commercial and high-end residential properties, the program was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Because it costs more to build an environmentally "sustainable" building, the LEED approach is usually thought to be too expensive for affordable-housing design.
Among the approaches Environmental Works architects took was bringing daylight into all the units--that's considered a sustainable feature that improves tenant well-being. They also used long-lasting natural linoleum flooring, rather than vinyl, which has a fourth or less of linoleum's life span.
Traugott Terrace contains 16 one-bedroom units, 22 studios and 12 transitional single-room-occupancy units. It will be permanent housing for low-income and sometimes formerly homeless individuals.
