MAGGIE CARSON, LEED AP BD + C
Associate, Weber Thompson
As part of Affordable Housing Week 2021, I joined Maiko Winkler Chin with SCIDpda (Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority), Joel Ing with Edge Developers, and Andi Burnham with Rushing in hosting a Q&A session challenging the ways we metric affordable housing and construction. The team gave a brief overview of SCIDpda’s North Lot project, one of the demonstration projects participating in HDC’s Exemplary Buildings Program (EBP). The Q&A highlighted key factors that make North Lot unique.
Watch the session video
In order to best serve the CID and Beacon Hill communities, SCIDpda made it a goal to serve families and engage like-minded partners. Between the increased bedroom count per unit, the additional amenity spaces, and the senior center and childcare provider on site, the development supports families like few other large developments in Seattle. HDC’s Exemplary Buildings Program requires meeting a 20 EUI or less. While the EBP recommendations offer benefits to climate in general, they also emphasize healthy buildings; the use of ERVs as part of the program filter air within the building and create a much healthier environment for residents.
The audience asked great questions about incorporating childcare, the realities of operating an EBP building, and affordable housing for families.
Read More: In her recent Earth Day 2021 post, EBP task force member Emily Evenson discussed the urgency and intersectionality of the climate, housing, and equity crises and the unique potential of high-performance affordable housing.
