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BRIDGE Housing: Celadon at 9th and Broadway

Transforming a Low-Income Community into a LEED-Gold Lifestyle

Providing affordable housing projects requires accommodating a wide range of unique considerations to meet the needs of diverse residents, as veteran affordable housing developer BRIDGE Housing well knows. BRIDGE takes pride in providing affordable, high-quality homes—appropriate for working families and seniors—that help build and improve communities.

apartment building with blue sky

Challenge

BRIDGE engaged SVA Architects to design Celadon at 9th and Broadway: a 250-unit, high-rise, affordable rental property in downtown San Diego, built with the primary goal of optimizing the health and well-being of residents, while minimizing long-term operating costs. Cadmus served as the LEED consultant on the project team that helped BRIDGE achieve the project’s goals.

Solution

Cadmus and the project team collaborated with BRIDGE to develop sustainable, comfortable, and healthful homes according to principles of sustainability for Celadon’s residents, while still working within the developer’s means. Cadmus helped BRIDGE achieve this by implementing measures that included the following:

  • Prioritizing energy efficiency to keep monthly utility bills at a minimum for low-income residents, accomplishing this through installing energy-efficient lighting systems, ENERGY STAR® appliances, solar-heated water, and on-site, solar-powered electricity.
  • A 143-foot-tall solar photovoltaic system—the tallest electrical solar system of its kind in the United States.
  • Proximity to public transportation options.
  • Building on a previously developed site, which ensured development did not impact green spaces.
  • Providing residents with access to 100 secure bike racks.
  • Maximizing the building’s natural features, including rooftop gardens, optimized natural ventilation, and a building orientation chosen to take advantage of abundant natural light and heat.
  • Water-conserving fixtures that save 3,932,190 gallons of water annually.

Cadmus’ LEED experts proficiently evaluate the impacts of cutting-edge efficiency measures. Given this experience in supporting high-performance building projects for a wide range of building types, Cadmus identified and recommended measures to optimize a project’s LEED score while staying within set budgets and schedules.

Results

Equipped with a wealth of energy-efficient and water-saving measures, Celadon exceeded its performance goals and achieved LEED-Gold certification. Cadmus’ LEED verification confirmed that Celadon operates 25 percent more efficiently than the California state energy code. This translates into a healthier community, lower water and energy expenses, and a higher quality of living for Celadon’s residents.

“Cadmus was great to work with. They reviewed all of the documents and worked with the general contractor to make sure that our submittals to the U.S. Green Building Council met the requirements to obtain the LEED credits. With their help, we were able to get Celadon from the required Silver rating to Gold.” – Lori Ichisaka, SVA Architects

Many outlets have recognized Celadon for its sustainability and quality achievements, awarding it with the following accolades:

  • 2016 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit: Sustainable Residential Community
  • 2016 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit: Best Affordable Housing Community—60 dwelling units or more per acre
  • 2016 Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Diego-Tijuana Healthy Places Award
  • 2015 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Award: Best Creative Financing of an Affordable Housing Community
  • 2015 Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Merit Award
  • 2015 Alonzo Awards: Sustainable Business Practices Award
  • 2014 Builder’s Choice Award for Affordable and Workforce Housing

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