Rural Edge Housing & Community Development provides sustainable, affordable housing throughout the Northeast Kingdom. Their goal for this project was to replace two poorly functioning apartment buildings with two new energy efficient apartment buildings. They partnered with Evernorth (formerly Housing Vermont) to develop this project. The 20,000 sf project provides 20 total affordable apartments, with a mix of 1-,2-, and 3-bedroom units. The site incorporates a community garden, playground area, and common barbecue space. Keeping the apartments close to the center of Lyndonville provides residents easy access to shopping, services, and public transportation. A keystone belief held by the entire project team is that everyone deserves a safe, clean, accessible, and affordable place to live. 

This project faced a few challenges at the outset:

• The project site contained two buildings in poor condition. After some review it was determined that the most cost-effective approach would be to replace the buildings with a new energy efficient building.
• A portion of the site contained contaminated soils that would require replacement. The contaminated soils were transported to a lined and regulated site. 
• The existing curb cut was to be maintain in the center of lot. This initiated discussions of two smaller buildings, rather than one larger one.
• The existing size and scale of the adjacent buildings needed to be respected. This supported the concept of two buildings.
• Two buildings, split by a driveway, created a separation between features and amenities that the ownership team wanted to provide. The design focused the shared site amenities in the space between the buildings, maintaining a relationship between the buildings and providing a space for togetherness and shared activities.

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Downstreet Housing and Community Development provides high-quality, safe, affordable housing to the residents of Barre and the central Vermont area. Their goal for this project was to replace three existing poorly functioning and unsafe apartment buildings with a new energy efficient building. They were also looking to replace their existing multilevel inefficient office space with a new efficient and easily navigated office space that included a training/teaching classroom for public educational and outreach opportunities. They partnered with Housing Vermont to develop this project. The final design is a mixed-use building that provides 27 1- and 2-bedroom units, ample exterior green space, and a new open office suite. Keeping the apartments in the downtown area buttresses Downstreet’s mission, providing residents easy access to shopping, services, and public transportation.

This project’s location in downtown Barre Vermont provided several challenges to the design team:

• The project site contained three buildings in poor condition. After some review it was determined that the most cost effective approach would be to replace the buildings with a new energy efficient, mixed-use building.
• The lot was covered almost entirely with asphalt paving. There is little green space in the downtown area. The green space created by this project adds a welcome and calming effect to the downtown area.
• The top 12” of soil were contaminated and required replacement. The contaminated soils were transported to a lined and regulated site.
• The sub soils were of poor bearing capacity and required the design and installation of a Geopier soil stabilization system. This system was determined to be the least invasive and most cost-effective foundation support system.
• The project site is on the edge of the 100 year flood zone. The building was raised so the first floor elevation is one foot above the 100 year flood level.
• The project is located in a designated fire district. The fire district required a two-hour fire rated, noncombustible exterior wall system. No plastics were to be applied to the exterior façade.

This project has earned a National Green Building Standard Silver Certificate, and won a Citation at the AIA Vermont Design Awards in 2016.

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Located in Burlington’s Old North End, this three story wood framed mixed-use apartment building provides 28 apartments, a commercial space on the first floor and under building, at grade, parking for tenants. The Apartments are a mix of one + two bedrooms and studio units, for low income and market rate tenants. The apartment interiors are open and modern.

Thayer House was designed as a 69 unit affordable elderly housing project built in two phases. Shown here is phase I which includes 33 one bedroom apartments, a parking garage, and a variety of large  and small gathering spaces for the residents. Phase I was completed in May 2012. Phase II was completed in July 2013.

As one part of a mixed-use dense development in Burlington’s new north end, this three story building contains 33 affordable apartments of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom layouts. Walking distance to shopping, public transit, outdoor recreation, and schools as well as on-site bicycle storage support a sustainable lifestyle. The highly insulated exterior, LED fixtures, Energy Star appliances, solar shades, Heat Recovery Ventilator fresh-air system, high-efficiency gas boilers, Low-E windows, and extensive roof-top photo-voltaic array make this an energy efficient and low-cost place to live. The building received Efficiency Vermont’s Best of the Best in the Commercial Building Design + Construction category at the Better Building Design Conference in 2013.