At an emotional ceremony on Friday, September 11, 2009, new homeowners in Philadelphia's East Parkside neighborhood were given keys to the city's first low-income, green-designed homes at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 42nd and Stiles streets. This project, part of the LEED for Homes pilot program, represents a model for progressive change in Philadelphia's housing industry, and was a collaborative effort between Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, WRT, the Community Design Collaborative, and the Energy Coordinating Agency.
In 2006, WRT staff responded to a call for volunteers from the Community Design Collaborative — a volunteer-based community design center that provides pro bono preliminary design services to non-profit organizations — to assist Habitat Philadelphia in studying alternatives for vacant lots on the Stiles Street block. Habitat Philadelphia had constructed two affordable units in the first of the two-phase development on Stiles Street, but the community felt they did not match the scale and architecture of the existing neighborhood, which is certified as a national Historic Preservation Neighborhood. The WRT team, working closely with Habitat Philadelphia and the East Parkside Residents' Association (EPRA), provided conceptual site planning and architectural construction documentation. The final design resulted in a blend of a typical Habitat design and the EPRA's desire to infill the vacant site with designs that match the neighborhood's row-house model, with brick facades, continuous porches, and on-street parking.
"WRT supported this project," said Maarten Pesch, WRT design principal, "because it represents many of our firm values: addressing the basic housing problems for families, helping re-build urban neighborhoods, advancing our commitment to sustainable design, and supporting local volunteer organizations such as the CDC and Habitat for Humanity."
WRT worked in partnership with the Energy Coordinating Agency — a non-profit corporation that seeks to help conserve energy in the Philadelphia area — to include such innovative materials and systems as insulated concrete form foundations and walls, ultra-high efficiency heating systems, solar-light pipes, tankless water heaters, low-VOC paints and interior finishes, and cement board siding.
