Wildflower Terrace, Affordable Senior Housing Project in Austin, Achieves LEED® Silver Certification
2012
After more than two years of diligent design and development activities, a 201-unit affordable housing project for seniors, located in the Mueller Redevelopment of Austin, Texas, has achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver Certification under the LEED® New Construction rating system for 2009 (LEED-NC v2009).
Wildflower Terrace, located at the northeast corner of Berkman Drive and Tom Miller Street in the Tower District of the Mueller Community, is described by its developer, DMA Development Company, LLC, as a “201-unit mixed-income, mixed-use rental community for persons 55+”. The owner initially intended to pursue a basic LEED® Certification, requiring a minimum of 40 points out of 110 possible, and a 1-star rating with the Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) Program.
Given this initial goal, the achievement of LEED® Silver Certification, requiring a minimum of 50 points, as well as a 3-star AEGB Program rating, was received with great enthusiasm by all parties involved with the Wildflower Terrace project. The accomplishment demonstrates the project team’s commitment to green initiatives.
Administered by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED® is described as “a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings”. The USGBC website further states that LEED®-certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, and to be healthier and safer for occupants.
Construction on Wildflower Terrace began in November 2010 and the facility is now fully occupied.
The project team includes the following: DMA Development Company, LLC (Project Development), Nelsen Partners, Inc. (Architecture Services), EN Incorporated (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing [MEP] Engineering Services) (special recognition to Tessa Roberts, LEED® AP and Project Manager at EN Inc.), Carleton Construction, Ltd. (Construction Services), Carolyn Kelley, Landscape Architect (Landscape Design Services), and Lee Gros, Architect and Artisan, Inc. (Sustainability Consultant).
