Case
Study: Saltillo Lofts
Hailey | Johnson Architects, LLP
Project Goals
Saltillo Lofts is a mixed-income development within walking distance to commercial corridors, major employment centers, and urban neighborhoods. The transit oriented and pedestrian-friendly nature of the project reduces automobile use/air pollution and creates a vibrant metropolitan atmosphere. Eleven of the development's 29 units are priced for residents making 80% of Austin's median family income. This development resuscitated an area of town that was previously considered undesirable, and created housing for an often overlooked group of homebuyers who don't want to live in a suburban area yet can't quite afford central city prices.
| Saltillo Lofts
1601 E. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78702 |
3-Star Green Building Rating |
April 2006 |
$110/SF |
Project Description
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Photo: Tre Dunham |
Photo: Tre Dunham |
Photo: Tre Dunham |
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Saltillo Lofts features a mix of retail/office space, ground-level flats, 2nd story flats with raised sleeping lofts, and two-story lofts. The buildings are designed for energy efficiency and durability with highly insulated, low-e windows and large window overhangs; light-colored roofs; fiber cement exterior walls with a stucco finish; and cool, low maintenance, hard surface floors (concrete and some wood). The urban-style interiors feature exposed structural elements and few interior walls. The buildings surround a courtyard, offering residents a quiet, green oasis.
Awarded three stars by Austin Energy’s Green Building Program as well as the Envision Central Texas“Stewardship Award”, Saltillo Lofts is Austin's first mixed-use development to be constructed adjacent to a future commuter rail station. This pioneering development, located on the corner of 5th and Comal, is one block east of the Capital Metro Saltillo District, an 11-acre area in east Austin bound by I-35 and Comal St. between Fourth and Fifth Streets. This area is envisioned as a mixed-use mass transit-oriented village that includes housing and a wide range of neighborhood services creating a lively urban environment. The master plan for the Saltillo District includes up to 675 housing units, of which at least 25% will be affordable, and provides over 20,000 square feet of community-oriented commercial space, and over 25,000 square feet of “flex” space for neighborhood-serving businesses such as artisans, restaurants, public spaces and amenities, a community garden and a community center that can house educational, training and recreational uses. This historically neglected area is transitioning from mostly light industrial to mixed-use neighborhoods and is an ideal area to build urban density, provide affordable housing, and expand the city’s growth in an eastward direction to help curb development over the aquifer to the west.
Project Highlights
Site:
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Developed on a vacant, former warehouse site
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High density development—38 units per acre
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Entire site is ADA accessible
Water:
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Water heater within 20 feet of low water use dishwasher
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Low water use landscaping with native or adapted plants
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Low flow fixtures in bath and kitchen
Energy & Atmosphere:
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Cooling system design created by design team (architect/MEP engineer) and sized using Manual J
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All ductwork located within thermal envelope
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High insulated wood windows with low-e coating
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EnergyStar rated appliances
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Minimum of two light fixtures have fluorescent lamps
Materials & Resources:
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Central building recycling center available to all occupants
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Structural floor is finish floor
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Durable finish for at least 80% of exterior walls
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Excess building materials are reused or given/sold to salvage
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Recycling centers are available to all occupants
Indoor Environmental Quality:
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100% of finish flooring is hard surface
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Wood flooring installed with no-VOC adhesive
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No-chemical termite control
Innovations or Other:
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Reuse of old billboard signs for floor protection instead of a paper or cardboard product
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Reuse of Austin Common Brick (vintage bricks made from clay taken from Town Lake) as accent for stoop walls and paving
Commissioning and Testing:
General Results:
This 3-star green rated development kept things simple by using commonly available green materials and technologies. Its main green impact comes from the fact that it brought about a renewed interest in a formerly unused part of town, created healthy and affordable housing, and is destined to become an important, vibrant link between east Austin and downtown.
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