Case
Study: The Boulevard
Andersson Wise Architects
Project Goals
Located on Austin’s east side, The Boulevard
offers affordable green housing to a diverse group of residents.
As a City
of Austin S.M.A.R.T™ Housing participant, The Boulevard aims
to be a truly affordable for-sale development. The
developers worked closely with United Cerebral Palsy
to help ensure A.D.A. accessibility. They developed six units
specifically to meet the needs of UCP members.
Building green ensures low operation and energy
costs, helping the housing remain affordable over the long term. The
site is near major transit nodes, Austin-Bergstrom Airport, and downtown,
to reduce commuting costs and automobile reliance. Residents can easily
walk to local amenities, Austin Community College, and the Ruiz Library.
The Boulevard
1201 Grove Blvd.
Austin, TX 78741 |
3-Star Green Building Rating |
April 27, 2006 |
N/A |
Project Description
The Boulevard is a gated community, comprising
120 units—one, two, and three bedroom condos—housed
in 30 two-story buildings. It is located in a high-density,
mixed-use area, and it backs up to and feels very much a part of
an existing, lushly-treed neighborhood.
Elegant, simple design helps overcome some of
the aesthetic problems sometimes associated with large multi-family
projects. The plan uses four different building designs, grouped
in a variety of axial formations, and featuring several façade
applications to create the impression of a community grown organically
over time.
The Boulevard’s development team incorporated
durable, recycled, engineered, and local materials into the buildings.
From the outset, it worked with a commissioning agent and mechanical
engineer to plan simple and cost effective energy reduction strategies.
The development features dual-pane windows, Energy Star® rated
water heaters, continuous ridge and soffit vents for attic ventilation,
and optimum-sized (instead of oversized) HVAC units. Replacing 2
ton units with right-sized 1.5 ton units lowered initial capital
costs and reduced total cooling tonnage by 27%. This yields an estimated
90 kW peak summer demand savings, which lowers energy bills and
helps mitigate the need for new power plants.
Many residents listed The Boulevard’s 3-Star
Austin Energy Green Building Rating as the single most important
factor in their decision to buy. |
|
Project Rating Points Breakdown
Category |
Awarded |
Possible |
Percentage |
% Total
Available Points |
Site |
5 |
21 |
23.8% |
|
Energy |
38 |
100 |
38.0% |
Water |
11 |
33 |
33.3% |
Health |
15 |
48 |
31.3% |
Materials |
22 |
41 |
53.7% |
Community |
12 |
29 |
41.4% |
TOTAL POINTS |
103
|
272
|
37.9%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Project Highlights
Site:
- Situated in a high-density, mixed-use area
- Close to public transit
- Connected to existing City infrastructure
- Exceeded A.D.A accessibility requirements
Water:
- Xeriscaped landscaping with more than 90% native species
- Water efficient front loading clothes washers available on move-in
- Low water turf grass on less than 50% of landscaped area
Energy:
- Right-sized mechanical systems reduce AC power requirement by
27%
- Dual-pane windows with a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.35
- All Energy Star® appliances—water heaters in the top
25% for efficiency
Indoor Environmental Quality:
- Formaldehyde-free insulation
- Carbon monoxide detector in every unit
Materials and Resources:
- Integrated use of recycled content (minimum 50%) and re-used
materials
- Parallel strand lumber (PSL) used in pool house rafters
- Extensive use of Texas limestone
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