2022 Spring Issue - 51

What other innovations or trends are you
excited about?
SWETT: We need to transition away from fossil
fuels, and so sometimes, in the near term, that
may result in using more energy as we travel the
pathway to electrification supported by renewable
sources of energy. Also, I'm excited by opportunities
for cross-subsidization through building emissions
trading schemes. Affordable housing stock that may
have cost-effective opportunities to reduce emissions
but be capital constrained could benefit from
a carbon emissions trading scheme or compliance
payment system and get money for equity or debt
to renovate. That could be provided by the owner
of a laboratory building or a hospital system buying
into a trading system that then subsidizes nearterm
decarbonization of affordable housing while
the owner waits for the next major plant turnover in
their asset before decarbonizing their own building.
Such a scheme is contemplated in Boston's recently
passed emissions reduction ordinance.
BROWN: If we could get Passive House to become
the industry standard, that would be big. Some
contractors tell us they could lower the upfront cost
of the building if we didn't have such stringent standards.
But we maintain ownership of the properties
we build, and if you cost it out over 15 years, then
it's a different story. Also, to the extent that investors
and lenders focus on environmental, sustainability,
and governance goals as they make their
investments, they can raise the bar for all of us.
JOHNS: With housing going all electric, the units
are not going to have gas-fired stoves. Induction
units have the potential to provide a strong health
equity solution because they are better for indoor
air quality than gas and faster cooking than conventional
electric. They will need to come down in
price in order to make sense for affordable housing,
but I'm excited about this technology because it
has the capability to deliver both a better product
and a net zero carbon potential. It is also safer than
either conventional electric cooktops or gas cooktops
because the cooking surface doesn't get hot.
In markets where electricity is less expensive than
gas, this efficient technology would contribute to
lower bills for the occupants. Therefore, incentives
targeted at affordable housing could include those
related to reducing the upfront cost of induction
units as well as compatible cookware.
PonTell: One of the things that makes our net zero
buildings possible is that we're also general contractors,
so we build our own developments. We've
been able to get the building envelopes of our units
incredibly tight, with air regulators to let air into the
spaces so that the air circulates. Traditionally, the
suppliers of mechanical equipment size equipment
with a margin of error. So if a unit needs 20 pounds
of air conditioning, they'll say 25 just to be safe.
But because we have such tight controls, we size
our mechanical equipment exactly to what's needed
for the space. That alone drives down energy usage
tremendously.
BAUMGARTNER: I'm excited about transitioning the
idea of affordable housing from just a single building
typology in and of itself to a broader conversation
on how to achieve the goals for our community.
We need a set of integrated system solutions to
make our communities more sustainable, elevating
all of our community members. Developers should
be asking their teams to ask the tough questions
about what investments raise all boats and make
systems change in our cities. UL
RON NYREN is a freelance architecture, urban planning, and real
estate writer based in the San Francisco Bay area.
SPRING 2022
URBAN LAND
51
The Kenzi at Bartlett
Station in Boston
will create 50 units of
supportive, affordable
housing for older adults.
Being developed by
Preservation of Affordable
Housing, the building
is designed to achieve
PHIUS+ certification
from the Passive House
Institute US Inc., with a
high-performance building
envelope, all-electric
variable refrigerant flow
heating and cooling, and
floor-by-floor energy
recovery ventilation, as
well as a rooftop solar
array and a living green
wall.
PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING
2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue
