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Credit: Colorado Court: John Edward Linden
Colorado Court-Location: Santa Monica, Calif. • Developer: Community Corp. of Santa Monica • Architect: Brooks + Scarpa (previously Pugh Scarpa Kodama) • Energy-Efficiency Consultant: Helios International • Builder: Ruiz Brothers Construction Co. • Built: 2002 • Units: 44 • Notable: The country’s first 100 percent energy-independent affordable housing project and first LEED-certified multifamily project, Colorado Court features a natural gaspowered turbine/heat recovery system and a solar electric panel system that supplies most of the peak load electricity demand.
Colorado Court far exceeds standard practice in energy-efficient housing design. This five-story, progressive housing development, designed and built almost a decade ago, remains a significant benchmark for sustainable design today. Brooks + Scarpa’s design sensibility created a simple and elegant project that remains fresh and relevant as we continue to advance renewable energy and socially conscious design. Colorado Court is a true prototype and catalyst for affordable housing. The architect’s approach was to integrate physical, economic, and social sustainability, combined with exceptional design.
—David Nagahiro, AIA, LEED AP, principal, CBT Architects, Boston