“This project is essentially about redefining the relationship between the Mississippi River and the city of Saint Paul,” notes Mark Shapiro, Mithun Urban Designer. “There’s a great opportunity to reconnect the city with the river, and in the process of doing so, restore the ecological health of the Mississippi River within the park.”

The city historically has been separated from the river, with big bluffs for most of the lengths of the river and virtually no other connection down to the water’s edge. Through the master plan project, the city’s goal is to develop strategies for development and management of the park, including some obsolete industrial areas that present significant opportunities for redevelopment and integration with the park.

“We selected Mithun for the project because of their strong commitment to, and experience in, exploring the frontiers of sustainable design theory and practice,” noted William Wenk, Principal, Wenk Associates.

A key element informing the master plan is the major cultural diversity the city of Saint Paul has experienced over past 20-30 years, transforming from a predominantly Northern European population to one that includes a large number of cultural and ethnic groups. Mithun’s work includes conducting extensive community outreach to gain a deeper understanding of what various community groups care about and want in the city’s vision for a park to ensure that the interests of a very diverse population are represented.

Also key to Mithun’s work is exploring what future development might look like once this connection between river and city takes place. “By reshaping the city to river one generates development opportunities, which in turn changes the value of the land, which changes where and what people want to build, where they want to live, and where they want to work,” notes Bill LaPatra, Mithun Partner. “Part of our responsibility will be to look at those potential developments – housing, entertainment, recreation, retail, and so on, and advise Saint Paul on workable, sustainable strategies for smart growth.”

Leading the project and the consultant team is Wenk Associates, a Denver-based planning and landscape architecture firm with which Mithun has a long relationship. The firms have partnered on several notable projects over the years, including the REI flagship store in Denver, which earned the distinction as an AIA Top 10 Green Project, and, most recently, a mixed-income, mixed-use Transit Oriented Development master plan for the Denver Housing Authority.

Project partners

• Mithun (Seattle, WA and San Francisco, CA): Architecture, Urban Design and Sustainability Strategies
• Wenk Associates, Inc. (Denver, CO): Lead Consultant | Landscape Architect and Planner
• Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. (HKGi) (Minneapolis, MN): Local Landscape Architect/Urban Design
• Barr Engineering Company (Minneapolis, MN): Civil/Environmental/Ecological Consultation
• Charlier Associates, Inc. (Boulder, CO): Transportation and Trails and Connectivity Planning
• HR&A Advisors (HR&A) (New York, NY): Economic and Management Strategies
• Tunheim Partners (Minneapolis, MN): Marketing Strategy and Branding
• Noble Erickson, Inc. (Denver, CO): Wayfinding and Identity
• The 106 Group (Saint Paul, MN): Cultural and Historic Interpretation
• Forecast Public Art (Forecast) (Saint Paul, MN): Public Art Consultation
• Little and Company (Minneapolis, MN): Strategic Design.

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology — a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, renovation, restoration, and environmental learning. mithun.com

Attachments

• Great River Park Map Axon Credit: © 2010 Mithun

Mithun’s proven experience in leading diverse groups of stakeholders toward a new and sustainable design future was key to its selection in a highly competitive bid process. The sustainable master plan that Mithun will develop will transform a classic 1960s office campus into a mixed used community that consolidates many of Maryland’s state offices while introducing new retail and offering a range of quality housing choices for in-city living.

“State Center has all the ingredients to be one of the greatest examples of the rebirth of the American city in this century,” notes Bert Gregory, FAIA, Chairman and CEO, Mithun. “A great sustainable rebirth built around reinvented existing urban infrastructure, great transit, and vibrant mix of uses and people in a walkable neighborhood. State Center’s core values, aspirations, stakeholder inclusion and unique public private partnerships will reinforce the uniqueness of Baltimore, while serving as a national model for Transit Oriented Development.”

State Center’s goals for the project are to promote economic vitality, support healthy living, create an authentic place, demonstrate environmental stewardship, and provide a healthy and productive office environment. Over a period of 15 years, the project will add or renovate up to 4.7 million square feet of additional State offices, private offices, work-live lofts, and housing, and renovate the historic Armory for public use. The master plan also includes creating new public open spaces and community parks as well as redeveloping the streetscape to improve the pedestrian experience.

State Center is a public/private partnership venture. Especially in today’s economic climate, that kind of partnership is crucial in moving complex and expensive projects forward. Mithun brings deep experience in navigating the complexities of multiple stakeholder clients and building consensus, with a goal of reflecting and serving the Baltimore community in more meaningful and rich ways.

The foresight needed here is demanding. Corporations and government are challenged to build now to accommodate the needs and realities of a future workplace. Promoting health and productivity are hallmarks and areas where Mithun has already demonstrated its skills with an integrated design approach.

The project targets Leadership in Education and Environmental Design (LEED) certification so that it can make buildings far less energy dependent. With an environmentally friendly District Energy system already in place, Mithun will search for every innovative opportunity to bring far more natural light into work spaces.

“We looked at firms from all over the United States, says Caroline Moore, State Center LLC developer. Mithun has a long and solid history of delivering outstanding and forward thinking projects that require great skill and thoughtfulness from start to finish. Their ability to work with diverse groups of people, understand and sort through conflicting needs and goals and keep the project on track is unparalleled.”

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology — a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, renovation, restoration, and environmental learning. mithun.com.

Project Partners

Development Team (Project Developers)

• State Center LLC, a joint partnership of:
  • PS Partners and Ekistics, LLC Managing Member and Lead Developer
  • McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc.
  • State Center Baltimore Developers:
    • Midtown Convergence
    • TAC
    • Neighborhood Development Company

State of Maryland Team (Project Co-Developer, Project Financing, Land Owner, Major Tenants)

• The Governor of Maryland, The Honorable Martin O’Malley
• Maryland Department of General Services — DGS (Project Lead from Maryland State Government)
• Maryland Department of Transportation — MDOT (Project Co-developer, Project Financing)
• Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – DHMH (Major Tenant)
• Maryland Department of Planning (Major Tenant)
• Maryland Transit Authority – MTA (Major Tenant)

Community Team

• The Neighborhood Alliance (Stakeholder Participation – Nine neighborhoods, and institutions and businesses surrounding the development, including Maryland General Hospital, University of Baltimore & Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the Myerhoff Symphony Hall

City of Baltimore Team (Economic Development, Agency Review, Transportation Planning, Financing)

• The Mayor of Baltimore, The Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
• Councilman Bill Cole
• Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), Jay Brodie
• Department of Planning, Tom Stosur
• Department of Transportation, Jamie Kendrick

Design Team

• Mithun (National Design Architect, Interior Designer, Landscape Architect and Urban Designer)
• Design Collective Inc. (Local Collaborating Architect of Record and Collaborating Urban Designer)
• Cho Benn Holback (Collaborating Interior Architect)
• RK&K (Civil Engineers)
• Hope Furrer (Structural Engineers)
• Arup (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineers; District Systems Consultant)
• Pareto Energy (District Systems Consultant)
• Urban Green (Hazardous Materials Consultant)
• STV (Survey and Civil Consultant for the State)

Construction Team

• Turner Construction Company

Attachments

• Baltimore State Center Aerial Credit: Rendering by Stephanie Bower
• Baltimore State Center Building G Credit: Rendering by Stephanie Bower
• Baltimore State Center Building I Credit: Rendering by Stephanie Bower

“Each of the 2010 Cascadia Fellows has had an outsized impact on the green building movement and the building industry more broadly,” says Jason F. McLennan, Cascadia CEO. “Because of their strong leadership, we have made critical progress over the past twenty years. The shifting landscape of the building industry today is the result of these risk-taking pioneers who have invested their talent and passion in creating a more sustainable world.”

The 2010 Cascadia Fellowship recipients were announced at this month’s Living Future Seattle. Hosted by Cascadia, Living Future is an annual event that brings together the world’s most forward-thinking green building professionals to explore solutions to today’s most daunting environmental and social justice issues. This year’s event was attended by a sold-out crowd of 800 people.

2010 Cascadia Fellowship Recipients

Peter Dobrovolny

Peter Dobrovolny is a Seattle pioneer in green building and one of Cascadia’s first board members. He is a member of the City of Seattle’s Green Building team, a committee tasked with developing strategies to motivate greener building in the private sector, and is also currently serving on Cascadia’s Seattle branch steering committee.

Jack Hébert

Jack Hébert is the founder and CEO of Cold Climate Housing Research Center, a non-profit corporation facilitating the development, use and testing of green building technologies in circumpolar regions. Currently the NAHB National Vice President for Area 15, Hébert has served as president of the Alaska State Home Building Association, addressed the US Senate Subcommittee on Energy and was moderator of the Circumpolar Forum on Sustainable Shelter.

Mark Edlen

Mark Edlen is the co-founding member of Gerding Edlen Development, a Portland-based real estate investment, development and asset management firm that has been involved in green development for nearly 15 years. Since the U.S. Green Building Council was established, Edlen’s firm has become one of the largest developers of LEED-certified properties, with more than 40 certified to date.

Bert Gregory

Bert Gregory, FAIA is the president and CEO of Seattle-based sustainable design firm, Mithun. He is renowned as an expert in the development of resource-efficient structures and communities, and serves as a national leader, speaker and advocate for sustainable building and urbanism. Gregory serves on the USGBC LEED Neighborhood Development core committee and Washington Clean Technology Alliance steering committee.

Blair McCarry

Blair McCarry is the principal responsible for engineering and energy systems at Busby Perkins+Will. McCarry works with the project team to develop leading-edge solutions for projects across market sectors and draws from his background working on a number of projects targeting LEED Platinum and beyond. He is the founding Chair of the Vancouver branch of the Cascadia Green Building Council and was a member of the Canada Green Building Council Technical Advisory Group.

About Cascadia

The Cascadia Green Building Council is a 501© (3) non-profit in the US and is incorporated as a nonprofit in British Columbia. Cascadia’s mission is to lead a transformation towards a built environment that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. Cascadia is one of three original chapters of the US Green Building Council and, as a chapter of the Canada Green Building Council as well, is the only international chapter in North America. It is the originator of the Living Building Challenge, authored by Jason F. McLennan. Visit www.cascadiagbc.org or connect with Cascadia on Facebook or Twitter.

Attachments

• Download PDF Press Release

The 6-story, 160,000 sf project in central Mumbai will join a new planned business district with market-rate residential high-rises along the Mithi River. The school will be developed in two phases: phase 1 will contain early elementary (ages 3-5) and elementary grades, as well as administrative offices and faculty housing; phase 2, expected to be constructed in a few years, will accommodate grades 6-12, including a section for an International Baccalaureate program. A smaller commercial component in a separate building accompanies each phase of school development.

“Mumbai’s land use code provided opportunities for design innovation,” says Don Carlson FAIA, project designer. “For instance, the space under a building raised on pilotis is not counted against density or height, which allowed us to locate play areas there that would add much-needed open space, as well as protect the children from the monsoon rains and direct sun.” Each phase of the school is conceived of as a tower, with a common “marketplace” resource floor connected to classroom “neighborhoods” above and below. Each neighborhood, in turn, is organized around a central design studio, where kids can try out things and join in project learning.

The design of the grounds is inspired by Mumbai’s natural history as a series of islands surrounded by mangrove swamps. Each play area is conceived as an island connected through planting areas to the next. Flexible play spaces that allow for intensive use of the site also allow for rain to gather during the monsoon season, becoming water play that stimulates cooperation and creativity between the students. The focus on a seasonal and ecological response to water also highlights the site’s relationship to the nearby river.

Resource-efficiency is an important driver for the design of the project. “We are using local materials and traditional construction techniques with low-embedded energy wherever possible”, says Robert Leykam AIA, project manager. “Stone flooring, masonry partitions, and tiled roofs are locally common methods of long-lasting as well as cost and energy-efficient construction.” The project also features operable windows, solar hot water collectors, grey water recycling, and a state-of-the-art VRV air conditioning system.

“Creating sustainable, innovative learning environments for children has been one of our most cherished opportunities at Mithun,” says David Goldberg AIA, Managing Principal for design and business development. “We’re honored to help craft a new place of learning for the children of Mumbai that will grow naturally from their local culture and ecosystem.”

Construction is currently underway for Phase 1. The school is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.

About Mithun
Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology ― a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, and environmental learning. mithun.com

Attachments

• Model of Mithun's Mumbai School Design Credit: Mithun

“Only a handful of individuals have the ability to comprehend the many intricate relationships that comprise the intersection of urban planning, building and ecology design to create great sustainable cities and places,” noted Bert Gregory, FAIA, President and CEO of Mithun. “These are the people we want at Mithun. We are thrilled at our success in attracting such a high caliber person as Mark to our team.”

Prior to joining Mithun, Shapiro was a Principal and Project Designer for Kansas City-based BNIM architects. He also held teaching positions at Syracuse and Tulane universities, and served as Head of the Department of Architecture at Kansas State University. A native of South Africa, he has practiced and taught in South Africa, Great Britain, Italy and the United States.

Shapiro has been recognized both nationally and internationally for high-profile, technologically complex projects, most recently for his work on the Greensburg Sustainable Comprehensive Development Plan, which was awarded both the 2009 ASLA National and Central States Honor Award and the 2009 Burnham Award from the American Planning Association. His work has also garnered numerous state and regional AIA awards, most importantly for the Fayez S. Sarofim research building at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He had key involvement in developing housing prototypes for Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation and the Holy Cross Sustainable Redevelopment Plan/Holy Cross School Site Master Plan in Post-Katrina New Orleans.

His combined experience as architect and urban designer will complement his activities at Mithun, where he will serve primarily as a lead project designer and principal in charge for planning, urban design and building design projects.

Shapiro holds a Masters of City Planning in Urban Design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cape Town.

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, ecology and interior design—a multidisciplinary approach for the future that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to historic preservation, mixed-use, corporate, commercial, civic, science and technology, higher education, and senior living projects. For more information, visit mithun.com

Attachments

• Mark Shapiro portrait Credit: © Mithun

Hope Houses offer a new model of supportive living to elders of Hope Meadows, an intentional, intergenerational community created to support adoptive families and children coming out of the foster care system. The design of each four-unit communal living residence supports Hope elders’ ability to age in community and preserves relationships between seniors, adoptive families and children through end of life. Located in the center of this rural Illinois community, the Hope Houses connect via an atrium to an existing intergenerational center and are adjacent a new community center and community garden.

The jury applauded the Hope Houses as “a unique and heartwarming senior housing concept that speaks not only to comfortable living for residents, but also the importance of self worth for older adults continuing to contribute to their community.” In presenting the award, jurors also commended the projects’ integration of sustainable design features.

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people of all ages and abilities. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology ― a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. mithun.com

KCTS 9 was one of only seven organizations to receive a GBI planning grant from among 114 applicants nationwide. In making the award, The Kresge Foundation stated, "We were impressed by [KCTS 9’s] plans and commitment to developing an environmentally sustainable facility."

Maureen Scott, KCTS 9 Grants and Foundations Manager, describes the grant as "an especially rewarding recognition of the work to which KCTS 9 is committed, both in and with the community." Adds Maurice "Moss" Bresnahan, KCTS 9 President and CEO, "We want to be a leader by example in the nonprofit world, demonstrating how organizations can move to environmentally sustainable practices that are also economically sustainable and represent the wisest possible stewardship of our donors’ investments in KCTS 9 and our community. We are especially honored to be among this fall’s list of awardees, and to have received one of the final grants in The Kresge Foundation’s Green Building Initiative."

Located on the northeast corner of Seattle Center, the station is intent on contributing to the vitality of the city’s urban core and the Center’s vision to transform their campus into the nation’s premier urban park. Prior to applying to The Kresge Foundation, KCTS 9 joined the Seattle Climate Partnership and with their guidance, completed a Carbon Footprint Calculator. With a 55-year legacy of telling the most important stories in areas including science and nature, ecology and the environment, KCTS 9 is well-positioned to implement and document environmental practices throughout its operations.

Beth Savage, KCTS 9 Vice President of Development, noted the importance of planning funds, explaining, "The Kresge Foundation award is restricted to costs such as energy analysis and modeling, and ecological site planning for water management. The grant enables the station both to effectively plan changes, and, because this is a three-year grant, provides the opportunity to communicate with our public in concrete terms exactly how we intend to contribute to the sustainability of the environment we all share."

KCTS 9 would like to recognize the design team who contributed countless hours of time and expertise to translate KCTS 9’s sustainability goals into a buildable form: Mithun, WSP Flack + Kurtz, Chris Webb & Associates, Swenson Say Fagét, Roen Associates and the Seattle Climate Partnership.

For more information, please contact Daphne Adair at 206.443.6791 (office), 206.599.9435 (cell) or dadair@KCTS9.org.

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The KCTS 9 mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve by providing meaningful programming on air, online and in the community that informs, involves and inspires.

This is a copy of KCTS 9’s press release. View the original press release here.

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology — a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, and environmental learning. mithun.com

Attachments

• Early coneptual rendering of renovation and possible addition Credit: Rendering by Mithun

A host of historic documentation recently retrieved from the Library of Congress and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site provided the foundation for planning and design. "Sharing an understanding of Olmsted principles is urgent in the 21st century," says Debra Guenther ASLA, Mithun landscape architecture principal. "They are prescient in their timeless understanding of integrating infrastructure, place and people."

Mithun’s landscape plan respects the design principles of the original Olmsted plan, honors characteristic features and concepts of the historic design, and acknowledges the dynamic context of the historic capitol grounds. "We are providing a sustainable link between the past and future," says Guenther.

Washington State’s Capitol is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Instead of a single building, as in most states, it consists of a campus with several buildings. The Washington State Legislature, Washington Supreme Court and Washington Governor’s Mansion are all located on the Capitol Campus.

The Olmsted Brothers created the original 54-acre site plan in 1928, with planting beginning in 1931 and continuing to this day as buildings are added and site needs change. As with all of the Olmsteds’ work, the Campus features sweeping vistas along with open, expansive lawns. However, much of their design intent was lost due to attrition, development or deferred preventive care. Mithun’s plan will replenish aging trees, establish new trees and replace portions of energy-intensive lawn with layers of vegetation, as originally intended. The plan also recommends the removal of some parking in order to help return the most civic aspect of the state to a place for people rather than cars.

"The improvements will enhance the sense of arrival in approaching the Capitol and elevate the sequence of progression in moving throughout the Campus." says Susan Olmsted ASLA, Mithun project designer. “It’s already rich architecturally. Now the landscape will complete that experience." Ms. Olmsted is actually related to the famed landscape architects, although a few generations removed.

Preservation of cultural landscapes has not been as common as preservation of cultural resources, such as buildings, but there is a growing consensus that it’s equally important to protect historic structures and the settings in which they reside. The difficulty is that the dynamic character of landscapes, growing and changing over time, complicates efforts – hence the significance of having a plan to follow.

Mithun not only conducted research to gather information about the Olmsteds’ vision for the Campus, but also analyzed the health of existing natural resources. It became clear that the critical structural elements were in place, but in particular they lacked the ongoing replenishment and maintenance of trees. In response, Mithun has created a landscape master plan to inform future planning efforts, a large tree layer plan to address initial vegetation rejuvenation and a vegetation management plan to guide ongoing landscape management.

Work on the Campus began over the summer and is slated to continue incrementally over the course of the next 50 years. On a final historical note, Washingtonians might be interested to know that the Olmsteds also designed the grounds of our nation’s capitol, the other Washington – Washington, D.C. (1874-1885).

About Mithun

Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology — a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, and environmental learning. mithun.com

Attachments

• West Capitol Campus Credit: © Mithun, photograph by Juan Hernandez.

Visitors entering the building are greeted by representatives from the different departments who help them to conduct their business in a convenient and comfortable setting. The warm wood structure and artwork created by Tulalip artists frame views to the Bay. A staircase, adorned with a three-story art glass panel, and lighting that incorporates their designs, lead the way to the council chambers located on the top floor. An extensive outreach process, including tribal government leaders, elders, staff and community members, ensured that this significant project makes a powerful statement about the Tulalips’ forward-looking vision for the future.

The design represents the Tulalips’ enduring commitment to their environment and to the efficient use of tribal resources. Low-impact development strategies protect the local watershed and help to preserve the waters that empty into Tulalip Bay, while the building’s long, narrow footprint and floor-to-ceiling windows bring in fresh air and natural light, reducing energy consumption and connecting occupants to the surrounding natural environment.

More specifically, this building relies on a high performance envelope and integrated passive design strategies working in concert with a very efficient air conditioning system to maintain comfort inside. At the heart of the HVAC system is a geothermal heat exchanger that efficiently transfers energy to and from the building to the earth year round. Additionally, a hybrid air conditioning strategy allows the HVAC systems to shut down when the outside temperature is mild. Operable windows deliver fresh air and cooling during these periods. Other features include ceiling fans for further comfort control and operable window indicator lights that advise occupants when it is best to keep the windows closed (amber light) or open (green light). All of these integrated design features are predicted to lower utility bills by as much as 25 percent compared to a standard office building. The intelligent building management system will monitor energy use and provide critical information to allow the Tulalip Tribe to make adjustments and further optimize energy performance in the years ahead.

Consultants

• Civil: DOWL Engineers
• Structural: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
• Mechanical: Flack + Kurtz
• Electrical: Hultz/BHU/Cross

About Mithun
Mithun is a leading sustainable design practice that creates lasting places for people. The firm’s innovative and collaborative spirit encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, and ecology — a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nature, technology and design. Mithun’s commitment to sustainability extends to mixed-use, corporate, commercial, residential, civic, science and technology, higher education, retail, senior living, and environmental learning. mithun.com

About Tulalip Tribes
The Tulalip Tribes is a federally-recognized Indian tribe located on the Tulalip Reservation in the mid-Puget Sound area. The Tulalip Reservation encompasses 22,000 acres rich with natural resources: marine waters, tidelands, fresh water creeks and lakes, wetlands, forests and developable land. The Tulalip Reservation provides a permanent home for the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish and Stillaguamish Tribes and allied bands living in the region. http://www.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Attachments

• Tulalip Administration Building Credit: © Mithun. Photograph by Juan Hernandez.

"Green building promotes the economic, environmental and social health of a community. Common Ground incorporates renewable or energy-efficient, cost-saving practices and sustainable materials. These strategies not only promote quality of life for residents and the community, but make economic sense for affordable housing. They reduce operations and maintenance costs and lower utility bills." – Tammy Schacher, Mithun principal

"Common Ground is about reinventing the American Dream. In the years ahead, Americans will be compelled to shed some deeply ingrained habits of material consumption. These adjustments can be endured, nay, embraced, if people are confident that the country is headed to a more fulfilling transformation. I believe this transformation is fundamentally about discovering what it means to be truly human, not as “consumers” but as citizens, neighbors, friends, co-creators of a compelling story that embraces social justice and a healthy planet. It’s about smaller footprints and larger lives." – Chris Greacen, Common Ground resident

"In 1989, LCLT was created in response to the rapid rise of real estate prices. Escalation of home prices threatened the very fabric of our community. Common Ground is our fourth affordable housing development and the first net-zero energy neighborhood. Common Ground was developed for replication – modeling rain water catchment, solar electric and solar thermal systems, passive solar design, straw bale construction, earthen plasters and elements of permaculture design.
Common Ground is home to teachers, small business owners and those who are self-employed. It is a testament to living comfortably and sustainably with a greatly reduced carbon foot print." – Sandy Bishop, LCLT executive director

About Lopez Community Land Trust

About Mithun

Attachments

• Lopez Building Section
• Lopez Community Site Rendering