In March 2007, Habitat Philadelphia began constructing our city's first low-income, LEED-certified green homes, to be sold through zero-interest mortgages to families in need. These homes will include such Habitat firsts as Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs), solar light-pipes, and tankless water heaters.
As an organization, Habitat Philadelphia is committed to community stewardship in the broadest sense. As an extension of this core value, we have taken on this demonstration project of building seven homes that meet LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green-home rating system currently under development by the U.S. Green Building Council). The project presents a tremendous opportunity for Habitat and its partners to highlight both solutions to the crisis of affordable housing and the practicality of building "green" in a creative synthesis. We truly believe this can be a model for progressive changes in Philadelphia's housing industry.
The addition of green building to our repertoire of construction practices increases costs by about 20% per unit. We have committed to meeting this cost premium for the majority of our homes in 2007 because we believe it is the right thing to do - for our homeowners who will benefit from a healthy living space and low utility bills, as a tool for educating our homeowners and neighbors about environmental impact, and as a model for housing developers throughout the region. We hope to demonstrate the affordability of green building for the future of both low-income and market-rate housing. We also anticipate that this project's LEED status will attract first-time sponsors of Habitat for Humanity.
Architecture firm Wallace Roberts & Todd is designing the seven row homes for an infill site on West Stiles Street. We intend to pursue LEED certification for these homes as part of the LEED for Homes pilot program, in partnership with the Energy Coordinating Agency. Some of the innovative materials and systems we hope to include are:
The East Parkside neighborhood is located in West Philadelphia, adjacent to Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Zoo. The entire neighborhood is certified as a National Historic Preservation District due to the architectural character of its residential buildings. After an era of major disinvestment and decline, new community energy and public and private investment are creating revitalization, but East Parkside continues to have significant need for affordable owner-occupied and rental housing.