Their commitment led them to create an urban apartment complex located on a site where there was once a printing factory. The community is only blocks away from commuter and rapid transit lines, thereby cutting down residents' use of automobiles. Units are designed for maximum use of daylight and noise reduction. Sustainably harvested wood and lumber products were used for construction. The design, by Bruce Hampton, AIA, GreenVillage Co., Cambridge, includes a heating and cooling system that uses water pumped from three drilled wells, wall insulation made of recycled newspaper and energy saving lighting and water fixtures.
Residents share a common house used for communal cooking and laundry facilities.
The complex is projected to use 60 percent less energy than traditional housing. They range in age from newborns to retirees and it's wonderful to see the way everyone interacts as a family. We were fortunate to be able to encourage this interaction through design. For example, from the underground parking, people come into the common house where they can pick-up their mail and always find someone to talk to. This is a sustainable community in many different ways.