Courtesy of 2015 AIA/HUD Secretary's Awards

• Project revitalized a key area of the city’s downtown area
• Provided 24 affordable apartments on the top 2 floors through a public-private partnership between the co-op grocery store and a local non-profit
• 4 floors (first two floors consist of the grocery store, administrative offices, a bakery, and commercial space for local vendors
• Includes an accessible green roof from the first floor
• Other community amenities include new parking areas, pedestrian walkways, outside seating, a café, and market areas
• The collaborative design process was critical in making the project a model for responsible building practices and smart growth
• The site, contaminated by a dry-cleaning facility, was cleaned up and the building was moved away from the nearby brook to protect the water from pollution and the building from flooding
• Storm runoff is treated and filtered by the green roof, permeable surfaces in the parking lot, and a 20-foot buffer strip in the new public park created along the water
• Construction materials included locally harvested and milled flooring and slate siding manufactured in Vermont
• Natural light floods the spaces, and the apartments have continuous fresh air ventilation with heat recovery
• The co-op uses a solar photovoltaic system to generate electricity
• The features as a whole have cut energy costs per square foot by 50%