This case study presentation looks at how two  2008 What Makes It Green? award winning projects address livability and community.  Mosler Lofts (by Mithun) is a large-scale urban residential high-rise in the booming Belltown area of Seattle, CoHo Ecovillage (by SERA Architects), on the other hand, is a 34-unit development of clustered townhouses and flats on the outskirts of the small city of Corvallis, Oregon.  Both projects exhibit high aspirations for sustainability and community, but their approach is necessarily distinguished by their context.  Join us as the project architects for both of these projects discuss the challenges and benefits for building dense, livable communities, both in the city and outside of it.

Project 1: Mosler Lofts
Presented by: Dan Swaab and Steve Cox from Mithun
The 12-story Mosler Lofts mixed-use development is positioned to be the first LEED® Silver certified condos in Seattle. The building features natural ventilation and daylighting strategies, low VOC finishes, and a green roof that filters rainwater while creating a gathering place for residents. Two-story townhouses on the street level integrate the Lofts with the culture and activity of the Belltown neighborhood, bringing city life into the naturally lit spaces.

Project 2: Corvallis Cohousing
Presented by: Lisa Petterson SERA Architects
CoHo Cohousing’s vision was to build a community that encourages interactions, displays environmental stewardship, while providing housing affordable to people at 80% MFI. The project’s environmental goals included preserving a portion of the site for future habitat, creating a plan for net zero energy thru reinvestment of energy conservation savings, and 100% on site storm water management.