Designing for Zero Carbon Case Study: Ivy Senior Apartments
Designing for Zero Carbon Volume 2: Case Studies of All-Electric Multifamily Residential Buildings by Edward Thomas Dean, FAIA, recently featured Ivy Senior Apartments in San Diego, CA. The publication provides insights on navigating space, cost, and design considerations in net-zero carbon multi-family housing. Emerging technologies ease construction and maintenance, while inclusive policies protect the most vulnerable from higher utility costs. Beyond environmental benefits, all-electric buildings enhance resilience, indoor air quality, and outdoor ambiance.
The state of California has directed funds from cap-and-trade credits to support underprivileged communities. The state is striving for carbon-free electricity by 2045 and is promoting greener buildings through energy codes that encourage electrification, storage, and higher efficiency standards.
BNIM’s design for Ivy Senior Apartments provides 52 supportive studio homes for unhoused seniors with chronic medical conditions, creating supportive housing in tandem with resident services and resources provided by PATH, St. Paul's PACE, and Alpha Project Home Finder. This all-electric facility incorporates abundant greenspace, daylighting, native landscaping, and bio-retention zones. The project is qualified to earn Greenpoint Gold Certification, achieving significant reductions: approximately 40% in energy use, 37% in carbon emissions, and 27% in lighting power density. Ivy Senior Apartments demonstrate that sustainable and cost-effective design can hold an important role in achieving funding and advancing organizational missions.
