Comment of the Holcim Awards 2005 Jury for North America
Conceived as a hybrid of urban, architectural, and landscape design, this collaborative effort successfully foregrounds socioeconomic processes in relation to a community-driven housing project.
A convincing scheme for utilizing integrated design to produce low-cost sustainable buildings is presented, demonstrating a skillful integration of energy saving measures, water treatment procedures, as well as provisions for waste management.
The work puts forward a strong ethical position by offering to people an ecologically sensitive environment that could not normally afford the choice to do so. Also to be commended is a keen awareness of the potential reduction of health care and utility costs associated with such an endeavor.
The work displays an ambitious social vision that exceeds the scale of individual interventions, aiming to effectively integrate stakeholders in the decision-making processes that decide the fate of the built environment.
Among other noteworthy aspects, the geothermal, radiant heating and cooling system in particular should provide significant energy savings for the residents. Serving as example for responsible communal investment, this work offers a financially viable as well aesthetically sensitive contribution to sustainable neighborhood planning.