Granite Mountain Senior Homes
The primary design intent was to balance the use of innovative “green” design strategies while creating a building size and massing that was compatible with the surrounding neighborhood’s single-family character. There are 20 duplex-style buildings that incorporate shared walks and entrances, rainwater cisterns and kitchen/rain gardens. The shed type roofing shapes are much like the surrounding single-family houses and have the additional advantage of providing large south facing slopes for the solar collector arrays. Through the consistent application of solar orientation, each living and kitchen space in the units has a long southern exposure for beneficial winter sun.
MHA incorporated several key sustainable design strategies in the site and building design as part of the “green”, energy efficient, purpose of the development. These strategies included:
- Passive solar orientation with long south-facing walls / glazing to maximize winter gain; and large roof overhangs to block summer gain
- The duplex structures will utilize SIPs (stressed insulated panel) construction which provides superior insulation, low infiltration, and reduces construction waste.
- Substantial single-pitched south-facing roof areas to allow for use of photovoltaic panels to provide electrical power for lighting and appliances
- Solar hot water collectors as a renewable energy source for domestic hot water heating needs
- Rainwater harvesting, channeling roof runoff to independent storage containers for residents’ personal use in garden irrigation
- Sustainability through density with three frontages connecting to the larger community
- Preservation of most existing trees on site
- Significant use of xeriscape / low maintenance plantings to minimize the need for irrigation
- Low impact parking; low ratio of parking spaces; parallel and head-in street parking layout to eliminate driveways and reduce impervious footprint
- Shared walkways to reduce impervious footprint.
