paisano green community

HACEP | Housing Authority of the City of El Paso

Gerald Cichon, Chief Executive Officer
915 849 3700 / gcichon@hacep.org

PROJECT DATES

Completion: 2013

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Paisano Green Community is the first NetZero, fossil fuel-free, LEED Platinum, affordable senior housing project in the United States. This 73-unit project is built on a 4.2-acre site, adjacent to the major border crossing between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. The design goals of the project were to create a place-sensitive community for elderly residents that would promote healthy living and an environment encouraging the development of interpersonal relationships, all within a well-designed set of energy-efficient, high-performance buildings and grounds.

The campus is made up of four 3-story flats, nine duplexes, eight 2-bedroom units, nine studios, fifty-five 1-bedroom units, a utility structure, and a new community building. Paisano was designed and built to meet LEED Platinum, Enterprise Green Communities 2011, ADA, UFAS, and Fair Housing Standards.

SERVICES PROVIDED

WORKSHOP8 provided site planning, architecture, entitlement assistance, net-metering approval, interior design, FF&E selection, identity and branding, signage design, art design and selection, and contract administration.

PROJECT TEAM

Architects | Joseph Vigil, JV DeSousa and Ali Gidfar
Designers | Ulla Lange, Michelle Frankel
Production Team | Josh Oqueli, Kate Pedersen, Liz Smith, Marianne Bellino, Michelle Frankel

Builder | Pavilion Construction
Energy Modeler & Sustainability Consultant | Mark Bloomfield, Sustainably Built
LEED Consultant  | Progress Building
Landscape Architect | Desert Element Landscape Design LLC
Landscape Designer | Julie Hauser, indigo landscape design
Lighting Designer | Clanton & Associates
MEP | Priest Engineering
Structural Engineer |  Gebau
Photography | Jessie Ramirez

SIZE

73 Units & 55,357 SF

FUNDING

ARRA grant through HUD

DEVELOPMENT COST

$14,830,000 / $203,150 per unit

SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES

LEED Platinum, Enterprise Green Communities (EGC) Certified, Net-Zero Energy & Fossil Fuel Free

AWARDS

2013 — National Award of Merit in Program Innovation - Project Design / National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
2012 — Citation Award for Built Architecture / American Institute of Architects (AIA) Colorado [/toggle]

MEDIA COVERAGE

September 2014 — Colorful Panels Add to Green Design / Commercial Building Products Magazine
July 2013 — Paisano Green Community / GreenSource, The Magazine of Sustainable Design
May 2013 — These Seniors are Living Green / Builder and Developer Magazine
3 May 2013 — NetZero Living and Climate / edcmag.com
2013 — Paisano Green Community Senior Housing / Architizer
29 March 2013 — WORKSHOP8 : Boulder architects design net-zero housing project in El Paso / Boulder County Business Report
26 March 2013 — A Green Community Comes to Town / GreenBuildTV.com
January / February 2013  — The New Model for Affordable Housing / green building & design magazine

20 December 2012 — Paisano Green Community is the First NetZero Senior Housing Project in the US / Tyson and Billy
20 November, 2012 — Special Report: The Paisano Green Community / Channel 7
29 October 2012 — Gray Goes Green: First U.S. Net Zero Senior Community Opens in TX / Clean Technicz
20 September 2012 — Paisano Green Community / archdaily.com
31 August 2012 — The Paisano Green Community - Redefining Affordable Housing in the United States / YouTube

25 October 2011 — Paisano Green Community is the First NetZero Housing Project in the US / inhabitat
25 October 2011 — Paisano Green Community (designed using Vectorworks and Sketchup Pro) / AECCafe.com
18 October 2011 — 73-Unit Public Housing Community for Seniors Generates 100% of Energy On-Site / University  of St. Thomas
11 October 2011 — Eco-friendly Housing Project Paisano Green Community 1st of its Kind / El Paso Times
September 2011 — Cutting-Edge Green Affordable Housing in El Paso, TX / HUD.gov