First LEED Gold Certification for Multi-Family Development in South Carolina

First LEED Gold Certification for Multi-Family Development in South Carolina & by the way they are Affordable Housing!

Phase two of the Daniel Island Apartments and Grandview Apartments in Charleston have recently earned the first LEED gold certification in South Carolina for multi-family development. Both are being developed by the Humanities Foundation, a local leader in the development of affordable housing projects. They specialize in teaming local funding with federal tax credit initiatives for affordable housing across the southeast.

The site development team was lead by David Tomblin, ASLA, with the The Tomblin Company, a local Landscape Architecture firm located in Charleston.

Tomblin noted that these are both fantastic projects to highlight that all of our commissions, regardless of budget or use, can and should be sustainable. “Historically, low income development projects have tight budgets, whether publicly or privately funded. 99% of the time when you are working with affordable housing, your goal is to maximize the best living environment for as many people in need as possible. In other words, tight budget,” explains Tomblin.

Both projects were required to fit on very small sites and footprints had to be very sensitive to existing trees and wetland areas. Parking areas and outdoor living spaces are designed for the elderly, the primary user for these facilities. According to Tomblin, “We recognized that a site sensitive design approach that utilized as much of the existing assets was the best for both our site and our user. Our client’s directive was fantastic. They said, ‘Design something that we would be proud to have our family live in, and let’s show that affordable housing can be well designed.’ With these goals developed into the initial design, most of the LEED requirements were already part of our base program. And, that made accreditation an easy process.”