- Project Type: Multi-Family Home, Affordable Communities
- Location: Moab, Utah
Cinema Court is a 60-unit, 5.17-acre redevelopment of a brownfield site for the Housing Authority of Southeastern Utah (HASU). This multifamily project provides much-needed affordable housing to Moab, made possible through community engagement and outreach and low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) grant funding.
The site hosts a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom, highly energy-efficient apartments with amenities located throughout. The project used many green measures to exceed Enterprise Green Communities Certification minimums – scoring higher than any other project to date. The all-electric design included low embodied energy materials, super-efficient mechanical systems, double-stud walls, recycled cellulose insulation, excellent sound proofing, great indoor air quality, climate-appropriate landscaping, community gardens, good solar orientation, and restoration of a creek.
At a time when the state authorities were openly hostile to green building, this project achieved HERS ratings in the 40 to 50 range with no on-site renewables. These measures resulted in a dramatic drop in utility bills for the residents, making the project even more affordable on a month-to-month basis. Energy bills dropped 80% to 90% of what tenants had spent in their previous housing. With the future addition of a little PV on roofs that were built for it, this project can easily achieve net-zero energy.
Our design for Cinema Court was inspired by what we’ve learned by designing cohousing projects. As a result, the likelihood of neighbors knowing each other is much higher.
