Pacific Landing is a mixed-use, Net Zero, LEED Platinum, 100% affordable housing project designed for people
living with disabilities and those on limited incomes. Located on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, the building is within proximity to downtown Santa Monica and the beach. The project was developed by Community Corp of Santa Monica, a local non-profit developer.
The 4-story, 42,000-square-foot building replaced a gas station that once occupied the 14,160-square-foot contaminated corner lot. Thirty-seven residences are provided for families in need. The forms of the building are reminiscent of iconic home imagery, now reinterpreted in a new composition that represents a new way of seeing affordable housing. The massing of the building is broken down into several smaller components. The volumes are separated by voids, each accentuated with greenspaces. An interior courtyard at the ground level provides a landscaped respite for the residents. All the units are accessed from the central courtyard which serves as shared space for the residents and includes a playground for children.
Social services, a café, and other amenities are located at the ground level. Parking is provided below grade. Ample common spaces are located throughout the building and at the rooftop terrace that opens to the North, with views out to the Santa Monica Mountains and to the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
The newly constructed building has met ambitious goals for water efficiency, healthy materials, air filtration and ventilation, and stormwater management. The design of the building and its systems achieve energy reduction far below typical buildings of this type. The project is all-electric, utilizing state-of-the-art central electric heat pump water heaters, high-efficiency
electric spit system heat pump heating, and cooling, as well as all electric appliances. This resulted in the project not using any fossil fuels, such as natural gas. The project also reduces the amount of electricity it uses by using high-resistance insulation on the exterior envelope and high-per-forming windows to prevent thermal transfer. The project also uses a highly
reflective CRRC-1 Certified roof to avoid the heat island effect. Even though the electricity the project will use will be limited, it will also be offset through onsite electricity generation from a solar photovoltaic system. The roof will be equipped with a 40-kW solar photovoltaic system offsetting approximately 37% of the site's electricity usage. All of these measures are
anticipated to result in this property using approximately 44% less energy than an average similar code-compliant building. These measures result in a development that is resource-efficient, healthy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and supports the sustainability climate action goals of the City of Santa Monica.
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