In 2005 Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia sought an innovative solution for the construction of a set of affordable homes in Philadelphia’s historic East Parkside. Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC (WRT) with the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia volunteered for the project.* The community wanted the homes to fit the Victorian-era neighborhood. But nationally, Habitat's most common unit design is the detached two-story home with a sloped roof and wood frame construction — safe and easy for volunteer crews to build. The Collaborative project team developed a rowhouse design with some extras, such as brick facades and front porches, which can still be built primarily by volunteers. Thanks to the efforts of Energy Coordinating Agency and the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, 4200 Stiles Street will be one of a handful of affordable housing developments registered for the LEED for Homes Pilot Project, a voluntary program to test sustainable design standards for housing drafted by the United States Green Building Council. In 2006 this project won Philadelphia’s Community Design Collaborative’s 2006 Community Design Award. This ongoing project will be finally completed by the end of 2009. 7 New Green Homes. 7 New Affordable Homes. 7 New Homeowners. * The volunteer team and clients were matched through the Community Design Collaborative of AIA Philadelphia, an organization that recruits design professionals to provide pro bono services. The Collaborative provided a $21,680 service grant to help Habitat develop its first affordable green housing project. WRT continued to sponsor the project with the final design and documentation efforts.
