FOR THE PRIMAVERA FOUNDATION

Las Abuelitas is a housing community designed for, and by, kinship families. The project was conceived when a delegation of grandparents raising grandchildren, through foster care or adoption, met with the Primavera Foundation to explain their need for Accessible and affordable housing. They envisioned a community where residents could provide cooperative child care and programming for youths and elders. There were very few models of this type of kinship housing in the United States, but Primavera understood the growing need.

The complex, built on a small urban infill site, is a model of sustainable design and efficiency. The complex features leading edge technologies such as a closed-loop glycol solar hot water system, state-of-the-art rainwater harvesting, and an advanced photo-voltaic system. Several of the units qualify as “Net Zero,” meaning they produce as much energy through renewable resources as they consume. Las Abuelitas also taps into the regional tradition of passive solar design courtyard housing. A network of secure outdoor walkways connects shaded private patios to outdoor community spaces, such as a playground, a “Common Green,” a Community Garden, and a play court. This combination of environmental response strategies – old and new – gives the development and architectural expression unique to its time and place.

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Location : South Tucson, Arizona

Year of Completion : 2013

Size : 16,000 SF – 12 Units

Cost : $3,200,000

AWARDS:

2014 USGBC LEED Platinum

2014 State and Local Energy Report Residential Energy Award for New Construction

2014 Brian Mickelsen Housing Hero award for Exemplary Urban Multifamily Project

2014 Tucson Electric Power BrightEE Award – Non-Profit Category

2014 Brian Mickelsen Housing Hero award for Exemplary Urban Multifamily Project