Designing Affordable and Sustainable Apartments

Presenter Information

Jaziel Mayoral, University of San DiegoFollow
Ammar Adam, University of San DiegoFollow
Austin Adzima, University of San DiegoFollow
Ian Baker, University of San DiegoFollow
Greg Brown, University of San DiegoFollow
Kyle Cavanaugh, University of San DiegoFollow
Ethan Dixon, University of San DiegoFollow
Jonathan Greaves, University of San DiegoFollow
Noah Kepple, University of San DiegoFollow
Dandan Liu, University of San DiegoFollow

Description

One of the policies created in California to address the issue of unaffordable housing is the density bonus law, which incentivizes construction of more affordable housing. However, this policy can be difficult to understand and construction is one of the main sources of pollution, which is why it is essential to design new buildings to minimize damage to the environment and people, so in this project we test the density bonus law on a real site in El Cajon while trying to reduce pollution with the use of passive design and natural materials. I analyzed the design methods of successful sustainable housing projects for low income people to understand and apply what works in their design and what can be improved. My research indicates that implementing affordable housing programs funded by the government can help real estate developers pay the costs of building sustainable apartments for extremely low income people without sacrificing beauty, a sense of community, and people’s health.

Comments

Faculty Mentor: Juliana Maxim