Tierra Linda

RTM provided MEP/FP engineering design for the new development of three-flats and six-flats, totaling 45 units. RTM and Landon Bone Baker worked closely with the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) to include design principles that promote healthy living within the community.

In 2014, LUCHA led the design team with a vision to achieve sustainability goals for the new health-centered housing development. The buildings’ high performance design features lead to increased heating and cooling efficiency and decreased energy costs for renters. One of the six-flat buildings is the first affordable, multi-family Passive House in the City of Chicago. Passive house design was step one toward being Net Zero Ready. Everything is electric, which allows the potential to have solar panels on the roof and purchase green energy from ComEd. Low-flow plumbing fixtures were also used on all of the buildings, as well as LED lighting. Energy consumption reduction was the number one goal for all of the buildings, not only the Passive House building.

In recent years, the U.S. has launched the Passive House Alliance, a program that aspires to make high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. Long-term benefits, in addition to energy efficiency, include continuous mechanical ventilation of fresh filtered air to provide excellent indoor air quality, and it lowers long-term building costs due to the well-insulated and tight envelope. In addition, Passive building principles offer the best path to Net Zero and Net Positive buildings by minimizing the load that renewables are required to provide.