4915 Penn Ave
4915 Penn Ave
Project Name:
4915 Penn Avenue
Project Square Footage (ft2):
3500
Year Built
Green Building Certifications:
LEED-CI Gold
Project Team:
inter*ARCHITECTURE, Iams Consulting
Please provide a brief description of the project.
Renovation of existing vacant building into a 2 unit mixed use (commercial and residential) structure
How did the building's team work together to address sustainability and building performance?
Architects Jennifer Lucchino and Alfred Croce purchased, designed and completed renovations on the building allowing us to control and integrate sustainability and building performance into the design. We worked with Jonathan Iams of Iams Consulting to perform energy modeling.
What were major challenges in the project related to building performance and how did the project team work to overcome them?
Major challenges related to building performance include the upgrade of the existing building envelope and the integration of new building systems within budget constraints. We worked to overcome them by streamlining the design of the building in order to simplify the delivery of building services and improved the envelope including removing an addition, reconfiguring a portion of the roof and providing new insulation throughout.
What are the project's key sustainability features?
The projects key sustainability features include integrating sustainable materials, adding a green roof and reinforcing a sustainable lifestyle.
What are your main take-aways or lessons learned from this project? Have these lessons informed other projects?
The main lessons learned from this project are that by experimenting with the use of sustainable materials and reimagining the spatial organization of an existing building it is possible to create a unique environment that responds to its immediate context and offers a new way to inhabit an existing building. These lessons inform all of our projects to varying degrees.
What was the intended or actual impact of the project on its users or the surrounding community?
The project offers an example to the community of an existing building renovation that reimagines its use while it incorporates sustainable features within a strict budget and in the process encourages others to pursue similar goals. We continue to imagine new ways to use the building and to integrate new improvements thus providing a dynamic case study for the community.