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Prospect Terrace

Mountain Housing Opportunities, Inc, a local non-profit organization, is continuing to prove that affordable housing can be built—and can be built green.  Mathews Architecture has led a diverse project design team including the project developers, area residents, structural, mechanical and civil engineers, contractors, and a handful of local non-profits such as the Western North Carolina Green Building Council, Land of Sky Regional Council, the North Carolina Solar Center and the NC Dept. of Energy.

Prospect Terrace is the pilot project of the new North Carolina Healthy Built Homes green building program. This program, developed in part by the NC Solar Center and the Green Building Task Force of the WNCGBC, will provide a rating system for building “green” homes in North Carolina. This rating system, similar to other existing green building programs, will help to provide technical and marketing assistance to builders who have an interest in reducing the negative environmental impacts of construction.

The Prospect Terrace site, composed of seventeen new housing units located on Jefferson Street, Rector Street, and the newly constructed Owens Bell Lane, is located in the heart of the West End Clingman Avenue (WECAN) neighborhood. In 2000, MHO, in conjunction with other local non-profits, held a series of design charrettes to help envision the future of their neighborhood. The site planning and architectural treatment of the project has shown sensitivity to the neighborhood vision by providing a mixed-use infill development with a strong relationship to existing historic fabric, as well as a new public area with community space and naturalized landscape. An existing creek-bed was restored and the neighborhood vision of a walkable community has also been met by placing importance on sidewalks for pedestrian access.

The green-built housing units include a six unit multi-story condominium, five single-family homes and four new duplex units ranging from 900-1500 square feet, and one existing historic house that was renovated as a two-unit duplex. The Healthy Built Homes program is broken into categories that provide each project specific opportunities to lessen its environmental impact. These categories include site issues, water conservation, energy conservation, indoor air quality, and material resource conservation. Prospect Terrace employs alternate framing techniques to minimize material wastage and provides on-site construction material recycling. The project also meets Advanced Energy’s System Vision program for energy efficiency, provides Energy Star appliances, and meets EPA energy savings guidelines.

Through a state grant, some innovative technologies such as solar hot water heating, sealed crawl spaces, and water collection systems have been incorporated. The program, designed for maximum flexibility, also includes bonuses for innovations in conservation, as well as a Community Checklist to insure that a project can become a conscientious community neighbor.

While there are some prerequisites required for compliance with Healthy-Built Homes, the flexibility of the program has been largely responsible for providing an opportunity to introduce “green” construction into the affordable housing sector. The majority of the criteria listed under the various program areas can be addressed with solutions that cost little, if any more than typical construction. The countless options and differing methods of compliance to meet conservation goals encourage creativity and resourcefulness on the part of the project team, and help to insure that no project can adopt a “one size fits all” approach to green construction.

Phase I of construction was completed in 2004 and Phase II in 2005. Mathews Architecture also worked with MHO and Handmade in America to plan for incorporation of local crafts into one of the Rector Street houses to serve as a public “craft designer house”. Through a Ford Foundation Grant, we were able to showcase sustainability and affordability in terms of design and construction, as well as show potential opportunities for utilizing the creative assets found in the adjacent Riverfront Arts District and in the region in our built environment. Phase III which will consist of nine town homes is currently in Design Development.