Rene Cazenave Apartments

Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco is a model of sustainability for affordable housing, providing permanent residences for formerly homeless individuals in the Transbay Redevelopment Area.

As the first new development in San Francisco’s Transbay Redevelopment Area, Rene Cazenave Apartments (RCA) provides 120 mini studio apartments with comprehensive supportive services as permanent homes for formerly chronically homeless individuals. A gateway building to the future new neighborhood, RCA demonstrates the city’s commitment to creating a community based on social, financial and environmental sustainability and integration.

Owner

BRIDGE Housing and Community Housing Partnership

Associated Architect

Saida + Sullivan Design Partners

Location

San Francisco, CA

Size

75,000 sq. ft.

Stats

Designed to reduce energy use by 42%; GreenPoint Rated Platinum

Image Credit

Tim Griffith

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Rene Cazenave Apartments combines environmental, financial and social sustainability. The design team focused on strategies that simultaneously addressed these goals by reducing long term energy use and costs, creating healthy living environments, and maximizing seismic resilience. In spite of the budgetary pressures associated with subsidized housing for a low income population, the design team gave a high priority to investments in a wide range of sustainable design strategies that aligned with the long term operation and inhabitation. Integrated sustainable design strategies include energy efficient exterior cladding and windows, enhanced air quality ventilation systems, a roof top solar renewable energy canopy and resilient post-tensioned shear walls. The project received GreenPoint certification under the Build It Green program. This project demonstrates how a sustainable design should be integral to providing healthy and nurturing residences and services for disadvantaged citizens that are integrated into the local community.

Awards
AIA California Council Residential, Merit Award for Architecture
AIA National - Committee on the Environment, Top Ten Green Project, 2016
AIA San Francisco, Citation Award
MultiFamily Executive, Grand Winner: Affordable 2014
San Francisco Business Times, Deal of the Year

“This is the first housing development constructed on the Transbay parcel and will serve as a new gateway to the City’s vision of a ‘main street’ along Folsom Street.”

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco is a model of sustainability for affordable housing, providing permanent residences for formerly homeless individuals in the Transbay Redevelopment Area.
Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco is a model of sustainability for affordable housing, providing permanent residences for formerly homeless individuals in the Transbay Redevelopment Area.
Rene Cazenave Apartments in San Francisco is a model of sustainability for affordable housing, providing permanent residences for formerly homeless individuals in the Transbay Redevelopment Area.
with
Jake Aftreth, Andrew Appleton, Aaron Brumo, Adam Franch, Chris May, Claudia Merzario, Christopher Roach, Charlie Stott, Sannihita Takkallapalli, Christine Van Wagenen