Bethel Woods Receives Historic Senior Affordable Housing LEED Certification.

Bethel Woods Senior Housing is Ohio’s 1st Public Housing Senior Living Community to Receive USGBC LEED Certification and is one of only 25 nationwide.

Cincinnati, OH, July 15, 2009:  The architectural firm of Creative Housing Solutions, Inc. (CHS) has achieved a significant milestone for one of their clients; The Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). CMHA has been awarded the first LEED Certification in the state of Ohio for affordable senior housing by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC is responsible for evaluating and determining whether a newly constructed, or renovated building, complies with their “Green” standards.

Edward A. Wright, RA, LEED AP of CHS remarked; “Today public housing in Ohio has achieved a significant milestone. The Bethel Woods Senior Housing development not only has been awarded the prestigious “Certified” status, but the design will also dramatically reduce utility costs for the low-income residents”.

CHS company president, Donald L. Dudrow, Jr., RA commented: “CHS is on the cutting edge of the Green building movement. This achievement demonstrates CHS’ commitment to designing better communities for low to moderate income individuals. Since 1994 CHS has strived to get the most out of every taxpayer dollar spent on public and affordable housing. I believe the “greening” of affordable housing increases the payback on taxpayer investment by providing reduced utility consumption and improved quality of life for many people.”

The project consisted of 16 1-bedroom apartments. All units were designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. The CMHA objectives were to provide additional needed housing that was not only affordable to construct, but also affordable to operate. The CMHA Board and Executive Director, Sarah Kincaid wanted to be a leader in public housing development and believed that it was incumbent upon them as stewards of the public funds to incorporate LEED standards in the project. The Board directed CHS to design and construct a project that met these objectives.

The seniors living at Bethel Woods will benefit in specific ways. The apartments have two climate zones that can be regulated individually for personal comfort and energy savings. Highly insulated floor, wall and roof assemblies reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. The walls have an R-value of R-28 (significantly greater than the code required R-13). Indoor air quality was improved by utilizing safe and low VOC materials and “post construction air-cleansing” processes. This improvement in indoor air quality is extremely beneficial to elderly individuals, many of which have respiratory health complications.

The government will benefit from reduced utility costs through increased building insulation values, water use reductions, high efficiency mechanical systems, and reduced maintenance costs due to the wise selection of materials.

When asked how much this “Greening” of the project cost; Wright stated: “The increased cost for the greening was less than 5%, yet the payback on this premium will be less than 12-months. After that, the savings will be money in the pockets of the residents and housing authority.” Wright went on to say: “Many people are of the opinion that the LEED process and the Green movement are costly – our work at Bethel proves that this is not the case. Good design and construction practices can greatly improve the quality and efficiency of housing without breaking the bank.”

For more information about CHS and their services contact Donald L. Dudrow, Jr., President. 

Contact: Donald L. Dudrow, Jr.
Creative Housing Solutions, Inc.
Phone  - 800.321.5270 ext. 10
Fax – 866.339.0024
dldudrow@chs-incorp.com