Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing’s rooftop farm is more than just a garden. It’s a community gathering spot, an interactive classroom, an outdoor dining space, and a source for local, organic produce that is used by nearby farm-to-table restaurants. Not to mention it has amazing view!
Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing (CHUC) is a five-story intentional community comprised of nine homes over a street level commercial space, located in the dense urban center of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
As a cohousing project, it was designed in collaboration with the future residents, and prioritizes long-term social and environmental sustainability as one of their shared values. The design incorporates principles from the Living Building Challenge and Passive House, optimizing passive energy strategies while emphasizing thermal and acoustic comfort. Early energy modeling hinted at the project’s future energy efficiency, but after four years of occupancy the actual energy usage has been measured at EUI of 17.0 kBtu/sf/yr, one-third of a typical, energy code-compliant multifamily building in the area! We credit the passive design strategies, but equally important appear to be the social connections of the residents, and a building-wide commitment to climate protection.
The roof on the east half of the building supports a recently installed PV array (with even further improved building efficiency), and the other half houses a lively, activated, organic, pollinator-friendly farm. Located in one of the nation’s first soon-to-be-certified EcoDistricts, the farm is a catalyst for a neighborhood-wide network of urban farms, including the nearby Station House rooftop farm, part of the Capitol Hill Transit-Oriented Development!
Take a virtual tour of CHUC’s rooftop farm with Schemata Workshop founders and principals (and CHUC residents) Grace Kim and Michael Mariano below!