The Olneyville Housing Corporation has worked with KITE on an ongoing basis to build their winning design for the Providence Sustainable House Competition on several sites in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. Three variations on the basic house design have been developed to allow variety in both appearance and features as multiple homes are built.
The City of Providence held an open design competition was to provide model homes that could be built on typical building lots throughout Providence, and KITE Principal Christine West, AIA’s design was selected as a first-place winner. The basic design can be used to meet LEED-Homes criteria for green building, Energy Star Homes Certification, as well as Rhode Island Housing standards.
The basic design for the single-family house is modeled on Victorian homes found throughout Providence, and each version features an entry tower that gives the house a unique identity and encourages vertical air circulation to avoid air conditioning. The basic plan includes three bedrooms and two baths, with a Mansard version that adds a third floor with a fourth bedroom and bath. The compact size and numerous common-sense features such as high-grade insulation help make it both “green” and affordable to build and maintain.
