Gish Family Apartments By, Jeffrey Chan

Overview Building: Gish Family Apartments Location: San Jose, CA Building type: Special needs housing, Multi-unit residential, Retail, multi- family housing. Building use: apartments, convenience store, and beauty salon. Type of project: New construction. Completed: June 2007 Architect: Jeff Oberdorfer

Materials and Resources Building materials were selected with durability in mind. Natural Linoleum composite wood agrifiber products pre-cut wood concrete, metal

Energy Efficiency The apartments use of low and ultra low flow sinks, showers and toilets. High-performance Windows and Doors Optimize energy performance of glazing systems. The electricity to the building is generated by solar panels. Generates electricity on-site Uses high levels of insulation, that reduces heating and energy needs. Gish Apartments was designed to have a 100-year service life.

Site Ecology The building formerly housed a gas station with underground storage tanks. There was a concern that the gas would seep in the buildings water supply. Bicycle parking is available. Bus station and train station close for affordable transportation

Water Resources Use low-flow toilets. Showerheads using less than 2.2 gallons per minute. Selected plants for drought tolerance instead of turf. Use water-efficient irrigation equipment. Water treatment systems to enable safe sewage disposal. L.E.E.D award 3/5 points for water efficiency.

Cost Implications 5 years for payback for the natural linoleum floors. The solar panels generate 42,500 kWh of energy. Reducing private vehicle use and saving tenants over $700 per year. The solar panels reduce CO2 emissions by 97,500 pounds of CO2 per year. Uses 36% less water indoors than a comparable building.